Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-05-22

she would not set out for a 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 thirty rods from the old
man cabin and on his land. Freight and
accommodation trains stopped there for
water, and the regular passenger trains
sometimes. For instance, the express for
Cincinnati would not stop at the village
but would at this country station to get a
supply of water for the engine.
AS soon as | struck this trail was only
a few days in ascertaining that Mrs.
Thatcher, dressed in her best, did actually
board the express that night as it stopped
for a moment. and that she was carried to
CINCINNATI. She had four weeks the start
OF me. but | had strong hopes of finding
| her. [ reasoned that the fact of her being
simple, and 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
and search be made for her. In that
case she would hide herself. | had my
mind made up when | reached Cincinnati
to look for her among the clearinghouse,
and look | did. After a vain search for a
week | got one Of the regular detectives,
and after another week we got trace.
On going to the city she had entered into
conversation with fellow passenger, and
| he had recommended her to a boarding
house kept by his aunt; They gave her
room at the house, but saw that she
wits. and she claimed to be Mrs. Rose of
Chicago. who had come to search relat-
ives AS she never went out, received no
NJ OF hor-
story was not believed, and she was an
object of wonder to the other boarders.
In about three weeks she one day paid her
bill and walked off, but one of the board
ers followed her to another boarding
house We hoped and expected to find her
there, but she had changed again. and no
one knew where size 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 clearinghouse
kept by woman who had brother on a
iarm. 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 he board,
bought herself 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. | therefore got
horse and buggy and drove off alone. 1t
was about 3 O'Clock in the afternoon of
June day, and | was hardly clear of the
city when | noticed that 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 the
storm broke. The only shelter | could Sc
cure 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 cur
ious 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 size that of man. | 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 heap, but
when 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 physlc-
ian would recommend. | tore open the
bosom of her dress and cut her corset
strings to give her lungs a chance to play.
AS the knife parted the strings and the
corsets flew open paper was displayed. /
reached for it, and one look told that it
was the last will and testament of James
Martin.
Then the woman must ibe Mrs. Thatcher;
but | should never have known her, dress
cd as she was. She came to while | was
releasing the plunging horse and putting
out the fire ir the wagon. The accident
had came about as l supposed, and in half
an hour she was quite herself again. [
went to the nearest farmer, got him to
come back and assume charge of things,
and then drove back to the city with my
prisoner. On the way she fully explained
everything. When Martin found himself
about to die he told her to burn the old
will In her nervousness and being unable
to read she burned the,wrong one. When
he discovered this he berated her in as forci
BILE language as he could call up-indeed
he died while cursing her. Fearing that
she had committed some awful crime, and
hoping that if she carried the other docu-
ment off with her she might escape all con-
sequences, she dressed herself, took the
paper and 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 purse for $500
and headed her for Oregon, where she got
another husband in less than a month
after her arrival