The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1884-02-12
A Smooth Tongued Flat-lron
Mans Sudden Departure
From Cole Camp.
Exposure of a Black-Hearted
Scoundrel Who Worked
the Pious Racket.
Compelled to Promise to Marry a
Girl He Seduced Letter
From Her Brother.

Cole Camp, thrifty village of some 500
;nb abitapts. is on the line of the narrow |
gauge railroad running from SedalIs To
warsaw. The town is distant twenty miles
from Sedalia, and is growing and prosper |
ing finely.
Cole Camp was recently stirred to
,nwontsd excitement end indignation over
the exposure of rascaPs heartless VII
iSiBy and
woNAN's WEAKNESS.
On the 18th of December last, the viii
,ge was visited by the hero of this mar
,stive He was man of Medium size,
ruddy complexion, good locking, neatly
dressed, of polite, gentlemanly and capt.
waiting address, and he gave his name as
s. A. Lafferty. His age was about forty
wears. With him was
PRETTY YOUNG LADY
ot some eighteen years, and she was intro
duced as his wife.
Isfferty consulted the railroad and ex-
press agent of the town, Mr.. L. L. Morrow,
In regard TO getting good, quiet
Mace to board, as he and his vile
would be in the town for some weeks They
did not wish to GO TO a hotel but wanted to
.ecure room and boar in some private
house. Finally Mr.. and Mrs. Lafferly
vere accommodated at the home of Mr..
and Mrs Preston w. Tucker, in the north
western portion of the village. The family
is we'll known and highly respected by all.
The business of Lafferty was that OF
SELLING SMOOTHING IRONS,
the 81. S. Brown patent self-heatlng,
double draft, polishing and smoothing
;roun manufactured by j. S. Brown, al
Odebolt, Iowa. The general agent for this
state is G. A. Steagall, at GAINESVILLE,
IN North Missouri. Laferty began
his canvass for his smoothing irons and
met with much success. He took severa'
snders The price of the iron being $3.50
a good round price fer such an article
too. Then he sent to Steagall for LOT
of irons to fill orders obtained. The irons
came. were delivered, and Lafferty pocket
ed the cash, his own profit being probably
about fifty per cent.
He continued to canvass for further or
ders and was assisted by young mai
named r. E. Mitchell whose folks live in
Trenton. No, and who came with hun Il
Cole Camp, and who said be was partner
of Lafferty's. Continued success ATTENDED
the efforts of Laferty and I'M
associate. Lsferty was one o
the
sMouTHEsT, BLANDEsT TAKERS
that ever struck the village. The articl
he sold proved to be good one, and al
,hough the price was rather steep, the PEG
ole continued to help Lafferty's boom.
Lsfferty stated he was an Ohio man
though he didn't mention just Whist tow
in Ohio he called his home. His wife prov
cd TO be very winning, attractive wOmsT
vas Iady-,ike and refined In demeanor, an
she and Mr.. Lafferty were received cordi
a,ly into the best circles. Larferty was
AVERY "PIOUs' MAN,
and the impression he made upon many wa
that he was retired preacher
He wore look of sanity. peace, and b
talk was Of such a lofty order OF moralit
that it was the next best thing to hearin
regular sermon, TO listen to him spea
sfthe nobility of living good and worth
life
Time logged along, and Lafierty pro-
pered In his business, and he and Mrs.
were much thought of by nearly every ON
There were some, however,
WHO HAD SUSPICIOUS
that sll was not as represented by Laffert
Letters kept coming from Butler, Mo
and from Illinois, addressed to Mi
Carrie b. Mathis, which were prompt
called for by Lafferty or his lady III
postmaster, Mr. Henry Mahhken, though
thought this rather ODD, supposed tn
the Iadv had recently been married, al
friends, not knowing this tact, were sen
ing letters addressed to her maiden nan
Daring the time of her stay in Cole Gam
she left four or five days TO make WI
TO her brother in Butler, Willis b. Math
a barber, there. Returning from her WI
the life of herself and Lafierty logged
with its usual smoOthness, he SELL
smoothing irons and talking pleiy, al
both being regarded with much favor
quite a circle OF friends.
In the latter part OF January, howev'
EXPOSURE CAME.
and shame was heaped high upon the he
OF Laferty He and his supposed vile We
in attendance at a social gathering o
evening, and enjoying the occasion Il
high degree But there happened to
present on that occasion a commerce
traveIer who knew the young woman We
He knew she was not the wife OF Latter
and so stated to Mr.. Morrow, the expr
agent, and to Mr.. John W. Price. Th
gentlemen. with Mr.. Mccall and
Markle, took an early opportunity to l
tifv Lafierty that his villainy had been
tected, and that
HE MUST MARRY THE GIRL.
He denied the statement, said the WON
was his wife. and that he could show tn
marriage certificate. He soon found Il
buster wouldn't DO, and begged earnes
not to be exposed. He said he could
marry the woman, that she was &c
enough to be his wife, but he could ne
forget that she had yielded to his solici
tons He couldn't wipe out the pai
The scamp wsnt on to say that the won
was in an interesting condition, and beg
to be permitted to remain in town IL
enough to procure medicines so that
THE LIFE OF THE CHILD MIGHT BE
STRoYED.
THE Io.t.rJlv ,,ronoeal Was hurled h,