Daily Republican., 1882-08-03
Thirteen Years Missing.
rom the Phila. Record.

ElOm bho hllbs h0COIu.
West Chester gossips have been wag
ging their tongues at a live'y rat,
during the past few days discussing tn
sensational temperance Of William
Snyder, who after an absence of thir-
teen years, like Enoch Arden, seeks tn,
wife whom he desired and finds tha
she is welded to another. Mrs. Hart
man Sylvester, of No. 215 Patton'l
row, West Chester, is the lady in ques
tion.
While attending to her duties as iani
tress of the Court House, the other
day, a bronzed and bearded stranger
tapped her on the shoulder, and. turn,
ing round, she was confronted by the
man with whom she first contracted
matrimonial relations nearly twenty
years ago. During all the years he
has been absent she never heard a word
from him, and long ago she gave him
up as dead. She looked him squarely
in the face, and as he lowered his eyes
he nerVously asked:
care you Mrs. Hartman Sylvester"
81 am p
care you VIM. Snyder" the lady
quickly interrogated.
II am William Snyder, and I have
come to ask your forgiveness" the
lOng-lest one answered.
The meeting was not at all pleasant
one. Mrs. Sylvester readily gave her
rst,husband to understand that she
had procured divorce; had married q
man more congenial to her tastes, who
ac1l as q husband and q father should,
and that If he (Snyder) attempted to
break up her happy home he would
pay dearly for it. After being thus ap-
prised Snyder settled down to business
without any more delay. He told Mrs.
Sylvester that he was about to wed a
a woman in Boston, where he had been
living ever since he shook the dust of
West Chester off his feet, and that he
was anxious to ascertain if she would
prosecute him If he did so.
IT always hated you. hate you
now worse than blacksnake," spoke
up the inoensed Mrs Sylvester. IT
don't care what you do, so you leave
me and mine alone. Why should you
now come here to worry my husband
and myself. Go marry anybody you
please; but hops you will treat her
better than you did me-"
Without more ado Snyder hastily
unlocked small satchel which he had
with him, and instantly placed pen and
nix before his astOnished wife to draw
Up an agreement not to bother him if
le married again.
Mrs. Sylvester sent for her husband
o consult him before doing this. When
le arrived he was introduced to Sny-
ler. The latter advanced and shook
Sylvester warmly by the hand, but he,
lowever, simply scowled at his newly |
made acquaintance. He assented to
lis wife drawing up the agreement |
by Snyder, providing the lat
or agreed to leave West Chester i'm
nediately and never return 80 long as |
10 (Sylvester) lived there. These
erms proving acceptable to all hands,
he trio soon settled the whole matter,
nd Snyder hurrie1ly replaced his ink
nd paper in his satchel and took his
eparture. Th,t night he left West
hester, presumably for his home in
'oston.
In we'll kept parlor of neat little
yelling in Patton's row, on the out
kirts Of West Chester reporter yes
srday found Mrs. Sylvester busily
ewing, while at her feet played two
axen haired youngsters, children by
or second husband. On being pressed
, tell the story which has caused so
'uch talk in that town the lady said:
One night in June 1869, / returned TO
". home from visit to my
ster at Coatesville. AS soon as l en-
red the house called for Mr.. Snyder,
ut he did not answer. The first thing
lat attracted my attention was the
,rtificate of our marriage, which had
,en taken off the wall. l then looked
rough the house and discovered that
my husbands clothing had been
,rrled off 1 instantly suspected
hat had occurred. l ransacked the
,use from top to bottom hoping to
ID note from him, but without sue
So.
When I found that he had really
ne concluded that 1t would result
neficially to me, for during the six
ars I lived with him / never spent u
,ppy day, married him when was
d is years old and had only known n
m two weeks, so while we were to- II
ther I had plenty of time to repent :,
Q folly of our hasty marriage, Two '
ara after he disappeared Iapplied to
Q Courts for divorce, and was gran.
/ one. 1 never heard word from
"a sipce the night he deserted me,
a so I concluded he was dead. In
I3 / married Mr.. Sylvester, by whom
ave had three children, and with
,om have been living happy ev0: