The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-07-20


sATURDa :. " 5lsf 70, ! Ety. s,s. ]
ssl.oyc.Masiaasin a1iss0Hsi.
"a AusTERE orp pRE AcHsR KEEPS tiy'AnD
WITH LOADED sHoT-GuN
ii ysrrp Mo-, july 10. homas j.
sfarse swas 4 yyt,,ower, who four years ago
IeYt his siy children Id Tennessee, and COM
it,st "a Howard county settled at Lisbon, q
lille hamlet on the Missouri river, ten miles
balow Glasgow. He hired shop in the
ward OF Mr.. William w ills. a wealthy mer-
chant, who keeps the largest store, attends.
to- all the steamboat trade, and runs the.
Mayse opened q shoe-shop, and
was apparently steady man. He was alb
sent from his place. every month or so visit
ing Miss MoiIie Eididge, the daughter OF
Baptist minister who lives in Saline county,
across the river. Miss Eldidge is twenty
wears of age, and is a pretty schoo l-teacher.
Miss Eldidge,s father objected to Mayset
from the first, and when his daughter told
him she intended TO be married TO MaTse ne
threatened to disinherit her. He would Let
her marry in his house, would perform the
ceremony himself il she wished, but as soon
as the knot was tied they must go their own
way.
ON the 25th OF May Mr.. Wills was absent
from home, and asteamboat landed at noon.
The clerk OF the store and everybody IN
the hamlet, except Mayse and house.ser.
want here and there, were atthe landing.
Mayse was left in the store. The next day
81, 900 Id gold, which Mr.. Wills had had for
six wears, was missed. Mayse declared that
no one had entered the store, and that ne
had not seen the money The whole neigh
hood was puzzled by the robbery, and
number began to suspect that the story was
told for eject BY Mr.. Wills. The latter bore
the aspcrsions silently: but he and his wife
kent an eye on Mayse, whom no one else
doubted. Mrs. Wills saw Mayse throw
some letters In the fire, and when his back
was turned she .snatched them out and
threw them into pail Of water. They
were all from Mol.ie Eididge. In one she
says: !,
III am to be disinherited. l never could
give ,,p the love have fog you. So let US
live true to each other. wonld IKE 10 see
you in three months, but Would nate Joe
YOU to come and be mistreated by pa, OF
yoIlr feelings hurt any way, Out II you
would come to my schoolroom you should
be welcome. Pa does not greet me as as ne
used to, and SO my life passes almost Ike o
dream. i hope, IL we prove true to each
other. before four months roll round to De
cherished BY YOU, and as once called you
net. may / also call you so again !"
In another letter she prepares plans Tor
him to come over the last week In June to
be married. The letters were charred IN
Dlaces. but most Of the sentences could pc
made out. She says:
"Pa says we can marry ut home II any
where, but he will not see US, nor shall he
ever give as anything, but says he will dis
Inherit me- would like to know Tor GER
tain on which train YOU will come, so
could be ready the minute you come, Tor
let's have it over as quick as possible.
Father says he wants us to be right Oft In
minute
On Monday morning Of the last week in
June Mayse packed his yalise and left Lis
bon; He was to so to Brownville on Tues
tlav evening, and was to marry Mollle Ell
didge on Wednesday morning. A negro
Farmland saw him visit an old em-tree ana
take package out from under the roots.
Had Mr.. Wills known this he would have
fcled 0layse TO the ground as be babe hlm
goodbye. Instead, he said: ."Well, Mayse,
I suppose when yoil go to Tennessee you
will take Miss MolEe with you."
mo" said Mayse; "but il I should
would kill the old man first"
Mayse said when he was going away by
the steamer Joe Kinney that he was going
to Tennessee; but Mollie Eldldge's let
tiers, which, after their soaking had been
ironed out by Mrs. Wills, told different
story. Six hours after he left Mr. Wills
concluded to arrest him, having in the
mean time heard the Negroes story. T.. Is.
Harris and John. McCorkle, Of Lisbon,
mounted their horses and rode across the
rich Saline bottom-lands to the country
house of the Rev. James Eldidge. They
reached there on the day set for the we'd
ding. Miss Mollie was at home, and was
nervous and excited ut not having seen her
lover the night before. She was unpacklng
her trunk, saying that as he had disappoint-
ed her once before she would not now be
married to him. Pastor Eldidge did not
know at first Why the men on horseback
called, and he said that be was opposed to
the match, but he had made up his mind
to let the couple marry in peace, provided
they quit his house at once. Miss Molle
identified the charred letters as hers. Then
Harris and McCorkie told OF the robbery OF
$1,000 in gold. Pastor Eldidge listened
without saying a word. He called his son,
and sent him across lots in hurry to q
neighbors to borrow some ammunition. He
said quietly that il Mavse came near the
house, he would kill him. He loaded the
gun on his front porch in presence OF the
two. visitors, and when he heard OF Mayse's
threat to Wills to kill him he poured out a
few extra shot, and said determinedly, Il
will load her heavy" Then the stern old
minister took seat on his porch in front
Of the walk, laid his gun across his knees,
and waited, like the reaper Death, for his
victim. Mayse did not call on the day set
for his wedding. Harris and McCorkle eX-
torted a promise from the minister not to
kill Maysc il he came, but to keep him as a
prisoner for them. Then they rode back
to Lisbon.
They heard there that ,Mayse was either
at Sedhiia or at some point between there
and WaTensburg. and, taking a skiff, they
started down the Missouri river for Boone
vile. The river was swollen with the
melted SHOWS Or the mountains, and was
booming along over the bottoms. 1t took
only tWo hours 10 make q trip OF twenty
five miles. II They traced Mayse to Knob
Noster on the Friday following, reaching
there Just as he had driven from town be-
hind spanking team OF grayS on his trip
after his Wife,, When the liVery-stable
keeper heard Of the character OF the man
who had his erays he mounted q swift
footed horse and started in pursuit across
the country. I'm = Brownsville he heard
that Mayse was then on his way to the resi-
dence %, hissweethe father, about four
and u ( half miles away, due 'north. The
livery lnan and the constable galloped after
MIN, and :eaught 3up TO him within two
miiessaa Pastor Eldidg residence He