Morning journal and courier., 1880-08-21
Remarkable Story.
Strange Disappearance Of a Young Wife and Her Two Cll Was Re- Tai ted IAxZ

Strange Dfsappearance Of Young Wife
 and Her Two childrsn-Nhat r Was Re-
 lated by a Fortune-Teller.
 Lafayette Gnd.) dispatch to the Cincin- natl Enquirer is as follows: A strange story comes from the adjoining county of Benton, and it possesses so much of the sensational that it will be read with good deal of interest. Briefly told, it is concerning the remarkable disappearance of a young wife and mother with her twin babes. Editor W. s. Lingle, in his paper this evening, thus tells the sto- ry:
 'tAbout three years ago, Jacob Woods, a worhty young farmer and soldier of theglate war, won the heart and hand of Miss Ella Romine, a respectable and handsome young lady, daughter of James Romine, a well to-do farmer: The parents of the girl opposed the match bitterly, not upon any personal objec- tions to Woods, but because he was minus the shekels. But the young people were married all the same, meeting by chance the usual way. In due course, pair of twin ba- bies were born to them bright little chil- dren, boy and girl, @ blonde and bru- nette. They were named Emory and Emma.
 The young couple were reasonably pros porous made a good living and seemed hap py in all their domestic relations. The hus- band was offered 8 situation on a Govern ment dredge-boat on the upper lakes. He accepted and took his wife and children along, locating them at Esconawba, Delta County, Wu0I6 Iu0J hopt OOdIuC4S, LAC "4AO running the house and the husband filling his post of duty at good wages on the dredge- boat. Thus passed the spring and summer until three weeks ago, when they determin- ed to return to Indiana. The husband ob- tained pass for his wife to Chicago, and, handing her $50 in money and watch and chain he had that morning bought for her, took passage for himself on a tugboat for Chicago, where he could earn $2. 50 per day on the journey Reaching Chicago he found no trace of his wife and children but suppos- ing they had come on to Indiana as directed, he left for Fowler by the Kankakee Line, but to his dismay found that nothing had been heard of them there. He returned by first train to Chicago, and went direct to a for tune-teller, who told him that his wife and two children had eloped with a dark-visaged man that they had taken breakfast together in State street restaurant on Thursday morning. The personal appearance and dress of the entire party were minutely de- scribed by this seer, who took $2 in advance for the information Sure enough, at the restaurant in question, the attendants well remembered just such party, and then the husband remembered that on the train upon which his wife took passage from Escona-ba there was dark-visaged man named John Barber, Canadian of French extraction, swarthy as an Indian. This fellow had at one time boarded with them, and was known as Black Jack, or Nigger Jack, the wife of ten speaking of him addressing him by this contemptuous nickname. The husband was wel1-nigh frantic. He could not believe that his wife had eloped with this vulgar creature, and day after day he wandered about Chicago, hoping against hope to gain some tidings of his lost ones. He remained until his money was exhausted, but obtained no clue beyond the statement of another boarder, who was on the same train that he had seen them together in Chicago, and thought they had eloped to a town in Cana da, where Black Jack formerly lived. Two or three weeks have elapsed The husband is at Atkinson, Benton County, Ind, eager for some tidings of his children. Reluctant to believe that his wife is faithless, he is ap- prehensive that she has been abducted against her will. The contempt and aversion for Black Jack had been so often manifested and so often expressed, that it seems wholly im- probable that she would run away with such a fellow. The husband, sensitive to the scan dal, has rather preferred to keep it out of print, but now that the Courier has given the facts from reliable and authentic sources, the Chicago papers will take it up. It won't be long before the true inwardness of the whole affair is developed. We are requested to say that any information addressed to Ja- cob Woods, care of Lingle Farm, Atkinson, Ind, will be thankfully received