Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-12-31

A mssske Csusssx yesn % SUPPOSED
wtdswhssd.

h',~ssrg a body which she believed to
~ hat a her husband, who. II II now
ssserted. IL still alive and well, recalls
somsnce IN real life. The details wcle
given In a Delaware newspaper 10 septem.
her. 1881. but probably failed 70 attract
general notice at that time, owing 70 tae
tact that public attention was absorbed pv
dsilv reports OF the condition OF President
Garfield. who then lay dying al Eiocrou;
The story was romantic one, and invoivcu
= case ~ mistaken identity Just sucn rs Is
raised In the schenectady case.
In feGe Thomas l.. Patterson, young
man ~ good family 10 Wilmington, DELI
mar ied Miss Kate Rice, q beautiful daugn-
.cr N Edward L. Rice. Of that city. Inc
rounc coupje moved to Baltimore, where
Mr Pattersor, had secured lucrative po-
sition. ard for some years lived most nap
nilv. during which time child was born
10 them. Unhsppily, however. the con,
yiyInI customs Of the Maryland city iea
ne youn0 husband into habits OF dis
s;nation which wrecked the happiness
~ their home, and caused Mt. klce
finally 10 interfere and threaten to take MS
daughter home. One night about i've years
after their marriage young Patterson, In a
IN of Desperation and remorse, babe Ills
wife and child goodbye aud declared they
should never see or hear OF him again until
no had overcome bis unfortunate habit ana
made a new home for them. The heart
broken wife went back to her fathers
home. In Wilmington, taking her little
daughter with her. About year AFTER
this event there appeared In the news
nancrs an account Of the death OF an IN
tnpwn stranger from an overdose OF lau-
DAMN at hotel In Erie, Penn. the de'
scrint,op of the dead man applied 30 closely
10 the missing Mr.. Patterson that some one
= nj n out and sent II TO Mrs. Patterson,
who insisted on an immediate inyestiga-
tjon. IL appeared from the newspaper re-
nort that the dead man was broken down
In health and suffering from insomnia,
nrobably caused by intemperance. Wbethet
10 had committed suicide or merely taken
an overdose OF laudanum could not DC
told.
THE missing Thomas l.. Patterson hao
two brothers-JohD c.. the present Un'tea
States district attorney for Delaware, anu
Samuel. There was strong family resem-
blance between them, and Samuel was, as
his friends put 1t, "the living image OF
Tam Samuel went to the hotel In Erie,
and. while registering his name, over
heard one OF the servants remarking
on his resemblance TO the man VINO
had recently died there. He had car
rjed with him a photograph OF bis missing
brother, and this was recognized by tne
neople about the hotel as picture OF the
deceased. He had one further test, which
he recorded as conclusive. He knew that
his brother, while boy, had had the letters
ct. l.. p" picked into his arm with india
ink. When the body was eXhumed the
letters IL. Pr were found on the arm, with
a scar just in front Of them. Samuel Patter-
son concluded that his brother had obiter-
ated the 1T" in some way. to assist him IN
Keeping his VOW that he would never again
be heard OF it he did not succeed in over
coming his habit OF intenperance. The
Identification was therefore regarded as
complete, and the body OF the dead man
was taken to Wilmington and deposited in
the Rice family.vaut. Mrs. Patterson bit
terly mourned her husbands miserable
death and lived on rs widow in her fathers
house, and, though still young and hand
some. she remained true to her husbands
memory, going little into society.
In November, 1880, gentleman in VIII
mjugton, who was an intimate friend OF all
the persons who had stood up with Tom
Patterson at bis wedding and afterward
assisted in carrying his body to the tomb,
received 10 his Amusement letter from
Thomas l.. Patterson asking information
concerning his wife and child. The re-
cipient Of the letter was eDjoined to Sc
crecy, the writer declaring that in case his
wife had married again he would never
allow any one else in Wilmington to
become aware OF his continued existence.
But. astonished as the young man was
at the receipt Of letter from a
man he thought he had helped carry 10 the
grave ten years before, he could not but be-
lieye that it was really from Tom Patterson.
He answered promptly that Mrs. Patterson
was living as widow and that her daughter
was now bright girl of eleven years; but
before taking any steps TO Inform her or her
family of the continued existence OF her
husband. the gentleman asked for further
information. He quickly received reply
from Mr., Patterson which banished all re-
maiuing doubt as to his identity from the
Young mans mind. Enclosed was letter
TO Mrs. Patterson, giving her an account OF
her husbands life during his separation
from her,
F..om this 1t appeared that on leaving
Baltimore he had gone to Texas, where nc
finally became successfully engaged IN cat,
tle.,aisiup. He by this means acquired
enough carital to enable him TO engaSe ~
the then lucrative h;!s.Iess OF teaming
across New Mexico. In this he also pros
pered, and he felt sufficiently recuperateC
in health and fortune to warrant him Ii
once more Offering his wife and child {
| home. He still felt the sting OF her father
bitter reproach, that he had dragged hi
daughter from a home OF luxury TO on,
Of misery and want. The letter wa
given to messenger to carry ACROSS th'
plains TO the nearest mail.station. 1t re
| ceiyed no answer; for, as was afterwart
| found, it never reached its destination
Patterson, after long waiting. concluded
| that his wife had been persuaded to hav'
| nothing more to do with him. While II
this condition OF mind Indians swoopeC
| down on him, destroyed or carried of al
his property, and took Patterson him
self a prisoner across the line with then
TO their camp, in Mexico. They hel(
him a prisoner for more than year, bu
| he finally escaped and returned TO civ
! ;liZation, broken in health and spirits, az
absolutely pennies man. He was TN
willing to make any new attempt to gaI
the attention OF his vile, TO whom he coulC
| only return, il be returned at all, beggar
| He managed. however, gradually 10 worl
| his way northward until he finally reached
the home OF some former friends in Wis
consin, on the shores OF Lake Superior
| He was kindly received and cared for
and then, when his oealth had beer
restored, he began again his figh
for fortune and succeeded in establish
| Ing himself In successful business. He hat
also overcome completely the habit whicl
had first brought him to grief, and so b
concluded to make another effort TO secur
rt Union with his wife and child. lie sup
posed, Of course, that she was still unmaE
| ried, unless she had been prevailed upon Z
obtain divorce on the ground OF deser
| ton. He had no idea that he was supposed
I TO be dead and buried. He accordingl
wrote to his friend in Wilmington for in
formation before informing his wife OF hi
/ continued existence.
The correspondence resulted in Mr.. Pat
ters0n's retNrn to Wilmington, where h
was warmly received Ivy his wife and full
recognized by his brothers and al VIII
| ever knew him. Some months later h
took his wife and child 10 his new HON
on the shore OF Lake Superior, where the
! still live, and where Mrs. Patterson
| reatiyes, who rather reluctantly surren
dered her once more to her husband, nc
knowledge that the happiness that eharaC
terized the first few years OF her maj
ried life in Baltimore has been completed
renewed. The body which lay fox te
| years in Mr.. Rice's family vault, bearin
on Its eoflin-lid plate declaring 1t to b