Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-31
UNITED AFTER A SCORE OF YEARS.
Mrs. Meyer Gave Birth to Twins, One Of
Which Was Removed Without
Her knowledge, and the
SECRET KEPT UNTIL THE PRESENT.


street, between Madison and Washington
avenues, and then timidly waited for the
door to open. There had been death in
that house scarcely a week before. The
daughter, Annie Meyer, a handsome girl,
bad succumbed to pneumonia and left her
widowed mother and afianced husband to
mourn for her.
The young woman who stood waiting out
side with the letter was almost an exact
counterpart of the dead girl. When the
door was opened Mrs. Mayer, a woman well
passed middle age, dressed in black, looked
out. She stared at her visitor as If she had
been confronted by an apparition from the
other world, while the young woman hesi-
tatingly held out the letter. Mrs. Meyer
made a short step forward, tried to hold out
her hands, and then dropped in heap just
inside the door. The girl shrieked, and a
young man ran out from one of the rooms.
He looked at the girl much In the same way
as Mrs. Meyer mad, then he ran up to her,
and, putting his arms around her, before
she knew what he was going to do, kissed
her.
UNITED FOR THE FIRST TIME.
"See, the lady has tainted, she said,
breaking away from him. "You had better
Lelp me take her inside"
Together they carried her into a pleasant
little parlor, and laid her on sofa. She
came to presently and stared around like q
person in delirium.
"Are you better?" asked the young woman
who bent over her.
"Yes, yes; but you, who are you? You
are so like my Annie, who has been dead
not yet week"
In the confusion the letter had been
dropped on the floor. The young woman
picked it up and handed it to Mrs. Meyer.
She took ii, opened it mechanically and
tried to read, but could not, so she handed
it to the young man, DIR. Samuel Kratzner.
The letter revealed a story which sounds
like romance, and after the doctor read it
he told Mrs. Meyer that the young woman
was q daughter whom she had known moth
ing about, and who was q twin with the
dead girl. The shock was almost too much
for the mother, and there was a most affect
ing and pathetic scene between the mother
and daughter, united for the first time since
the birth of the child.
A ROMANCE IN REAL LIFE.
Told briefly, this romance in real life,
which would perhaps not be believed if the
proofs did not exist, began 25 years ago,
when John NJ. Meyer, German, endowed
with those traits of industry and frugality
which characterize the race, came to this
country from Hamburg with his wife. The
frau was blue-eyed, very slenderly fash
ioned and rather sickIy. They landed at
Boston, where Meyer found work almost
Immediately. For a year they lived care
fully and economically, and then they came
to this city with enough money to start
green grocery store at the corner of Green
wich avenue and West Twelfth street.
They had apartments over the store, but
such was the state of Mrs. Meyers health
that she seldom left her roDms In tact, q
greater part of the time she was confined to
her bed. She frequently became uncon-
scious, and on several occasions remained in
that state for several days. The profits of
the store went for the employment of doc
tors, who consulted, but could not learn
what the mysterious malady was. Sud-
denly she began to improve, and in a re-
markably short time she had so far recov-
cred as to be able to assist her husband in
the store,
ONE OF THE TWINS REMOVED.
For wear her health continued excellent,
but one day, at the expiration of that time,
while she was waiting upon a customer in
the store, she tumbled down on the floor be-
hind the counter in one of her old attacks.
She was carried upstairs, and it was six
days before she recovered her senses. She
became so helpless that nurse was a neces-
sity, and Meyer secured the services of Mrs.
Hrsh, a woman whom he had known in
Germany, and who was living in Hoboken
with her husband.
Mrs. Meyer lapsed into state OF uncon-
Scious again, and two days later. while still
in that condition, she gave birth to two girl
babies Mrs. Hirsh, the nurse, was a SEN
sible woman, and she told Meyer that she
didn't think it advisable for his wife to keep
both of the babies on account of her health.
She suggested the removal of one before the
mother regained consciousness. They talked
the matter oveF until finally Meyer fell in
with Mrs. Hirsh's way of thinking. The
nurse had no children, and she said she
would take one of the girls. Meyer was salts
fed with that, and two DAYS after birth one
of the children was removed 10 Mrs. Hirsh's
home in Hoboken and a nurse employed to
look after it. Meyer signed the papers, and
it was agreed that Mrs. Meyer should know
nothing of the transaction.
BUT BAD LUCK CAME.
The next day the invalid returned to con-
seriousness. Her health came back, and her
baby was christened Annie. Mrs. Hirsh
went to her Hoboken home and had her
protege baptized under the name of Mamie
Hirsh.
Bad luck came to the little green grocery
after that For three years business gradu-
ally fell off Meyer lost all his money, the
shutters were put up for good, and he
tramped around the streets looking for work.
1t was hard to find. In short, he never
found it. So he got up very early one
morning, without disturbing his wife or
little Annie. He walked over as far as
Grove and Hudson streets, and standing
with st. Luke's Episcopal Church on one
side and the public school on the other, he
pulled out big old country revolver and
blew his brains out.
Friends came forward to help the widow,
and she took her furniture and baby and
moved up to the house'on One Hundred and
Seventy-sixth street, where she lives to-day.
She was tlne seamstress, and obtaining
sewing, she pursued her daily work
ignorant of the existence of another daugh-
ter. Annie grew up to be fne-looking
young woman. She studied shorthand and
learned how to use a typewriter, and found
pleasant position In the Office of q we'll
known Harlem lawyer. She made many
friends and engaged herself to DR.. Samuel
D. Kratzner, a wealthy young German, who
recently graduated from the Columbia
School of Mines. The wedding was to have
taken place on December 10. About three
weeks ago she caught severe cold. PHeu-
monia developed rapidly, and despite the
efforts OF the doctors she died.
BEGINNING OF THE END.
Mrs. Hirsh, who adopted one of the twins,
N NJ