Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-02-22
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A Young MAN NARNtts HtS = ". 80, - - -
-TEF OLD NAN UNENPKCEEDL.
Up To DIE
An extraordinary story comes from ~. 'e,
station, Quo, wherein a young man e. -
por, Ell TO have married his stepmother. under
The belief that his father was dead Twelve
years ago the wife OF James Sxlneie. a
wealthy farmer of the locality named. died.
and year and half afterward the widower.
woman who had lived in his family ShS
vas twenty-five. He hsd six chtldrao by
NE INST vile and three OF them married.
Old Mr.. SwiISRle was one OF the most promi.
nent men In the township a deVout me m ber
of the church, and man generally raSDa.tea
In ls65 MT. swingle disappeared ana was
supposed 10 have been robbed. murdered
and mysteriously buried. Eighteen months
afterward q skeleton was found In a deem
forest near his house, ana believing them 20
be his bones they were burned In the Church
yard by the side OF bis first wife. A stone
setting forth the circumstances connected
with Swinele's death was placed at the head
of the grave An administrator OF the es-
tate of the deceased was appointed, aud his
property equally divided among the chill
dren. The homestead fell 10 the lot OF the
old farmers widow, and the youngest son,
also named James, continued To live there
and superintend operations on the farm. In
1859 he married the widow OF his father, and
the couple were living In Unruii!ed ease with
three children that had been born 10 them,
when in the early part OF last month the
young farmer was given letter at the VIII
lage post office addressed ITO any living
member of the Swingle family" Tue letter
was postmarked at Cleveland. Ohio. Open
ing TIE letter the farmer was aStoniShet Ia
find that il purportci 70 be written By his
father. long believed 10 be dead. IL was as
follows:
CLEVELAND, December So am very sick
ard penniless among strangers. 7 was on
my way home when taken sick Some OF
YOU come 10 me at once and will exp ain
all. lam at sailors lodging house by the
lake. JAMES SwINGLE.
The letter was written In a crampei and
trembling hand, but IL resembled specimens
OF the old farmers writing of years ago. He
was visited and found In Cleveland. He was
very i'll with fever and became delirtous
soon after the arrival OF his son, and 10 was
some days before be could be removed 10 bet
ter quarters. Three weeks passed before ne
was in condition 10 be taken home, aud
during that time he could be induced TO say
but little about his strange disappearance.
He said that left while under the influence
OF an impulse which he could not control and
after travelling about for a few days he was
with about - 600 he had with him and iu-
vest IL in some way, and after he had IN
creased ~ sufficiently, to return home and
surprise his family. He went TO California,
and from there TO Australia, where he made
$4,000 In five years and came back TO Cali
fornia, where he lost 10 all. Thinking he was
drawing near his death, he determined 20
return home, and was taken sick with the
fever at Cleveland. He refused to enter into
any details OF his ten years absence till he
recovered from his illness. He was brought
rival. The son and step mother were re-
married after the funeral.
The skeleton was that OF a murdered dro-