Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-10-23
Ancient Gosslps In stanton.
HOW DISAPPEARED MEN WERE ACCol

HOW DISAPPEARED MEN WERE ACCOUN-
TED FOR THIRTY YEARS AGO.
Last Friday we mentioned the case of
Martin Wigand, the old sexton Of the First
Presbyterian church, who mysteriously
disappeared from Staunton thirty years
ago and was never heard from. An old
citizen gives US some further particulars
of what in that day was the topic of con-
versation for many days. Wlgand was a
Bavaran and was employed as gardener
fer Mrs. Sheffey at Kalorama. He after
wards got piece of land and commenced
vegetable raising on his own account.
bringing bis market truck to Stanton in
wheelbaIrow and selling it around town.
He had been servant il the household of
Otho. King of Greece, and went with him
from Germany when he went to take the
throne of Greece. His stories of life in
vorite with the young people of Stanton,
though he spoke English very badly. He
married Harriet Woolwine, seamtre IS,
and as she was deaf and he spoke English
very badly they had a hard time under
standing each other; so hard that at her
death he determined not to marry again.
He was nervous and sensitive old man,
and the threats Of some rowdies to beat him
affected him so that for sometime it was
thought he would have to 60 into the
Lunatic Asylum. Some of his German
friends thought it best that he should
marry again and one of them brought from
Baltimore German immigrant, buXom
widow, who had just landed to whom it
was proposed to marry him. Wigand took
alarm and appealed to his Presbyterian
friends to save him. They prevented the
marriage. but the old mans nerves had
been much shaken at the imminent peril
he had been in. One night, in The fall of
1855, he was seen walking along the street
in NeWtown, and this was the last time
he was seen in Staunton. His house not
being open for day or two, the neighbors
applied to Albert CARRIER, prominent
citizen, TO investigate it. Mr.. CARRIER broke
open the door and found that Wigand
had gone He had taken nothing with him.
He was heard OF Once afterwards walking
the pike, near Woodstock, going North;
anu once Or twice rumors came that Wig
and had been seen somewhere, hut nothing
reliable was heard. The State escheated
his property and sold it, as was the law.
The colored people gave satisfactory to
themselves. account of his disappearance.
They held that as sexton of the Presby-
terian church he had overheard some of
the secrets" of the Session one night, and
| that the Presbyterians had nothing for it
after that but to kill him. which they did,
| and that being influential citizens, they
we're not prosecuted
| Another disappearance, fifteen years be-
fore that. was an organ-grinder. He was
| last seen walking the road west of Staun-
| His monkey was found chattering in a tree
near town. The gossips Immediately went
to work and sgt an example which the
colored people i'll the Wlgand case could
not improve on; they held that the organ
grinder was murdered by three prominent
citizens, and that az eaca one OF the three
died, the survivors watched bis bedside to
prevent his telling the secret Our gOssips
of the old time had miraculous powers of
invention, but We are not SO sure that
they would have much to Toast of, if they
could try their metal with their successors
of this day.