The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-07-17
a WHEELING sIaL
Has Not EIODed With Negro a. Re.
ported Capt. Bsnuett'G story.
The following dispatch appeared In sever.

The following dispatch appeared In sever.
al papers yesterday morning:
CIEvEtANp, July 15.-Fos the past " o
days detective from Wheeling, W. Va, hts
been in this city searching high aud low for
runaway young woman. To judge from
the photograph, which the detective had In
his possession, she is from twenty to twenty
Two years Of age, very progressing in her
appearance, and apparently young woman
OF considerable culture. The Young woman
Is named Cora Sanford. She Is the daughter
OF wrll.t0-do farmer named John Sanford
who lives in the out.kirls OF Wheeling. Miss
Sanford, II appeafs, recently graduated from
female seminary With high honor, and was
looked upon as aathosoughly modest and
highly accomplished young lady. A colored
man Of probably thlrty-tiYs years OF age,
named Frank Smith, had been employed for
some years by Miss Sanford's father In the
capacity OF hostler.
From the description given OF him he 10 as
ugly as o hedge feuce, very illiterate, al.
imperfeotiops has a badly famed leg, which
gives noticeable limp to his gait, That the
fair Cora should ever hsye become smitten
upon such an Oh jeot as Smith Is one OF those
unexplainable Things that Is past all human
understanding. OF course no intimacy Of
the kind was suspected by the parents OF the
girl, although through her endeayors Smith
was promoted II the position oil coachman
and Miss Cora afterwArd showed the greatest
Partially 10 driving out for al airing. Last
sunday morning Miss Cora was discovered
missing. A note was found In her room
which simply stated that she had gone never
to return again and asking the forgiveness OF
the kind parents whom she bad wronged.
The cause Of her departure was soon learn
ed. Smith was missing, too, Al some OF his
cronies, 10 whom he had boosted OF Miss
sanford's passion for him, began to talk.
Little things which before had passed with
out remark were then remembered and COM
mented upon, and the Mortified parents soon
had but the single conclusion left teen, viz,
that the foolIsh girl had eloped with the col.
ored co4chman. The facts Of the case, to-
gether with photographs and necessary de.
scriptious were given to the Wheeling police,
and Il was readily discovered that the couple
had purchased tickets 10 this city.
An officer was dispatched here at once.
Sergeant Humphrey, aad the VII cling dtte,t-
I've, made seArun OF every portion OF the v.tJ
where the miss ng couple would be apt to 70,
but all 10 no purpose. Traces OF the pair
were discovered In various quarters ami In
formation was finally obi .iued that they had
left the city. Where they are gone seams to
be an open question, as t1ey are now more
careful In hiding their tracks. The detect
I've left the city last night, having discovered
what he BELIEVES 10 be q cl.w to their where.
abouts. The parents OF the foolish girl are
said 10 be nearly DISTRACTED and wish her re-
turned To them under any circumstances, as
he y N har uytth
It Is not believed that the pair have been
united In marriage.
To ssy that TIE reporters OF this city felt
uneasy when they read this Is, putting 1t
mildly. 1t was either stupendous lie, or
else they had been eyerlsstingly scooped.
An 1NTELLlGESCER man WAS put on the cise
and first sought out Captain Bennett who at
frat denied knowing anything about the AZ
fair. The reporter did not leave, however,
and finally the Captain pulled out dis
patch from Richard K. Fox, OF the Police
GdEette asking him to Sc ID on Immediately
photographs of Frank Smith and Miss San
ford. This he ayowed, was all he knew about
the matter and that he had wondered before
he saw the above report wtat tire dispatch
referred to. He admitted that he had been
10 Cleveland last week, and was going again,
but that he | al been there on another case
htuRetubt. lutIepuEttF sat uuNu W pOuueI
over the af,ir, aud wonder whom he should
90 to next for information. Suddenly be
happened to remember that on last Friday
night week, he had called at hesdquart, rs,
and there found two strangers, gentlemen
well advanced In years, and enc OF them
much agitated, In conversation with the
Chief. That Capt. Bennett had bowed the
reporter out at that time, aud that
he afterwards had refused 10 say who they
were.
Captain Bennett was again hunted up
and aft ,r expressing his opinion Of the po!ice
OF Cleveland Who mad given the snap away''
confessed that the story wss true In part.
The old gentleman seen In his offics was the
father OF tho girl, but that he lived out the
Baltimore & Ohio road over 275 miles from
herein some Maryland county he believed
and that lie was quite prominent map,
that he was In the last National Republican
Convention, and had friends In this city,
As to whether his name was Sanford or moi
| the C4p.ain was not explicit.
The old gentleman had traced the runa.
ways to this city and here lost the trail. His
wife, he said, had gone nearly crazy over the
awful flair and he himself was hesrtbroken;
he could hardly speak he trembled so, and
his fists were continually clenched. CAPT.
Bennett took the case from here, but returned
Friday, not having found the trail very hot
He has not given them up, however. He
leaves for Cleveland to-day. No man named
Sanford was In the Chicago convention
from West Virginia, Virginia or Maryland.