The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1889-09-20
WON HIM WITH A CORPSE,
A Clever Rase that Ended With a nuis
AFnrriov..

A Clever Ruse that Ended With = Quiet
Marriage.
The body of a young woman was
found floating in the ripping water Of
the bay off the battery at San Francisco
the other day. The face was handsome
and refined looking. A wealth of
golden brown hair fell in ringlets below
her waist, The clothing on the body
was good and of fine quality. Small
high-heeled slippers of French glove
kid and silk stockings covered the ex-
tremities, and on the small wcll-shaped
hands was a pair of black kid gloves.
The body was taken to the morgue, and
while there hundreds of men and women
called to see it, but no one identified ii.
The story was printed in the Evening
World and attracted widespread atten-
ton. Among the many who read it was
Laura Wilder, who was living with a
friend named Linda CARTS in a quiet
boarding house on East Twenty-seventh
street. The girls were young andhand-
some, but while Miss CARTS was usually
bright and vivacious, Miss Wilder
seemed sad and Respondent, As if she
had met with some great sorrow. Grad
nally her story became known through
the medium Of Miss CARTS.
She had been engaged to be married
to a young man in South Easton, Pa,
named Fred Bowman, He was of a very
jealous disposition. She was very high
tempered, and when he met her on the
street i'll Eastcn one night talking to q
male acquaintance, he accused her Of
being false to him and spoke words that
never should have been said. She re-
piled spiritedly, and he went away, say
ing she would newr see min again. He
disappeared, and after waiting a few
days for him to return, she came to New
York. Miss CARTS, q friend of her child
hood, and who was to have been her
bridesmaid, accompanied her. Miss
Wilder was OF the verge of desperation
when she heard of the finding OF the I'M
known woman's body in the water, and
her first thought was: why should l
not go and END my troubles as this poor
creature has DONE" But, upon reflect
ing, another and a brighter idea came
to her mind and she determined to act
upon it. After consulting with Miss
Garris Miss Wilder went to the morgue
and asked Keeper Fogarty to show her
the body. He did SO, and then she coolly
identified it as being the body of Laura
Wilder, of South Easton, Pa.
Questioned by Fogarty, she gave her
name as Linda CARTS, a cousin Of Laura's
and then went on to tell of ''poor
Laura's heavy heart since Fred Bow
man deserted her" She refused to give
her address, but when going away prom
ised to return next day with Laura's
parents, whom she said she would tele-
graph for. She returned to her board
ing house, and then waited with Miss
CARTS to see how their ruse would re-
suit. 1t worked to perfection. Every
newspaper published the fact that the
body had been identified as that OF
Laura Wilder, and the news was tele-
graphed far and wide. Fred Bowman
saw 1t in a paper in a western train, and
then he realized what his foolish joal-
ousy had caused him. He Immediately
telegraphed money to WardenO'Rourke,
of Bellevue hospital, to bury the girl,
and came in post haste to attend the
funeral and take, as he thought, one
last look at the face of the girl he loved
so we'll. On his arrival at the morgue he
was almost %agreeably surprised to find.
upon looking at the body. that 1t was
not that of Miss Wilder. He went away
puzzled to know who could have idcnti-
fed her as such. and for what reason.
He had not gone many steps when he
heard a sweet voice say softly:
'sFred!'
He turned about, and there before
him stood Laura.
"My Laura he murmured fondly,
and there they embraced, careless OF
everyone.
She had been on the watch for Rim
every day since she had made the false
identification, and as she had thought.
her lover did come to sec if She had
really passed from his life forever.
They went to l.aura's boarding house
and a quiet marriage followed.
Mr.. Bowman's money buried the dead
woman's body. She was inferred in
Evergreen cemetery. and perhaps some
day her story ma be made known.