The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-10-19

she was with the old man when no died
and It might have been her hand which
held one Of the Wills to the fame. JUS
why she should fly and hide hersel
when not guilty OF anything was Q pqz
Gle. So fur as wO could determine sht
had taken nothing. One day Martin
had gone with her to the bank and drawn
ont and presented 10 her the sum o
$500. This she had taken, as was hel
right, but the few dollars he hal in hi
pocket were there when We searched
the dead body, | had not thought tc
overhaul her wardrobe, but when ] came
to do so got a pointer, She'had dress
ed herself In her best and gone without
even taking a hand satrhel. Her bes'
was black silk, q fine red shawl, a lash
ionable bonnet and fine shoes. She
u 1uld not only look very much Ike 9
lady, but she would not set out for
walk across the wet fields or along the
muddy highway, She would take the
rain at the nearest point, Of course, and
hat happened 10 be at q station mol
over thirty rods from the old mans
cabin and on his land, Freight and NC
commodation trains stopped there al
ways for water, and the regular passen'
ger trains sometimes. For instance, the
express for Cincinnati, would not stop
at The village, but would at this country
station to get supply OF water for the
engine,
As soon as / struck this trail was
only q few days In asCertaining that Mira
Thatcher, dressed In her best did &C
tnaIly board the express that night as !!
stopped Tor a moment, and that she paid
her fare and was carried TO Cincinnati,
She had four weeks the start OF nue., but
] had strong hopes Of finding her, ]
reasoned that tho fact OF her being
simple.minded, aud Of never having
travelled much, would make her keep
clear OF the hotels. She, doubtless,
feared she,would be blamed for the old
mans death, aud a search made for her.
lu that cases she would hide herself. !
had my mind made up when | reached
Cincinnati TO look for her among the
boarding houses, and look did, After
a vain search Of q week l 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 q fellow passenger and be had
recommended her to a clearinghouse
kept by his aunt. They gave her room
at the house, but soon saw that she was
queer, The situation sharpened her
Wits and she claimed to BIZ a Mrs, Rose,
OF Chicago, who had come to search cut
relatives. AS she never went out, re-
ceived no letters and employed no assis:
lance her story was not believed aud
she was an object OF wonder 10 the other
boarders. In about three weeks she one
day paid her bill land walked of, but one
OF the boarders followed her to another
clearinghouse. We hoped and ex.
pected TO find her there, but she had
changed again and no one knew where
she was. 1ttook US three days 10 locate
her again aud this time we were too late
by al hour only,
In making her second change Mrs,
Thatcher had gone TO a boarding house
kept by a woman who had brother on
a farm. lie supplied her with yegeta.
bles, and as he came in one day Mrs.
Thatcher saw him, and at once decided
to 20 out 10 his fatm. She arranged for
her board, bought herself o cheap dress
or two, and the pair had been gone about
an hour or two when We raug the belt.
The detective was busy on another case
aud decided that lie could not go with
me, Therefore got horse and buggy
and drove off alone. It was about 8
o'clock In the afternoon OF q June day,
and | was hardly clear OF the city when
| noticed that a thunder storm was
coming up from the direction in which
| was headed. / drove fast, hoping TO
make the ten miles before was caught,
but when seven miles from the city tho
storm broke. The only shelter l 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 o mile, aud then suddenly
cAme upon a curious sight in the high.
way. A farmers wagon was smoking
and burning, while one horse lay stone
dead aud the other was plunglng about.
On one side OF the wagon lay the body
of q woman, on the other eide that Of a
man. leaped out and secured my
horse, and the man was the first APP
preached. His clothes were on fire
over bis breast and his face was dis.
colored. One glance satisfied me that
hG was dead. The woman lay In
hcap, but when took hold OF her hand
there was a autter OF the eyelids. A
bolt Of lightning had killed one OF the
horses and the man, but tho woman had
only been stunned. My first move was
Just what auy physician would have
recommended. tore open the bosom
OF her dress and cut her corset strings
TO give her lungs chance to play. As
the knife parted the strings aud the cor.
sets flaw open a paper was displayed. /
reached tor 1t, aud one look told me
that 1t was the last will and testament Of
James Martin,
Then tho woman must be Mrs.
Thatcher, but ] should never have
known her, dressed as she was, She
came 10 while ! was releasing the plung.
ing horse and putting out the FIRE in the
wagon. Tie accident bud come about as
| supposed, and in halt an hour she was
quite herself again. | went To the near.
tst farmer, got him to come back and as.
sumo charge oil things, and then drove
back to the city with my prisoner. On
the way she fully explained everything.
When Martin iounl himself about 10
die be told her TO burn the old will. In
her nervousness, snd being unable TO
read, she burned the wrong one. When
he discovered this he heratel her In ~
forcible language as he could call up
indeed, be fell hack and died while
cursipg her. Fearing that she had com.
mitted some awful crime, and hoping
that II she carried the other document
off with her she might escape all conse.
quences, she dressed herself, took the
paper mud her money, and walked over
and boarded the train.
Under the will had recovered all the
relatives shared alike, which was fair
and Just under the circumstances, and
instead Of making any. trouble for the
grass widow, they presented her with 0
purse OF $500 aud headed her for Ore.
gon, where Bhu got another husband In
less than O month after her arrival.
-
To Make Marriage success.
1olly=-eThat seems to be a good RULE
which MI. Gladstone ppd his wife oh,