The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1885-02-07
AFTER FIFTY YEARS.

A Demented Woman, Turned Adr1ft Half q
Century Ago, Turns up as the Inmate of
an Alms-House With an Interest In q
Devised Estate.
NEW LONDON, CONN, February "a
remarkable case, which attracted atten-
ton for miles around, has just been tried
at Hadlyme. Fifteen months ago Marion
Banning died intestate, leaving $4,000.
She was known to have two sisters alive.
A third sister, Nancy, had been taken in
sane some fifty years ago, and one night
disappeared from home and was never
afterward heard of. Her death had been
conceded for quarter of century.
When Marion died the city of Pough-
keepsie, n. Y, notified the administrator
of the Banning estate that the city claimed
an interest to the amount OF $1,000 there
in for the support of Nancy Banning for
forty-fiye wears in its almshOuse.
At the hearing Charles Strong testified
that in 1889, when he was twenty years
old, he was employed by Day Jones,
contractors, for the support OF the State
paupers kept there in the town of Marl-
boro, Hartford County. About the first
of March he was directed by Day & Jones
to take a woman named Nancy Banning
from the Litchfeld (ConnecticuD Aims
house to the New York State line and
leave her. He carried out the orders and
| left her alone in a field in Dover, Dutch
ess County, on bitter night that was as
dark as Egypt. As soon as he had placed
her on the ground he dashed up his horse
and hurried back to the land of steady
habits and Puritan morals.
Superintendent butcher of the Pough-
keepsie Almshouse, testified that he was
in charge of that institution, and that
poor old weak-minded Nancy Banning
had been an inmate OF the poorhouse.
His predecessor told him she had been
there thirty years when he (Dutcher) first
took charge.
Ex-Postmaster Soule, now an old man,
had told butcher the story OF Nancy be-
ing found half naked in an open field on a
bitter March day and he (Soule) had
taken the woman to the alms-hOuse as an
act of charity.
The alms-house record at Poughkeepsie
showed that Nancy was brought there
from Dover. March LIST, 1889. The record
named her as ''crazy and unknown"
The old woman, Nancy Strong, was
brought to Hadlyme to testify. She was
clearly insane, and her testimony was a
rambling incoherent talk but still most
valuable in establishing her identity. She
is now nearly eighty years of age. She
still remembered much about Hadlyme
and its people when she was young
woman. She tod the name of the minis
ter who preached at the village church
fifty years ago. She also named the store.
keepers in the neighborhood, the district
school and mentioned places where she
had worked at odd times.
Charles Strong, the heartless old mar
who carried her across the State line ant
left her, positively identified Nancy Strong
as that women. Her popularity of eyes
figure and movements, and the color o.
her hair, helped him to this conclusion.
The hearing was adjourned to mex
May.
1t is the opinion that the heirs-at-lav
will not further resist the PoughkeepsiC
claim, and that the case will be settled VI
Immediately. Judge Phelps, who hal
just been appointed to the Supreme Cour
bench by Governor Harrison, and Cit!
Attorney William M. Lee, appeared fol
the Poughkeepsie authorities, and W. f
Wilson, of Deep River, appeared for thu
heirs-at-law.