The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-11-29
THE WILSoN-MoEN MYSTERY
How the Former Paid Debts, and His
Acquaintance with the Englees.
a1acts Bearing ON the Theory that lie Is Moen's
Legitimate Son-His Sudden Blossoming
as Capitalist-The Cemetery Lot.

Worcester Letter in New York World.
1t lis curious TO note the grip that theory
takes on man once he has adopted 1t. He cod
dies it as his own child, and is blind to any
showing that it is sadly unstable. In perhaps
no recent case has this popularity OF human
nature been better exemplifed than in the Viii
-Moen case There are lots Of people who
still cling to a dozen of the old, worn-out theo-
riss that were evolved whom the science was yet
in Its infancy, of explaining why respectable,
church going millionaire should pay to an un-
known stable boy some hundreds of thousands
Of dollars. There has not yet been any theory
advanced in this case toward which the finger Of
aerisiOn could not be pointed and lots of absurd
and homogeneous things pointed out. The idea
that Wilson Is Moen's legitimate son fares but
little better in this respect than some of the
other theories. There is much to recommend it
to consideration and many good arguments and
undisputed facts have been advanced in support
Of it. But there are also some things that argue
against it. There is also some testimony that
tends to undermine another favorite notion
that Moen had become involved with the Englees
and employed Wilson to rid him of them.
Wilson ''cut his shine" very largely in the
town of Uxbridge after he began to draw his
drafts ON the Worcester millionaire. Uxbridge
is little prohibition town on the line of the
Providence g. Worcester railroad, nearer to the
latter place. Wilson worked in the cotton mill
there for short time in 1873, and when he be-
gan to get his thousands he came back and daz-
Eled the eyes of his former associates In the mill
He put up houses, and barns, and summer cot
kages at a great rate, and finally erected $780,
boo hotel in town where $4,000 would have
answered every purpose Most of this sum was
spent on elaborate interior decorations and furn-
Sure. On the suit of rooms that he fitted up for
himself he expended S., 900 on frcscoing alone
But then he was taken advantage of right and
left. He WAS the "Coal-o Johnny" Of his day,
and flung money about with lavish hand.
Wben " son left Uxbridge-or rather North
Uxbrdge. mile aboye-in 1873 he left good
many people behind him who grieved over the
truss.tbsy had placed in him. He owed NUM-
Der ~ bills in The neigh6orhood, and there did
not seen any likelihood that they would ever be
paid. General storekeeper A. S. Sweet. of North
Uxbridge charged up $14 to profit and loss.
Town Clerk Wheeler, who also keeps general
store in Uxbridge. concluded that he out
About $25 The village tailor was left in the
lurch, and there were other people who made up
give credi, to Mr.. Levi Wilson. 1t was nearly
three years afterwards, in January, 1876. that
Wilson lifted the latch of storekeeper Sweets
door and remarked in his vigorous and lusty
way, Hello, Sweet! Suppose you thought I'd
never show up to pay You that biil9 I'll be
around in day or two and settle" He did
come around, and soon squared his accounts
with all his old creditors. The first visit that he
paid on his return to North Uxbridge was to the
mill where he had worked. They all very
glad to sea s'Paregoric," because they liked him.
= tParegorc" vas the name by which he was best
Known at that time. Ho acquired it by telling,
one morning Of having been sick over night and
curing himself by drinking two large bottles Of
paregoric.
Among others whom he met on his first visit
was female operative who had then been en-
pioyed there several years, and who is still at
work The World correspondent talked with
her yesterday and the conversation is of
pecia interest as apparently establishing the
fact that Wilson and the Englees not ac-
Guanted prior TO January 1876. He received
his first money from Moen III the latter part of
1875, and he contends that the he re-
ceived it was that Moen wanted him to devote
himself to the Erglees. He supports this by
claiming that it was not long after he got his
FIRST money from Moen before he was living
with the Englees. From the talk that follows
This would seem to be so, but it also appears as
il his meeting with the Englees purely acct
dental The female operative in question re-
membered very well when Wilson worked in
the mill in 1873
''Oh yes she said, in response to questions
che was here in 1873, but only for short time
He was hardly ont of his teens then, should
fudge He boarded at the boarding house over
were rather fond of him. He was lively
youag fellow, and very good hearted. Iremem-
Der, when two of the other boys taken
down with diphtheria, he stayed by them and
hursed them for nearly month, losing his work
all that time. He went away soon after that
and we lost track of hi,n;"
Were the Englees living here at that timer
.No, the Englee girls were born here, but the
whole family had moved to Blackstone where
they remained two or three years They came
back before Wilson returned and took hold OF
the boarding-hou to run it, / remember very
we'll the day Wilson came back. l didn't know
him at first, he had grown so stout, until he in
CURED: why, don't you know Paregorcr He
Said he hadn't come back to work; that he WASH
going TO work any more that he'd got plenty of
money now and didn't need to do any work.
Well, he came to the boarding house to stop for
a few DAYS. and that night he took one of the
girls out driving. When he came back Hettie
Englee asked me who he was, and I told her.
well, she says, he looks just splendid and I'm
going to go for him. She was very young
girl at that time. Then she asked mo to intro
duce her, and did so, and after while they
got or hrst-rate together Ia used to 60 off
every little while, and come back in a week or
20 the girls. We used to wonder where he got
~ all, and often Mrs. Englee used
TO sit down with us and we'd make all
sorts Of guesses about where the money came
from. I'm sure Mrs. Englee didn't know at that
time. When we'd ask Levi he'd tell us that he
was in business, and he had a ship that came in
ever SO often. He did do some business around
there then. He sold butter and coffee, and later
on horses and harness Then he started in TO
build, and before he stopped put MP lot of
houses. think it was June he married Hattie
Englee, or they pretended they were married,
OF course. we've foundout since that they wern't
married"
It has been said that there was child born to
Wilson and his alleged wife prior to 1875, and
that Ii was buried in the cemetery at Uxbridge
The books of the town clerk bear no record of
aay such child having been born, and that Of
fetal Gays there would have been such record
il there had been occasion for it. On the 9Th of
May, 1882. there is record of a child having
been born to q woman calling herself Hattie
Wilson This was the child of Hattie Wetheren,
who sued Wilson for $50, 900 at tie same time
that the Englees sued him
When he was the chief citizen of the town
TVtlaon iuveatad ayncr,x o.h -. .h;.-a =, .c,