St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-10-18
CHARMED BY A WIDOW.
Col. Taylor, of Chicago, Examined for
Lunacy Because He Wanted to
Marry Again.
Especial Telegram to the Globe. /

|
CHICAGO, Oct II. "A petition, marked
needing immediate action, was fled late
yesterday afternoon in the county court, and
at the same time Judge Prendergast was
asked to issue a warrant for the arrest of
Col. Ezra Taylor, one of Chicago's pioneer
| citizens, to be tried on the charge of in
sanity. The old gentleman, who is sixty
four years old, soon after was brought into
court by his son, George L. Taylor, of 300
Wells street, who is captain of Fire Engine
company II, and who was also the petitioner.
Judge Prendergast subjected the old gen
tleman to half an hours searching exam
ination, putting all kinds of questions to him
in order to test his mental state. The ramb-
ling queries were all answered in a manner
not at all indicative of mental unsoundness,
and the judge then allowed Col. Taylor to de
part, but committed him temporarily into
the custody of his son and continued the
case for a further hearing till Monday at
| p. m.
There is quite an interesting history TO all
this, which explains the desire of the chill
dren to have their old father declared luna
tic. Col. Taylor is wealthy, especially in
valuable real estate. Some time ago he
formed the acquaintance of widow from
Canada, Mrs. Anna Fitzgerald, who in spite
of her forty years, is still possessed of con-
siderable personal charms. The acquaint-
ance ripened into an intimacy, and
now these two wish to marry
The old gentleman on Thursday
of last week took out marriage license, and
he was to meet the widow few days ago in
Michigan to marry her, but on his way to the
depot in his buggy Henry Taylor, one of his
sons, swore that he would prevent the trip
pulling out his revolver and shooting the
horse on the spot. Yesterday the colonel
was to start once more for the same pur-
pose, and to prevent this the lunacy pro-
ceedings were begun against him by Capt
Geo. Taylor.
The sons of the old man accuse the widow
of mercenary motives in her matrimonial
project with him and fear that, his mind
being somewhat weak, he will not be able to
resist her post-nuptial Establishments and
disinherit his children, leaving his large for
tune to her. 1t was said by friend of the
family to-day that Col. Taylor would marry
the widow the first chance he got and that he
might do so even in the interval between
now and Monday, the fact of his being in
the custody OF his son not being a preven-
tative against that contingency. But it
| seems that at last accounts the seductive
widow was in the wilds of Michigan.
A conference of the attorneys in the case
of Taylor and his son George was being held
at the family residence when the reporter
called.
''This is purely family matter" he said,
''and should be kept out of the papers, It
Injuries all Of us. The matter has all been
settled, and in an hour we are all going
down and have the matter stricken from the
docket of the court. It should never have
been taken there. Further than that think
it best to say nothing"
''Could you tell me how it has beenset-
tled!''
'Well, il has been agreed that the mar
riage will not take place. The woman in
some manner won her way into fathers
good graces. AS soon as ne learned her
true character he was satisfied to let the
matter drop. tits all over now, and for the
| good of all concerned the matter had better
be dropped
Just then Col. Taylor came into the room,
walking with the aid of cane. He
is an old man with an iron
gray beard, cut short, and had the appear
ance of person who had fought hard bat
tie and lost, but had not been subdued His
eyes looked fierce from under a pair of
shaggy eyebrows as he said:
"Cut it short. Cut 1t short I tell YOUR
/ want nothing more said in the papers''
| He then passed out of the room, and the
son refused to talk further in regard to the
| matter.