The Indiana State sentinel., 1886-01-13
A MYSTERY SOLVED.
The Whereabouts of a Runaway Couple
Discovered by a Detective.

CHICAGO, Jan. 11.-During the early part
of last September ]. 7. 0'Rourke, ST. Louis
lawyer, with wife and family in that city,
came to Chicago on an ostensible business
trip While here he called on the family of
Albert H. Larned, and one afternoon took
Miss Mary Larned, whom he had known for
some time, for boat ride on Lake Michigan.
Until to-day their whereabouts has been
profound mystery, and great many people
believed them to be sleeping in the bosom of
the lake. 1t was a foggy night when they
embarked, and as they were never seen to
return it was thought that they became be-
logged drifted out into the lake, were run
into by propeller or tug and drowned.
The boat was found September 6. and at the
foot of Sixty-third street half full of water
and with both oars missing. This strength
ened the suppOsition that the occupants had
perished. Numerous theories were ad-
vanced as to the fate of the pair. AS there
was not enough wind on the lake the night
they embarked to hurt a racing shell, the
idea of an elopement gained currency. When
the boat was found she was riding on her
keel and this led people to believe that the
occupants had not been capsized. They
were finally given up IS drowned. The pub
lished statement is made to-day that the
boat in which Mr.. O'Rourke and Miss Larned
embarked was not capsized, and that the
couple, after rowing on the lake until dusk,
landed safely on the pier at the foot of Thir-
ty-ninth street. The craft was set adrift, and
the twain walked to the Oakland station,
boarded one of the Illinois Central suburban
trains and rode down town. Arriving at the
Mic higan Central depot they took the night
train and went to Detroit. They obtained
rooms at hotel, but as O'Roueke was short
of money, they subsequently moved to cheap
lodgings in modest part OF the city. As
O'Rourke's purse was rapidly becoming
empty, he began to look around for employ
ment Finally be found work as porter
in dry goods store on small salary. Miss
Larned kept house. and under an assumed
name, they lived together in one room as
man and wife for nearly four months. firing
finally of the result of his intrigue with Miss
Larned 0'Rourke, it is declared indicted an
anonymous letter in disguised hand to his
deserted wife. The letter stated that her
husband and Miss Larned were living in De-
troit. When Mrs. 0'Rourke received the
epistle, she Immediately communicated
with the betrayed girls father. The latter
at once employed detective who went to
Detroit and finally located the pair. The
girl was only too happy to return to the
shelter of her parents home, even though a
cloud did hang over it. The officer con-
fronted the girl when ORourke was absent,
and she was taken to Windsor, Canada, to
await the arrival of her father. Before leav-
ing here she left note stating her intention
of going home. ORourke on returning to
his room found Miss Larned had flown.
Upon receiving a letter from the wife he de-
serted saying she would forgive him, he took
the train for Kirkwood, Neb., and is again
with his family. Miss Larned is good
looking blonde, twenty-six years of age, me-
dunn size, with a well rounded figure. and
always dresses handsomely and in good taste.
0'Rourke is thirty-fve years of age, six feet
one inch in height, dark complexion and
wears spectacles.