Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-12-25

ner WARDROBE, put when came to do so
got pointer. She had dressed herself in
her best and gone without taking even a
hand-sachel. Her best was black silk,
fine red shawl, fashionable bonnet and
fine shoes. She would not only look very
much like lady, but she would not set out
for walk across the wet fields or along the
muddy highway. She would take the train
at the nearest point, of course, and that
happened to be at station not over thirty
rods from the old mans cabin and on his
land. Freight and accommodation trains
stopped there always for water, and the reg
ular passenger trains sometimes. For in
stance, the express for Cincinnati would not
stop at the village, but would at this county
station TO get supply Of water for the en-
CINE.
AS soon as l struck this trail / was only
few days IN ascertaining that Mrs. Thatch-
er, dressed in her best, did actually board
the express that night as it stopped for a
moment, and that she paid her fare and was
carried to Cincinnati. She had four weeks
the start of me, but l had strong hopes of
finding her. 1 reasoned that the fact Of her
being supplemented, and Of never having
Travelled much, would make her keep clear
Of the hotels. She, doubtless, learned she
would be blamed for the old mans death
and a search made for her. In that case
she would hide herself. ! had nv mind
made up when reached Cincinnati to
look for her among the boardinR-houses,
and look ! did. After vain search of a
week got one Of the regular detectives,
and in another week we got track of her.
In going into the city she had entered into
conversation with fellow passenger and
he had recommended her to boarding
house kept by his aunt. They gave her a
or fha hut -
was queer. The situation sharpened her
wits, and she claimed to be Mrs Rose, of
Chicago, who had come to search out rel
atives. AS she never went out, received no
letters and employed no assistance her
story was not believed, and she was an OBJ
iect OF wonder to the other boarders In
about three weeks she one day paid her
bill and walked OF, but one Of the boarders
followed her to another boardlnR-house
We hoped and expected to find her there,
but she had changed again, and no one
knew where she was. 1t took US three days
TO locate her again, and this time we were
too late by an hour only
In making her second change Mrs.
Thatcher had gone to a boarding house
kept by q woman who had brother on a
farm. He supplied her with vegetables,
and as he came in one day Mrs. Thatcher
saw him and at once decided to go out to
his farm. She arranged for her board,
bought herself q cheap dress or two, and
the pair had been gone about an hour or
two when we rang the bell. The detective
was busy on another case and decided that
he could not go with me. l therefore got q
horse and buggy and drove on alone. 1t
was about three O'Clock IN the afternoon of
June day and 1 was hardly clear Of the
city when / noticed that thunderstorm
was headed. / drove fast, hoping to make
the ten miles before l was caught, but
when seven miles from the city the storm
broke. The only shelter could secure was
an old wagon shed, but, while the thunder
and lightning were severe, but little rain
fell.
In the half hour was under the shed the
lightning struck near me three times, and
was greatly relieved when the storm passed
on. / drove forward for about a mile and
then suddenly came upon a curious sight
in the highway. A farmers wagon was
smoking and burning, while one horse lay
stone dead and the other was plunging
about. On one side of the wagon lay the
body Of woman. on the other side that Of
man. 1 leaped out and secured my
| horse, and the man was the first
! approached. HIS clothes were on fire
over his breast and his face was dis
! colored. One glance satisfied me that
| he was dead. The woman lay in a
| heap, but when I took hold OF her hand
there was a futter Of the eyelids. A bolt of
! lightning had killed one of the horses and
the man, but the woman had only been
stunned. My first move was just what any
physician would have recommended. /
! tore open the bosom of her dress and cut
her corset strings to give her lungs chance
| Il, E. IL.
AID the corsets few open a paper was dis
played. reached for it and one look told
me that it was the last will and testament
| Of James Martin.
Then the woman must be Mrs. Thatcher.
butt should never have known her, dressed
! as she was. She came to while 1 was re
leasing the plunging horse and putting out
the fire IN the wagon. The accident had
come about as 1 supposed, and in half an
hour she was quite herself again. l went
to the nearest farmer, got him to come bach
and assume charge of things, and then drove
back to the city with my prisoner. On the
way in she fully explained every thing
| When Martin found himself about to die ht
told her to burn the old will, In her nerv
BUSINESS and being unable to read, she
burned the wrong one. When he discovered
this he berated her in as forcible languag,
as he could call up-indeed, he fell back anC
died while cursing her. Fearing that she
had committed some awful crime, and hop
ing if she carried the other document of
with her she might escape all consequences
she dressed herself, took the paper and hel
money, and walked over and boarded the
train.
Under the will had recovered all the
relatives shared alike, which was fair anC
just under the circumstances, and instead
of making any trouble for the grass widow
they presented her with purse Of five
hundred dollars and headed her for Oregon
where she got another husband in less thar
a month after her arriYal.-N. v Sun.