Los Angeles herald., 1891-02-24
Can He Explain About the
Forged Bonds ?
His Deserted Wife Left With
out Means.
The Suspicious Acts of the Ex-Sur-
veyOr General.
Bond On Her-A Most Deserving
Woman In Need of Employment.

The readers OF the HERALD will re-
member seeing in last Fridays issue OF
the paper dispatch from St. Louis in
regard to the discovery, at Dallas, Tex,
of a forged bond of that city of the value
of $1,000, which had been sent on for
payment by Mrs. Harris of Los An
geles. The bond in question was for
warded in good faith by one of the
banks of this city, and the discovery
that it was forgery was an entire sur
prise to Mrs. Harris, who has but re-
Gently becomea resident of Los Angeles.
A HERALD reporter called on the lady
last evening, and heard the pitiful story
of her wrongs at the hands of worth
less and perhaps criminal husband,
whom she married but few months
ago, and the facts show that there never
was woman more cruelty deceived by
the man she loved than the lady in this
case.
Clare Harris made his debut in
Southern California at San Diego some
time last summer. He was penniless
and ill, and told the story that he had
but recently lost wife. He frequented
the newspaper offices. and was assisted
with money by them till he became
able to work. He afterward obtained a
position as reporter on the Union, and
later moved to National City, where he
ran a weekly newspaper.
Harris was one of the conspirators in
the absurd filibustering scheme to cap
ture Lower California, and was to be
surveyor general of the new republic.
After the bursting of that bubble he met
the lady who is now so unfortunate as
to bear his name at the encampment of
the G. A. R. in the latter days of the
summer, and succeeded in so working
on her feelings as to gain her love.
The wedding took place in Pasadena,
where the lady resided, in August. Mrs.
Harris had successfully and honorably
filled the position of a school teacher at
different places for twelve years when
she met Harris, and had accumulated
$1,000 from her earnings. With tliis
money tho couple went on a bridal trip
to New York, and spent several months
in the east, returning to Los Angeles
late in the fall. Soon after marriage
Harris told his wife that he expected to
inherit fortune of $15, 900 from an aged
aunt, and hardly had the couple re-
turned to the coast when Mrs. Harris
was shown dispatch by her husband,
purporting to come from Williamsport,
Penn, to the effect that his relative had
died and willed him all her property.
Bidding his wife goodbye, Harris
once more started for the east on No
vember 9th, and was gone several
months. During this time his letters
to his wife were few, and she became so
alarmed at his continued absence that
she asked the police to ascertain his
whereabouts. Later letter came from
st. Louis that he was sick at
that place, and later still Mrs. Harris
received letter from her husband from
some point in Missouri to the effect that
he would soon be home, and inclosing
the Dallas bond. which he advised her
to deposit in the bank.
On the 1st OF January the wandering
husband returned to his wife. He in
tended to live in Los Angeles, he said,
and made arrangements to 60 to house
keeping. A trip to San Diego was nec-
essary, as Harris had left some house
hold goods there, and after being in
Los Angeles only week he left for the
city of baynclimate, taking his wife's
little sister with him. On the follow
ing day the sister returned, with the in
formation that Harris would follow
shortly, but up to this time no further
information of his whereabouts has
been obtained.
After Harris's final departure his wife
discovered that he had borrowed $4OO
from a friend of hers "for a few days"
and the latter. as the days rolled by and
no news Of the husband came, became
for payment. To settle
this account, few weeks ago, the Texas
bond was sent on for collection, and the
fact that it was forgery came to light.
There seems to remain little doubt
that Harris is the forger Of the bond. 1t
a question still as to what ex-
tent he mas gone as criminal, but the
announcing the discovery of
the forgery seems to intimate that the
job was quite an extensive one. Harris
is believed to have returned to Los An
geles Immediately after leaving his
wife's sister at San Diego, and to have
passed on north. The police in the va
rious cities of the coast are now on the
lookout for him, and his arrest may be
announced shortly.
The unfortunate Mrs. Harris is left al
most entirely destitute by the roguery
of her husband.
The case, altogether, is a most sad
one. The deserted wife is a most ac-
complished woman, having made most
enviable record as teacher, and is a
most refined, cultivated woman. She is
in need, great need of employment, in
order to provide herself with the neces-
stiles of life. She has bravely done the
best she can 80 far, but has met with
little success. The benevolent people Of
the city could hardly find more de-
serving person to assist by giving her all
opportunity OF obtaining employment.
A Whistling Well.
r. L. Smith, Of Winona, Kan, writes
to the Scientific American: II have a
six-inch bored well in my yard, 1856 feet
deep, with eight feet of water. Over a
year ago / noticed that at times a strong