Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-03-27
MRS. DIR. BRADDEE.

voted wife and Her sad Death.
The Uniontown, Pa. correspondent
of the Pittsburgh Pa) Commercial
Gazette writes: There has just been
buried ia the cemetery at Uniontown
a woman who nearly half century
ago was prominently connected with
one of the most celebrated court trials
ever held in western Pennsylvania.
This was the wife of the famous DR..
Braddee, the Uniontown mail-rebber,
whose trial in Pittsburg ia 1910 will
DC remembered by many of the older
citizens of your city.
Hannah Braddee was the daughter
of Joseph Collins, who lived in South
Union township, on the farm now
owned by Mr.. Isaac A. Brownfiola,
where she was born April IL, 1910.
She was taken sick in 1929, and had
been given up by DR.. Marchaund and
other physicians who attended her.
About that time there came along
one day two men, one of whom was
DIR. John f. Braddee. He carried a
case OF medicine with him which he
used with skill While there he
learned, of course, of the sickness of
Miss Collins, and when told that the
doctors had no hope of her recovery
he stated that he could cure her The
family put no con fdence in his boasts,
but he persisted and declared his
ability TO restore her. 81 will cure
her." the price of his cure being her
hand ia marriage. She was a young
lady of handsome form and great
beauty, and was fit prize for the am
bition and skill of any doctor" He
gave the mother some medicine for
the fair sufferer. This will cause
the stomach to rid itself of all the
medicine and other matters now lying
upon It," directed he: latter that,
give her some chicken broth" The
directions were followed and the
patient recovered. They became
warmly attached to each other, and
the kind and grateful mother looked
with favor upon the union of her
daughter with the mysterious stranger.
The stern father objected, but they
finally ran off and were married.
The doctor now removed to Union
town and announced himself physi
can. He was wholly without educa
ton or preparation, yet he possessed
remarkable assurance and great tact,
and in a short time he had achieved a
wonderful reputation as physician.
He soon grew wealthy and purchased
from Hon. Thomas Irwin the
National hotel" property, corner
Margantown and Fayette streets. He
advertised literally, and people came
from far and near to be treate! by
HIM. Their horses often lined the
fence for many rods. His reputation
WAS by no means confined to that of a
quack, Many had strong faith in his
skill. Mr.. G. w. Rutter, our veteran
Main street grocer, during one of his
trips to Baltimore for goods bought
81 900 worth of medicines forBraddee.
Among these was an order fora pecu-
liar and rare herb. who in the
world wants that9'' inquired the aston
ished Baltim re druggist Mr. Rutter
told him, and the druggis replied: Il
doubt if you can find that article in
America ''But can't it be had at
all2" persisted Mr.. Rutter Eyes, it
is herb that grows on Mount Etna,
but not one doctor in a hundred
knows anything about it. l can send
for it, though, if you say So" well,
DIR. Braddee wants it." said Mr..
Rutter and the druggist ordered it.
The growth of this marvellous career
was equaled only by the suddeness of
it's collapse. DR.. Braddee had made a
large addition to his property, and
adjoining this was the stage yard and
coach factory of the mail contractor,
/ " SfnnlyfAt, Tho ,Nnni-I
at the food tide of the Cumberland
pixies prosperity, and the yard was
nightly crowded with the hacks that
carried the mails over this great ma
tional highway. About January,
1910, money and other valuables be
gan 10 disappear from the mails Geo.
Pitt and DIR. Howard Kennedy,
special agents of the postoffice depart
ment, traced the losses to one VIM.
German, a driver of one of the mail
coaches, who was arrested January
6, 1871. German at once confessed
that his confederateS were DR.. Brad
dee, Peter NJ Strayer, q saddler of
Uniontown, and Dr. VIVA. Purnell, a
native OF Cul pepper, Va, and sort of
body servant to Braddee. The plan
was for German to pass occasionally
one of the most promising looking
pouches from the yard into Braddee's
room, or when changing hacks in
Stockton's yard to leave pouch be-
hind to be taken and riaed by Brad
dee and then destroyed. It appears
from the record that Braddee was un,
able to write, as in his affidavit he
swears he knew nothing about the
alleged stealing of mails" and made
his mark Braddee was held in $780,
coo bail, Strayer in $15, 600, and pur-
nell in $4,000, and being unable to
get surety, they were remanded to the
Pittsburg Jail. The trial came up at
the May sessions Of the United States
circuit court in Pittsburg before Judge
Thomas Irwin. German and Strayer
confessed, became witnesses against
Braddee, and he was convicted and
sentenced to ten years in the peniten-
tiary. German and Purnell were
psrdoned by the president, but DR..
Braddee, after serving out nearly all
his term, died, and was buried within
the penitentiary grounds.
After his conviction Braddee made
confession to Hon. John L. Daw-
son, United States district attorney,
which implicated good many per
sons, both those concerned in the
robberies and those who afterward
shared the proceeds thereof. So many
persons were implicated by this con
fession, and there being no evidence
TO sustain ii besides himself, he hav-
died day or two afterwards it never
was made public.
Dr.. Braddee had accumulated a
large amount of money, most of
which was confiscated after his con
viction. Agent Kennedy drew go
500 of it out of the Brownsville bank.
1t was not proved to be mail money,
but it was nevertheless made way
with.
During all his troubles DR.. Brad
dee's most devoted friend was his
wife. She was pat in jail in Pitts
burgh to be held as witness against
her husband. She was afterwards
bailed out by steamboat captain,
and when the trial came On she walk
ed from Unlontown to Pittsburgh and
carried her child. On refusing 10
testify against her husband, Judge
Irwin impe tiently informed her that
he would compel her to do so. How
will you compel MET" she dehantly
asked. "I'll put YOU in Jail " THANK