Sturgis advertiser. (Sturgis, Dakota [S.D.]) 1887-1???, 1888-01-18
A STRANGE STORY.

A STRANGE STORY.
A New York Murderer Commits Suicide
and Leaves a Fortune--The Heiress
Discovered in a New Orleans Nurse
Maid.
During the year 1874, and years
prior to that, saloon in Algiers was
owned by German named John Lor-
ems, widower who had one child, a
girl, seven years of age in 1864. Lor-
ems had met with ill luck. First he had
lost his wife Fredericka. whose maiden
name was Voegele, and soon after his
little son, two years of age. Mrs. Lor-
ems died in 1881, and after that the
care of the children which fell on
J4orens proved extremely irksome.
Business did not prosper with him as
he desired either, and probably he con-
GLUED to leave the city. HIS little girl
he placed in the Protestant Episcopal
Home, on Jackson street, and then
oade the city adieu forever.
| The child's name was Elizabeth
Catherine Lorens, and for some time
af er her father left the city she CON-
tinued to receive letters from him dat
ed in various parts of the world. AT
last letters postmarked in South Africa
were received, but in 1878 these also
ceased and nothing more was heard of
him here.
The girl, who went by the name of
Elizabeth or Lizzie, grew healthy and
strong and was obedient, tractable and
intelligent. Her life passed unevent-
fully until two years ago, when lady
called at her home to engage nurse
maid, and being impressed favoraoly
with the appearance of Elizabeth deter
mined to engage her services. She
was quite willing, nay anxious to go
with the lady and the arrangements
were speedily contaminated and Eliza
beth Screens became nurse at Mr. w.
Blake's residence, No. 500 St. Charles
avenue, between Constantinople and
Marengo streets.
Elizabeth obtained good home and
the lady of the house was kind, consid-
crate and by no means a taskmaster.
Elizabeth had plenty of leisure time to
go out during the day when she had
occasion to go out; but the lady of the
house made it a rule, from which she
never deviated, that all her servants
should remain indoors after dark.
Elizabeth was thus kept out of the
reach of harm, and being naturally Of
d good disposition, she became mod
est, unassuming girl, without care or
trouble. She is now about to enter her
twentieth year, her birthday occurring
on the I'd of November next. She is q
stout, ruddy complexioued young lady,
with brown hair and deep-blue eyes.
Of her father whereabouts Elizabeth
knew nothing, not having heard any
hing of him for nine years. A few
DAYS ago horrible muir er and sui
eide was committed in cigar store in
New York CRY. John Lorenz, the
proprietor of the store, murdered one
Of his employees and then committed
suicide. He left letter addressed to
the coroner, in which he said that al
one time he had kept the Fireprooi
coffee house in New Orleans, and had
lett there and gone to the diamond
fields of South Africa. He had been
lucky and had accumulated considera,
Ole wealth, and had on deposit in the
(, bank of England 928,30O. or about
$40, 600 in American money. This be
bequeathed to his daughter Elizabeth,
who was somewhere in the city of New
Orleans.
The fact was published in the Picay-
me yesterday morning and one of the
other servant girls read of it and at
once jumped to the conclusion that the
heiress and Elizabeth, her fellow SER
want, were one and the same. A COM
parison of dates and names con-
lirmed the girls suspicious and
she told Elizabeth what she surmised.
The girl took the startling news quite
philosophically and calmly related the
facts to Mr.. Blake. Further 1nvestiga-
ton developed the fact that the girl
had been baptized in the st. Paul's
Lutheran church on Burgundy street,
formerly Craps street, in the Third
district, and that her fathers name
was John Lorenz. The letters she re-
:eived from him had unfortunately
oeen mislaid. but search is now beng
made for them and they Will doubtless
be found.
Last evening reporter Of the Picay-
une visited the house of Mr.. Blake and
The heiress answered the bell. She de-
clined to be interviewed, but referred
all inauisitors to Mr.. Blake, her en-
ployer.
There il no doubt as to the identity
of the girl and she will have but il a
difficulty in proving it. The only cs-
ton is whether the amount she to
fall heir to is correctly reported, which,
il true, will make her independent for
the remainder of her life time if jude
iously invested. Judging FROM the
girls appearance and the good report
made of her by Mrs. Blake, Elizabeth
Lorenz certainly deserves her good
fortune.