Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1886-12-02

PiS1bg SSAiSAe bti9 hhO"h ShNo 'SStCAi
ard his wife did not live agreeably,
and although she insisted that he had
met with foul play, and wanted the
search continued, it was soon drop
ped on the idea that he had run away
nom her. He was little missed by
the community, and when tho case
was called up it was universally con.
coded that he would turn up safe when
he got ready.
} One day, five months after his dis
appearance, Weston returned. He
was first seen at the depot by three or
four citizens who had known him for
ten years. One of these, Mr.. Will
Jams, saluted him with:
| well, Hi, you aren't dead2"
! "0h, no."
"Come back to stay?"
81 guess So" ....
(Which way have you beenP'
! "Out West"
81 was talking with your wife yes.
terday, and she said you had never
written a line to her"
! Weston grinned and scratched his
head, but made no reply. A Mr.. De
Mann then said:
I'VE spent four weeks looking for a
case of murder Next time you're GO
ing to step out you'd better let some
OF us know it."
Eyes, | will" answered Weston, as
he star ted up the street. 1t was aft
erwards remembered that he acted
( like a strange man in q strange place.
4, 81 n 81 E,la
and the lad directed him to one, and
/ added:
81 saw your boy Fred. yesterday,
and he has got an awful boil on his
! leg"
The landlord OF the hotel saluted
him as Hi Weston, as did some of the
guests, and the fact OF his engaging
I board was not considered strange,
( though his wife lived only a mile
away. Perhaps he did not intend to
go back to her at all, or perhaps he
wanted to get certain promises be-
fore he did go back. He entered the
town at 10 O'Clock, in the forenoon,
and it was s in the evening when his
son Fred, a boy of ten, and his daugh-
ter Edith, a girl of seven, called at the
hotel and urged him to come home.
They kissed him. called him father,
and he seemed glad to see them. In the
presence Of the landlord he asked some
questions about Their mother which
seemed very strange at the time, but
were at once forgotten. He asked her
age how many children she had, how
long the father had been gone, and
what vocation he followed when at
home. He did not ask these questions
direct, but yet in such manner that
satisfactory answers were returned,
and IN such way as to cause the land
lord to remark:
why, HI, one would think you
had forgotten your family and had
lost yourself"
yes" he replied, as he rose up to
go with the children, "but I've been
gone quite a spell, you know.
Mrs. Weston was neither a smart
nor An educated woman, and had the
reputation OF having a bitter tongue.
Several people followed Hiram home
to see the fun, but there was none
The wife met and kissed him at the
door and had no reproaches. After
two or three days he went to work
digging a well for citizen, and for the
next SIX months he labored very
steadily-so much so that it was gen.
orally remarked that Hiram Weston
hau changed his tune. He seemed to
live very happily with his family, and
his wife's father, mother and brothers
We're often at the house to speak in
his praise. AT the end OF about six
months a very serious thing occur
red. Hiram Weston started off one
day with his dinner pail, having been
hired to repair a fence tor a suburban
farmer. At 10 o'clock that morning
/ Hiram Weston also came in on the
train from Buffalo, and the first thing
when he got OFF the cars he asked after
his family.
"Why, | saw you home last even
ing" replied the citizen who had been
questioned.
But have not been nearer home
than this for over eleven months"
He was laughed at. Hewent straight
to his house, and, as he entered it, his
wife asked:
What's the matter; and where is
your dinner pail?'
Now. scoff if you will; but it is a
matter of record and also of newspa.
per publication. that there were two
Hiram Westons. That is, there we're
two men so exactly alike in build,
height and general appearance, that
even wife and children were deceived.
For time Mrs. Weston believed the
newcomer to be the other Hiram
returning from his work, but he
told her % story which opened her
eyes. He had gone off with couple
OF sharpers, and, in return for some
"work' done in Buffalo, he had been
sent to State prison for year. He
was in prison when the other Weston
came to town, and had indeed been
discharged only the day previous to
his own arrival 1t may be stated
here that all his allegations were found
to be true. He was identified by the
prison officials, and there was his de,
scription on the books. Thedetective
who arrested him and the Judge who
sentenced him further identified him.
Who, then, was the other Hiram
Weston? Although he left the house
with his dinner pail to 90 to work he
did not show up at the place, and has
not since been heard from. When
people came to see and talk with the
true Weston many peculiarities were
remembered. He used more oaths
than the other; he had habit OF
splitting as he talked; his voice was
somewhat gruffer; he never stood for
two minutes without hitching up his
trousers, sailor fashion, he acknowl-
edged some small debts, which the
other totally repudiated. The chill
dren had no explanation to offer, as
the true father had never exhibited
any affection for them. The stranger
had been more kind, and no sus-
picion of his identity had been
born. The wife was covered with
confusion, but she offered in explana-
ton the fact that Weston had been
absent FIVE months. She had noticed
many changes, but all for the better.
The stranger was not a laxative man,
while her husband was, but she got
over this by thinking he had met with
trouble while away. She used some
times to be startled for a moment as
she looked at him, or as he PROFOUND
ed some question which would have
been asked by stranger, but as Tor
denying that he was her husband, she
had never thought OF it One day ait
er her fathers family had been TO the
house, her mother said:
Lucy, there is something queer
about Hi. He's either got some
trouble on his mind or else he's going
insane. Didn't you hear linn ask
when our barn burned, as If both of
you were not sleeping in. our house
that night and he did not discover the
blaze first?"
Who was the second Hiram Weston,