Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-12-03
A ROMANTIC SETTLEMENT.
HOW Two Widows OWED the Prop.
erty of Their Bigamist Husband.

How Two Widows OWED the Prop
erty of Their Bigamist Husband.
A Galveston correspondent, writing
to The St. Louis Globe -Democrat,
says: Some months since a bill in
equity was fled in the United States
court by Christina Romsay, of the
province of Ontario, and her four sur
vlving children against Sally Thomp
son, resident Of the town of Orange,
Tex, which was not without q tinge
OF romance. The plain tiff alleged that
she was married to Henry Ramsay
Scotland In 1864, and with him emf
grated to Canada, where. just before
the war of the rebellion, he left her,
coming south as a railroad employee,
and that she heard nothing of him for
more than twenty years, when he
sent her by friend thousand dol
lars, with the information that he was
living in the south. and would con-
tinue to reside there as the climate of
Canada was unsuited to his health.
In 1882 he suddenly made his appear
ance at her house in the town OF
GauIt, and remained there for week
giving her money, and leaving with
out saying where he lived, and offer
ing no excuse for his departure except
that he did not like the country. She
became suspicious, and shortly before
his death heard that he was living in
the town Of Orange, Texas, where he
had married again under the name of
Henry Thompson. She procured g
photograph Of Thompson, whom she
recognized as that Of her husband,
Henry Ramsay, but by the time she
received it he had died. Then she ad-
dressed his Texas widow on the subject,
but that lady, becoming ''huffed" at
the contents OF the letter, declined to
answer it. Making further inquiries
she became satisfied that the Canadian
Ramsay and the Texas Thompson
were one and the same; that he died
possessed Of q large amount of valu-
able property and securities, and
brought suit for the same.
II her answer to the petition,
Mrs. Sally Thompson alleges that on
the 18Th of September, 1872, she then
being II years of age, she was mar
ried TO Henry. Thompson, at her faith
er's house IN Hardin county, Texas,
with his knowledge and consent, by
Rev. Joseph Brown, q Baptist min
lister, and that her maiden name was
Sally Icott. Thompson was then about
80 years of age, acted in all respects
as q single man, and was without
property Or means, as he had acquired
nothing and the country was in a
civil war. He had been in the couu~
try, as she believed, about two years.
and she lived with him as his wife
until the tiree of his death on the 9th
Of September, 1884, never having the
slightest grounds to doubt the lawful
ncss Of the marriage relation, and
they had two children, both of whom
are now dead. Commencing life
without property Or means, they re-
moved to the town of Grange, where
they opened little store by procuring
q few hundred dollars worth of goods
On credit. She kept house and assist
ed i'll attending to the store until by
their joint labor counsel, prudence,
and industry they made money and
accumulated property. The defendant
L
several occasions, discussed the sub
ject of making d will, exposing at
the time his intention of devising all
his property to her, and consulted q
lawyer to obtain q raft of q will, but
upon the explanations by Thompson
that all the property held by him was
community between himself and the
defendant, and that he had no rela-
tons or kin entitled to any inher1-
lance therein as against the defend
ant, advised him that will was not
necessary, as the law would cast all
his property on the defendant, and
for this reason, and no other, did said
Thompson fail to- execute a will.
The defendant further stated that at
the date of the fling Of the suit IN the
United States court she held, of the
property OF Thompson, two hundred
shares OF the capital stock of the First
National bank Of Galveston, of
market value Of $22 500; that the stock
of goods IN the store was valued at
$40, 900, and that she mad 81, $40 IN
cash.
At one time there was every iadica-
ton that the case would be holly con-
tested, and judging from some Of the
fled in the court, but
never forwarded, would have proven
a cause celebre IN this vicinity.
Whether the defendant came to the
conclusion that her case was a weak
one or not is unknown, but matters
have been adjusted, and within few
days the case will be dismissed, the
defendant paying over to the plaintiff
the sum of $50, 900.