The Red Cloud chief., 1876-03-16
The Young Man that Married his
Stepmother.


An extraordinary story m from
Silver Station, this State, wherein a
young man is reported to have married
bis step.mother, under the belief thar
his father was dead. Twelve years ago,
the wife Of James Swingle, a wealthy
farmer of the locality named, died, and
a year and q half afterwards the wild
over, being sixty years Of age. married
9 young woman who had lived in his
family. She was twenty-five. He bad
six children by the first wife. snd three
of them married. Old Mr.. Swingle was
one Of the most prominent men in the
township, devout member Of the
Church and a man generally respected.
In 1865 Mr.. Swingle disappeared, and
was supposed to have been robbed,
murdered and mysteriously buried.
Eighteen months afterwards q skeleton
was found in a deep forest near his
house, and believing them to be his
bones they were buried in the church.
yard by the side of his first wife. A
stone setting forth the circumstances
connected with swingle's death was
placed al the head Of the grave. An
administrator of the estate was ap-
pointed, and his estate equally divided
among the children. The homestead
fell to the lot Of the old farmers widow,
and the youngest son, also named James,
continued to live there and super
intended operations on the farm. In
1869 he married the widow OF his father,
and the couple were living in unruffied
ease with three children that had been
born to them, when in the early part of
last month the young fsImer was given
a letter at the village post office adj
dressed "To any living member of the
Swingle family" Tho letter ives post
naked a. Cleveland, Ohio. Opening the
letter the farmer was astOnished to find
that it purpor.ea TO be written by his
father, long believed to be dead. 1t was
as follows.
CLEVELAND, December SOL am verv
sick and penniless among strangers. I
was on my way home when taken sick.
Some Of Won come tn me at once and l
will explaia all. I am at a sailors
lodging-housc by the lake.
JAMES SwINGLE.
The letter was written in a crsmped
and trembling h nd, but resembled
specimens of the old farmers writinc or
years ago. He was visited and found in
Cleveland. He was very i'll with fever
and became delirious 1901 after the ar
rival of his son. and ii was some DAYS
before he could be removed TO better
quarters. Three weeks passed before he
was in condition to be taken home, and
during that time could be induced to
say but little about his strange disap-
pearance. He eaid that he left while
under the influence Of an impulse which
he could not control, and after travelling
about for a few days he was ashamed to
return, and resolved to 90 West with
about $4,000 he had with him, and IN
vest it in some way, and after he had
increased it sufficiently, to return home
and surprise his family. He went to
California, and from there to Australia,
where he made $115,000 in five years,
and came back to California where he
lost it ell. Thinking he was drawing
near his his death he determined to re-
turn home, and was taken sick with the
fever at Cleveland. He refused to enter
into any details of his ten years al
sence. till he recovered from his illness.
He was brought home, but he died IN a
few days after his arrival. The son and
step-mother were remarked after the
funeral. Tde skeleton was that of a
murdered drover.-Pittsburg Leader.