Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-11-24

Reported for the STAUNToN vINDIcAToR.I
BEAVER DAM. Nov. 20.
This station is in Hanover county. Seat
ed in an open wagon. toiling through this
low, fiat country, with the sand crunchiDg
under the wheels, the setting moon throw
ing its long shadows across the road, the
mill ponds rejecting the tree shadows In
afilmy waJ-for the ice is forming over The M
with the thermometer at ten degrees below
freezing, take out the following extract
from paper and by the light of match
try to read it over again:
Mrs. Annie E. Mays. widow Of the late
r. L. Dugglns, deceased. gave to us this
week the following startling facts:
She is the present and fifth living legal
wife of the noted j. Joseph W. Mays. who
pulled up his pegs and quit business in this
town about two years ago. He followed
the cabinet business here. and, after prov
ing-to be grand fraud, WIS forced to
leave town, with the curses of several
''taken-in" merchants and a general threat
of tar and feathers. He next opened bus
mess at Beaver Dam Mills, in Hanover
county. where he became acquainted with
his last wife, and after spending all of her
money IN gambling, and in other ways, he
deserted her to seek his sixth, no doubt,
and is now trying to evade the law g clutch
es in Virginia
His first wife was the only daughter of
North Carolina Baptist preacher, with
whom he Only remained fourteen days.
His second was daughter of DR.. Camp
bell of Amherst Court House. by whom
he had two children, and played crazy to
get rid of her.
His third and fourth victims we're two
sisters. NJ isses Crawford, = of Greene county.
His fifth, handsome and attractive wo
man of about thirty years, wishes him
hung at the earliest moment. His father
is resident of Stanton, an humble
though respectable man, and will have
nothing to do at all with this maynard SOD.
We were shown several of his pictures. and
at one time he wears simple mustacbe,
then full set of beard, and next great side
breakers, and upon the whole he has learned
the deceptive art pretty we'll. He was
preacher, lawyer. doctor, painter, profane
or pious. as the occasion required. He did
business for while in Orange, Va. and
at several points in Greene county. He
last did business i'll the city Of Richmond.
Louisa Free Press.
s'He was mighty soon man" remark
ed the honest man that was driving the
the wagon; "mighty soon. remember the
day brought him over with his goods, to
open store at Mrs. Jones' place. He talked
all the way from Beaver Dam about marry
ing. He said his wife had been dead only
ten days.
And then there was a long silence until
we mounted hill in ending he long and
freezing ten mile drive;
There's the store he opened att said
the driver, through his teeth chattering
with the cold, and p Uniting with WOODEN
gloved hand. to little square house that
threw its shadow across the rad. THAT g
where he got to know the widow Duggins.
He was going to marry the widow that
owns the store at first, ZEN she came to
Beaver Dam and bought her things for
the wedding, but there was some trouble
and he changed his mind and took the
widow Duggins. I've known her ever
since she was girl and there wasn't two
nicer girls in the county than her and her
sister. | havn't seen much of 'em since
the war broke. 'Tant far now to her
home"
/ was glad to hear that it was not much
further. had sat shivering for hours in
and but lily adapted to low thermometer,
and envying the good fortune of the wick
ed who had the pick OF five families, to the
warm bosoms of which he could retire on
such night as this, while the righteous,
IN pursuit. without any family, could only
find comfort in cotton overcoat. There
are times that the sinner has the saint at
disadvantage.
just here the driver announced that
here is the house. 1t was neat little
farm house little off the road, and while
we we're assisting each other to dismount,
both driver and passenger being frozen
quite stiff, may as well 60 back a little
as the novelists say.
MAN THAT SPOKE SEVEN LAM
GUAGEs.
When / got your order to follow that
case up. posted for Louisa Court House
where the newspaper extract is dated. l
saw quite nice little village, most
obllging telegraph manager and a live edi
tor. Mr.. Bibb, who keeps an eye on the
news. found that our former townsman
had, on his arrival, taken the town by
force of arms. The longer residents refer
to Mays as memory, one OF those things
like comet, which is amazing and unac-
countable. He landed IN Louisa G.. H.
from Lynchburg, as he said, where he had
just lost $4,000, by the burning Of his car
riage factory. He soon took the place of
''a prominent Citizen" or rather aspired
10 To
he did, and was born in Constantinople.-
He took charge of the temperance cause,
made speeches in the debating society and
managed his affairs 30 we'll that when his
time came to lump the town. he owe
everybody in it. At that time his wife
was Miss Crawford, and her sister, Miss
Mollie Crawford was living with them
men call it, his last scene was at tie de-
pot; his goods detained under warrant;
Mays threatening the detainer with pis-
GGl and a brother OF the detainer with a
six pound weight running Mays out of
the depot. And go his Louisa c. H. Ca
reer ended. But my business had onlv
commenced. Train back to Trevilllans-
vile; met the night express; then train
down to Beaver Dam; then find the las
wife and hunt her up. Finding the last
wife WASH tso easy. Near midnight, cold .
still, and the whole village of Beaver Dam
asleep. Broke into a store, clerk knew
nothing of widow Mays. Had he evei
! heard of the widow Duggins /? Yes, the
widow Duggins had once bought goods of
MIN. How far did she live? Couldn It
Sell; didn't know. idn't know ANYBODY
shat did know. Walked out into the
SIeeping village. FROST whita and aola il,