The Newtown bee., 1879-09-17
STRANGER THAN FICTION.
ry of Woman who was Stolen IN
ChiIdheod.-HoyvS She was Found.


The following story is well authenti-
Gated. The names of persons and places
are changed for obvious reasons: Years
ago a family, consisting of father, mother
and two children. lived in small town
in Western Ohio. The head of the fam
lily, Mr.. Lawton, was a lawyer and spec
uiator, and had been merchant. He
had grown rich, very rich for those days.
and was noted for his keen business sa-
gacity and his honest and kindly heart.
His wife had been a delicate, pretty girl
when he married her, and after his sec
ond child was born her health broke
down, and she became a confirmed inva-
lid. The couple had two children--a
boy named Michael, who was at the
time referred to about eight years old,
and Mabel, who was then baby" and
was about five years old. Mabel was n
pretty child, and her parents petted her
and dressed her in a style that made her
the envy of all the mothers in the neigh
borhood.
One day Mabel went into her mothers
room and told her she wanted to go and
play with some other little girls who
lived on the next street. Mrs. Lawton
gave her consent, but told her to be sure
to come home to dinner. Mabel prom
Used, kissed her mother gayly, and ran
out of the room-out of the world as far
as the poor mother was concerned, for
she never saw her again. Mabel did not
come home to dinner, and at supper
time Michael was sent after her. He
soon returned, with n pale, frightened
face, and told his father that his sister
had started for home at noon, and no
one knew where she was. Search was
made for her in every direction, but
without avail. No trace of the lost one
could be discovered. A month after
ward the mother died heartbroken, and
the father sold his property and became
homeless wanderer, with but one OBJ
iect in life-the finding of his lost one.
Taking his son with him he travelled
from State to State, visiting public insti-
| tutions. where children were cared for,
and going through cities making in
| quiries which he thought might lead to
| the desired result. From the United
States the search was extended to Europe,
and finally in Spanish city MIR. Law
ton caught a local fever and died in a
few days, leaving his son, then boy of
nineteen, all of his fortune. Mr.. Law
ton told his boy that he had no near rel
alive except brother, who had gone to
California in the first flush of the gold
fever, and had never been heard of after.
! Michael Lawton came back to this
country, entered a college in the East, and
graduated with honor. He studied law
in the office of famous New York law
yer, ana after being admitted to the bar
! he went West, and made his home in a
newly-sett1ed State, where he soon built
up a good practice. One winter Lawton
went to New. York to visit a college
chum, Marchmont, who had married
and gone into business Marchmont had
several young sisters, and one afternoon
Lawton was introduced to Miss Mabel
Letcher, young lady who was their
music teacher. She was exceedingly
pretty and lady in manner and mind,
and Lawton fell violently in love with
her, and before he left the city he asked
her to marry him andshe accepted him.
They were married the following spring
and went to Lawton's Western home,
where they lived happily for six years,
during which time two children were
born to them. Miss Letcher told Lawton
after their engagement that she was an
orphan, that her parents had died when
she was Il child, and she could not re-
member them at all. She had beer
named bysa kind-hearted lady in Eastern
Ohio She had taught school and made
sufficient money to enter school In thu
East, where she studied music, and attel
she had graduated she got class of girl:
for pupils and while thus engaged sh'
met Lawton.
Lawton was sitting in his office ont
day, when an odd-looking, elderly MAJ
came in and asked for Mr.. Lawton.
An introduction took place, and aftel
the usual preliminaries the stranger sale
he was lawyer from San Francisco. III
then asked Lawton if he would tell hin
his fathers name and where he had beer
born. Although surprised at the ques
lions, Lawton complied, and the stranger
then explained his errand. You have
heard your father speak, | suppose, of {
brother who went to California n goot
many years ago, and who did not writ
resentative, and | was his friend to thu
hour he died. Years ago he went to -
mentioning the town where Lawtol
was born), and there he heard of tn
manner in which your little sister disap
peared and of your fathers departure
He tried to find him for a while, but die
not succeed, and then he went hom
again. He made up his mind to fine
your sister, if it was possible. He EN-
ployed several skillful detectives ant
spent great deal of money in the search
A year ago ne died, and in his will he di
rected that you should be his heir unles
YOUR sister was discovered. In tina
event she was to have half of his prop
erty. | saw your name in a paper som
weeks ago, and on making inquiries
became convinced that you were tn
nephew of the man who was my friend
and who intrusted me with the care @
his property. And now "-here th
speaker paused an instant" now | hav
something still more strange to tell you
We have found a trace of your sister
She was stolen by a party of Migrants TO
: the clothes and trinkets she wore. ant
was taken to Eastern Ohio. She wa
taken very i'll, and was left with good
hearted lady, who adopted her as he
daughter. After her recovery she coul'
not remember her name or where sh
had lived. When this lady died, Mabe
. taught school for several years, and the
she went East to study music. After sh
left school, | think she went to New
York, but | cannot say. We have n
trace of her for six years. She wa
named after the lady who adopted hel
, and was known us Mabel Letcher."
known as what?" screamed Lawton
Mabel Letcher."
"Great God, now she has been m
wife for six years. 1t was SC, indeed
Further examination showed beyon
question that Mabel Lawton and Mrs
Michael Lawton were one and the sam
person. The agony of the two peopl
can be imagined. In their eyes they ha
sinned beyond hope of redemption. The
separated. Mrs. Lawton is still Twin
in a town in Massachusetts,, where SD
has been ft many years. The chlldre
are at school and Michael Lawton is il
, his grave. He gave up all his business