Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-05-02
AFTER THIRTY YEARS.
A Thrilling Enoch Arden Case With q
Joyous and HAPPY Ending.


Joyous and HAPPY Ending.
A correspondent Of the Atlanta COnstit,t-
ton has recently had the pleasure of inter-
viewing Mr.. James II. Whiten, who has
just returned from a thirty-years' stay in
the wild West. His experience in frontier
life, which is full of Indian slSirmishes, bear
hunts, etc, Is quite interesting; but the
separation from his wife for period of
thirty years, and what led to their meeting,
is the most interesting feature of the story.
In January, 1851, Mr.. Written was mar
red to Miss Nancy Fowler, beautiful
young lady who resided near Westminster,
s. C. Young Whiten was very ambitious
to prepare his wife a commodious home,
both being very poor at the time of their
marriage. He made up his mind to try his
fortune in the West. The gold fever was
spreading through the West at that time
like contagion, and Pixies Peak was the
objective point. So in the following spring,
when winters winds had gwen place to the
breezes of spring, and before the honey
moon had fairly waned, vows of everlasting
devotion and fidelity were exchanged and
Mr.. Whiten turned his face westward.
After roughing it five years among des-
peradoes and Indians, and having gathered
considerable money, he decided to return
TO his Nancy; but not so to be. The
civil war was then in full blast, and while
passing through the State of Texas Mr..
Whiten was called on for his services and
had to respond During his term many let
tiers were written to the precious one, but
no answer ever came. Through an acquaint-
ance he was informed that his wife had re-
fuged to parts unknown. In the soldiers
camp, in the State of Kansas, the news of
Lees surrender reached him. Being desti-
tute of means on which to travel, and having
learned through an effort to establish COM
munication that the one was dead for
whom it was his pleasure to live, he returned
to Colorado, there to spend the remainder
of his days in the solitude of the West.
I" For twenty-five years." said Mr.. Whiten,
1 wandered over the plains and prairies,
my thoughts ever carrying me back to the
place where l kissed her goodbye" 1t
seems that his grief, instead of relaxing,
grew more poignant In the fall of 1887 he
met an old friend, Joe Steel, in Montana.
Mr.. Steel told him that it was very likely
that his wife was still living; that he had a
faint recollection of a marriage in an adjoin-
ing county of a Mr. Southern to a Mrs.
Whiteu, who had long since given up her
former husband for dead, and that South
crn was dead, so he was informed, and that
the widows post-ofilce was Fort Madison, s.
G. Elated by these glad tidings, Mr..
Whiten directed three letters to Fort Madi-
son, one to Mrs. Southern. one to Mrs.
Whiten, and one to Mr.. Wilton, a sup
posed son of his. Eagerly id he wait for a
reply, bat none came.
The letters remained in the Office till one
day the postmaster at that place was fixing
to make legal disposition of them, when a
countryman, Mr.. John Latham, Glanced to
step in. The postmaster casually asked
Latham if he knew any one by the name Of
Nancy Southern or Nancy Whiten. Latham
happened to be well acquainted with the
widow, and, by the request Of the postmas-
Ger, carried the letters to Mrs. Southern.
She answered him at once, explaining her
second marriage; that she had heard he was
dead and expressed great anxiety to see him.
Mr.. Whiten at once took the tram for West
minister, S. c., having been. by her letter, in
formed that she lived at the same old place.
Arriving at Westminster, he proceeded to
\ the old country homestead, where the part
! ing took place. There under the willow tree
! In the yard, where they parted thirty wears
Z before, they met again. Time and trouble
had, of course, left its impression upon both.
Said Mr.. Whitcn: Though the black crrls
she once wore were strealed with gray. and
the sparkling eye was dinmed. and the tint
| OF the rose had left the check. vet she was
/ as dear to me as ever. We are now living
/ together as happily as when we parted in
( the spring OF 1851. Ny son came to see me
last Christmas-the first time ever saw
him-and We an bad jolly time"
Omaha Herald: Colored men all over TINS
country are concluding that they win vote
as they please this year. This means that