Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1882-10-28

/ Chris, William aud John-at that time
farmer and aftcrward laborer, turn.
! ing his hand to whatever might come in
sight They moved uneasily back and
forth over the country, now at Mllwau-
kee, now at Detroit, again back in Min
nesota, then IN California, Illinois and
Missouri They earned very little money
and a bad break was made in their
earnings when Wackerle went iuto the
army. The couple had seven children,
the first born at Calve., MINI, and
buried in New Orleans, where another
WAS born.
Then they moved to Cincinnati,
where another was born, then to Mil
waukee, whore two more children were
born, died and buried. 1t was while IN
| Milwaukee that the policy for "a 600,
on which this snit was brought, was
taken out. They went back 10 Cipcin-
natl and thence to San Francisco. At
Sacramento the Oldest child died and
was buried. All this rowing over the
country shows how extremely difficult
/ it mnst have been for the bogus
Wackerle to prove his identity, and the
success with which It was done testified
to his memory and schooling. From
QIincy, H., Mr.. and Mrs. Wackerle
came to st. Louis, lie going first TO
Iowa for the harvesting, and thence
down to Texas. They parted in April
or May, and in August she heard from
him. While alone she supported her
self by going ont for work. William
WackerIe was killed on n railroad in Texas
i'll December, 1872, but she did not hear
n
enough money tO pay the premium for
January, 1873. Then Williams brother.
John Wackerle, heard of the death and
told her,
She at once began her quest in the
middle of 1878 for conclusive proof of
the death she was at the time work
ing for Mr.. Huifert, OF the Iron Noun
tain Railroad. He procured her pass
down the road, and she left for Taxas.
The death had occurred in December.
Since then yellow fever had set in and
scattered the witnesses, and here ssher
trouble began. Knowing nothing of
law she also imagined that all she had to
do was to get the sffi1avits from differ
ent people who were Witnesses 70 the
death and identity of VIM. Wackerle
These documents, although morally
conclusive, were not legally sufficient
She was not herself sure Of his death
when she came TO Texas. The first
positive information that she had was
while walking along the track from
Marshall, Texas, TO Shreveport, Louisi-
ana. She met the very gang Of section
hands among whom her husband
had been working, and they told her
all about his death. Sac secured their
testimony and that of such members of
the Coroner's jury as she could find and
set out to make her way to Hartford,
Conn. This she accomplished by walk
ing and working her way.
Sometimes helped along by conduc-
tors who took pity on the queer little
woman with the close, shut mouth Of
ten repulsed and hungry, making her
way as best she could, she got to Hart
ford, and the insurance company would
do nothing for her. They understood
there was much doubt about Wackerle's
death, and declined to pay the policy.
Taking legal advice there she set out on
her return TO Texas, in the meantime
making powerful friends in such per-
sons as Benjamin f. Butler and Thomas
Scott. The latter, president of the
Pennsylvania road and the Texas Pa
citic, gave her a general letter of pas.
sage on his roads. and called on the
other railroad officials to do likewise.
With this in her hands, transportation
was easier to get The press and the
pulpit in New York took up her case,
and a great deal of sympathy was ex-
pressed for the poor little woman, BAT
tling against such fearful odds. She
went back to Shreveport and interested
Alex. Boarmap, now United States Cir
cult Judge in Louisiana, in her case.
He found a splendid ally in the little
woman whose champion he became.
She had no money, she bad no time to
work for money, but her energy and in
dustry made up for it. Up and down
Texas she travelled, from one end to the
other, hunting down the people who
knew of William Wackerle's death. The
coroner and several of the jury had died
of the yellow fever, the section bands
had been dispersed as only such rowing
people can scatter. But one 10y one she
ran them down and made them swear to
Wackerle's death. She found the doc
tor vino had made The post-n0rtem aud
the grave-digger VINO had buried The re-
mains.
Here comes 10 one incident which
shows the wonderful nature of this wom-
an. Going to number of people before
the exhumation Of the body, she staked
everything upon the Identification. "If
my husband is dead" said she in her
broken English, che lies in this grave.
If he is my husband you will find that
this tooth, pointing to one OF her own,
sis broken-nOt pulled out, but broken.
His hair will be of this color" showing
a lock, 'and he will be clothed in n suit
of this color, laying a piece of cloth
down beside the grave.
Mattock and spade went to work, and
in few minutes the box with the dead
man in it was lifted to the top and laid
on the sod. 1t was opened and the
tooth was found broken where she said,
the oloth of the dead mans clothes was
the same dull brown. the hair was the
same straw-yellow color. Her proofs
We're so conclusive that, in a suit for
S3, 900 against the Ebna Insurance
Company, brought before the court at
Shreveport, decision was promptly rem
dered in her favor.
At this point the conspiracy began,
One Joseph WeiDmann, an attorney at
law and insurance agent in Carver,
Mimi, notified the Mutual and Etna
Companies that he could for consid- :
Grafton defeat the claim of Walburga
Wackarla which had baaY, opDaaIaJ -