St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-22
TOOK GREELEY'S TIP.
Fergus Falls Stirred Up Over
the Action Of an At
torney.
BE Is Alleged to Have Gone
West With AnotheP's
Wife.
The South st. Paul Contested
Election Cases on Trial
at Hastings.
Anti-Merriam Delegates Are
Elected by Republicans
of Benton.
Special to the Globe.

Special to the Globe.
FERGUS FALLS, Minn., July 21.-A
great sensation has been caused here
by the announcement in the Fergus
Falls Journal tonight that James f.
Cowie had eloped with Mrs. Walter w.
Lilley. COwie is a lawyer, Knight
Templar, first lieutenant of Company
F,N. q. S. NJ, and chairman of the
Democratic county committee, He is
tall, good-looking fellow, buthas had no
reputation as a heart SmaSher. Mrs.
Lilley is by no means pretty. but has
attractive ways and a fine figure. There
have been suspicious that all was not
right for a week or so past. Walter w.
Lilley, the deserted husband, returned
home to-day, and from him the follow
ing is obtained: Mr.. and Mrs. Cowie
and their four children left here June
10 to visit friends in Wisconsin. Mrs.
Lilley went with them and bade her
husband most affecting and affection
ate adieu at the station. She went to
visit her husbands sister in st. Paul,
Mrs. Curtiss, wife of the manager of
the wholesale department of Mast, Bu-
ford Il Burwell, and Mrs. Fowler. an
other married sister, in Lake City. The
day following Cowie appeared at the
Curtiss house with a hack, saying his
wife was at Minneapolis and wanted
Mrs. Lilley to visit her there. Mrs. Lii
ley got into the hack with him, and that
is the last that has been seen of either.
Mrs. CoWie was LETT with her four chill
dren at her sisters house in Alma,
Wis. where she now is. at was week
later that heard of the elopement,"
said Lilley to the GLOBE correspondent.
Ell was in Duluth, and got telegram
from my brother-ln-law. Fowler, saying
that my wife had not arrived. 1t
knocked me silly, almost, but put it
in my pocket and went about my busi-
ness. If could have laid my hands on
CoWie then I'd have Wrung his neck
with the greatest pleasure. | feel diff
ferent now. for they'll have the hardest
time. If that was the kind Of woman
I'd taken to myself and cherished, cared
for, worked for and loved, | was glad
found it out before | had wasted more
affection on her." Cowie had a large
collection agency and law. practice in
spite of the fact that he had not been very
attentive to business during the last year
or two on account of too much gam
bling and drinking. He had good in
come. but has fallen far behind IN
money matters. Much sympathyis is ex-
pressed here for the LiIleys, who are
estimable people, and for Mrs. Cowie
and her children. Until the elopement
the character of Mrs. Lilley has been
excellent and it was supposed she was
devoted to her husband. The two fam
lilies were quite intimate. and the elope-
ment was evidently the result of cool
dcliberatiOn and forethought. At
tOrneys here agree that Cowie's collec-
ton accounts are in bad shape. The
opinion of the Lilleys is that the clipping
couple have gone to Santa Anna, Cal,
where Mrs. LiIley's father lives. Her
mother, who lives here, does not share
this opinion, but thinks they will go to
some Eastern city.