The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-10-25
A WOMAN'S HAIR.
A Starving Woman Sells Her Locks and So
Regains Her Husband.
Philadelphia Times.

Regains Her Husband.
Philadelphia Times.
81 had a strange experience once in human
hair" said a member of the firm of John E. La
fore Il Co., human hair importers, yesterday.
"a French lacy of noble blood, who has been my
friend for years, wrote me, a few moths ago, in
closing a lock of hair, which was of a peculiar
shade of drab and of silky fineness. She want
dispatched my agents all over Europe. but no.
where could they find a thread of hair that
would match the sample.
Il then inserted an advertisement in the prin-
pal Philadelphia, New York and Boston
papers, Offering a liberal reward for a switch
of the desired quality and color. One day a
woman of about twenty years Of age, shah
billy dressed. but with a form and face that
Venus might have envied, entered my Office.
81 came in to answer to your advertisement,
she said, and, removing her hat, unbound a lux
uriant coil of hair that called from me an invol-
untary cry Of admiration. Will this dog she
asked.
II examined her hair and compared it with
the sample sent me by the Countess. The two
were 50 similar that when / mixed them toeeth-
er l could not distinguish one from the other.
This hair is exactly what / want / said,
'and I will give you 5000 an ounce for it,
Take it off. she said, with a nervous trem-
bling of her voice that at once attracted my at
~tention. 1 am starving, | and my baby, and
what you are willing to pay is a fortune to u.s.
Il became interested. and questioned her.
After a little hesitation she told NE her story.
Her husband had been a sea captain, and shortly
after they were married had sailed for the west
coast of Africa. His vessel was never heard of
after leaving port, and it was presumed that she
had foundered at sea and all hands had been
lost. The presumed widow had struggled to
maintain herself and infant child, but with in
different success. Finally, when suffering from
the pangs of hunger, she had read my advertise
ment and fastened to my place of business,
praying inwardly that her hair, which had been
her husbands pride. might be Of the required
shade.
"Well, to make a long story short, I bought
her hair, which weighed four ounces, and paid
her $500 for it. / sent the switch to my custom
er, the Countess, and wrote her the history of
of the hair. She Is a woman Of great wealth and
goodness of heart. The return mail brought me
a letter authorizing me to pay the poor little
sailors widow 81, 900 extra. l did so. and wrote
an account of the affair to our official journal,
which is published in New York. The story
was so romantic that the daily papers copied it,
and | received several letters from charitable
people offering pecuniary assistance to the sail
ors widow. She was proud, and refused to re-
ceive any help.
Zone day, about three weeks after the pub
LEGATION of the story, a man. who was bronZed
and bearded, came into my Office very much ex-
cited. He held in his hand a copy of a New
York paper, and, unfolding it, pointed to my
"'Can you give me the address of this wom-
anP he asked. eagerly. She is my wife. i
thought her dead
while wrote down the address he told me
his story. His vessel had been shipwrecked on
the African coast, and he and two others of the
crew alone managed to reach the shore. 1t was
several months before they managed to reach q
civilized port. He Immediately sent word of the
disaster to the owners of the foundered vessel.
and wrote to his young wife. From the former
he received a reply, but he heard no word from
his wife, and when he reached Philadelphia he
discovered thatshe had mysteriously disappeared.
One day, in looking ever a paper, he came across
my story, and had hurried TO my Office to learn
fuller particulars. I sent him to his wife in my