The Plymouth Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1878-1901, 1879-06-12
Kate HANSON'S FORTUNE.
Twenty-Five Years Away from Home
Leaving Her Parents to Avoid a
DissOlnte Lover.
IFrom the New York Times. :

From the New York Times.l
ELMrRA, N. Y, May 31.-Twenty-
two years ago Kate Hanson disap-
peared from her home in Tioga
county. Pa. She was only eighteen
years of age, and had grown up
among the lumber woods Of Penn
sylvania. She had prediction for
masculine ways. She was expert
with the rifle and fishing rod, and
spent much OF her time in the woods.
Her family was highly respectable,
and she was more than usually in
telli seht.- In spite Of her dislike for
! the pursuits OF her own sex, she
bore an unsullied reputation. She
left home one day with her rifle,
which her father hal given her She
never came back. Nothing was ever
heard of her. Her father advertised
throughout the country for traces OF
her, and visited all the large cities la
the State seeking for tidings OF her.
1t being known in the reighborhood
where the Hansons lived that Kate
had formed an attachment for "a
worthless young man named John
son. and that her parents had posi-
lively forbidden her having ar rything
to do with him, many believed that
she had run away from home for
that reason to lead life OF shame.
Others held that she had either acci-
dentally shot herself in the woods, or
had become lost and died in somc
out Of the way part OF IA forest. Her
parents. after searching year or two,
gave her up as dead.
Colonel Grant Wilson, of PhilIiel-
phia. was spending the winter in 1876
in Cuba. During his stay there he
met Major James Hopkins. formerly
of Ohio, who served in General
Thomas division during the late war.
Major Hopkins owned fire planta-
ton in the interior of this island, and
Colonel Wilson accepted his invita-.
tion to become his guest during his
stay in Cuba. The Majors family
consisted OF handsome and digni
| fled wife OF about 4D an.i two interest.
ing children. When Colonel Wilson
left Cuba he was intrusted with an
errand In this country by Mrs. Hop
kins. On arriving in New York he
started at once for Tioga County
! Penn, and found the family oi
Elijah Hanson. lie caused great re
joicing by the announcement that he
knew their long lost daughter. Katie
that she was alive and we'll, and pre-.
pairing to pay the old homestead q
visi, In the summer OF the present
year. Katie Hanson and Mrs. Mi j,l
Hopkins were one and the same, ant
the following was the strange story
she told to the friend she found il
Colonel Wilson:
The young man Johnson referred
to above was In the habit OF accom-
psnying Kalie Hanson on her hunting
expeditions. and. being an excelten
woodsman and hunter, was a mos
congenial companion to her. Hi
His family was dissolute and igno
rant. When her father ordered hel
to cease associating with johnson
Kate reDelled against the order for |
time. The last day she left her hous
with her rifle she concluded that tn
association was not a proper one 10
her, but she could see no way for ii
dissolution but by leaving home
She passed that night In the woods
and the next day went to the cabiI
OF some hunters in the vicinity. Th
hunters were not In the cabin, bu
she appropriated a suit Of thei
clothes, and disguised herself il
them. Her features and short hal
favored the deception. She reache
Dunkirk, N. Y, in her wandering
She secured the position of cook in
lake boat running between Detroi
and Buffalo. This position aud lif
was entirely to her liking,
One day in Buffalo she read in on
of the papers an advertisement offsr
ing reward for any Information
where she was, and giving a minut
description OF her. This alarme
her, for she feared that she would b
apprehended and returned home
On returning TO Detroit, she gave u
her position and went to Cincinnati
She found employment on an Obi
River steamer. She continued o
the steamer until the breaking out {
the war. No one had ever suspecto
her sex. She determined to cnlis
and j ined an Ohio regiment, an
was In all OF the engagement OF Gen
eral Thomas division. In 1868 sh
was promoted TO Sergeant in he
company. In 1861, her Captain NE
her one day as she was returnin
from stationing a guard. He said t
her that he had long suspected tina
she was woman, and demanded L
know IL such was tho case, Th
The charge was so sudden and unex
pecied that she lost her self posses
. sion and convicted herself by her re
ply. She begged the Captain not t
reveal her secret, but he took he
before General Thomas aud made th
etranpa fact knoup IN him