Semi-weekly interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1881-1905, 1892-05-13


ing, as he started back to continue his
Cornishville meeting, he said. Matte,
you act as though you never expected to .
see me again" She did not see him
again, she says, for nine long years. Neal
disappeared from Cornishvile; nobody
knew what had become of him. His
wife, tired OF waiting for MS return, and
thinking him dead, married Henry
Hammer. A little over nine years from
the time of Meals disappearance Mrs.
Hammer was one morning seated in the
house OF her mother, with whom she
WAS living, Hammer having gotten in
trouble aud left the country. Her moth.
er was out on the porch when a we'll
dressed, gentlemanly. appearing man
drove up in buggy and stopping at the
gate, inquired il Mrs. Mann lived there.
The old lady told him that she did aud
looking at him further said, "Why, sir,
you look like Bee Neal, my daughters
former husband Tue man replied,
My name is Neal, but never was
your daughters husband. am here to
see you aud your daughter and to ascer-
tain II the mistake you as well as others
are making cannot be corrected" Mrs.
Hammer, hearing this, came out, and al
30 accused the stranger 81 being the man
who had married her. mo, madam, |
am not, he said; II never saw either OF
you before He then went on TO state
that his home was in Mt. Vernon, Mo,
that he was the pastor OF the Christian
church Mt that place, that he bad mar
ried there and was living happily, when
a church quarrel arose, during which be
had been charged with having wife in
Kentucky. IL came here" lac said,
"and have hunted you mp, trusting that
when you saw the you would al once be
able to declare that | am not who my
Missouri enemies say that am. | am
distressed because there seems TO be a
fatal resemblance between your husband
and myself" lie stayed in the neigh.
borhood several days, inquiring of Mrs.
Hammer, who had known her Neal in
timately aud who had seen them mar
ned.
He visited all the persons named,
Some OF them claimed 10 recognize him.
others said that he was not the man.
But to each and all OF them he denied
most earnestly that he was the Ken.
tucky woman's husband Some months
later, and after an indictment had been
found against him in Missouri for biga-
my, he returned to Kentucky, accompa-
MED by his lawyer, Mr.. skinner, OF Mt,
Vernon, and took the dispositions OF sew
eral witnesses, To be used as evidence in
his behalf Among them were Mrs.
Shackelf1rd and her two daughters, Of
Mille1geville. widow and daughters OF
Elder ShackeIiord, who hal performed
the ceremony which united Martha
Mann aud b NJ. Neat The Missouri
Neal was present when these ladies tes'
tilted. and each OF them looking at him
swore most positively that he was not
the person they had seen married tc
Martha Mann. The man his name has
slipped away IRON the reporter who
raised the Kentucky Neal from child
hood, until he was able 10 shift for him
self, was also present, aud swore that the
Missouri Neal was not the person he hat
raised aud known SO long. Mr.. Shu
mates deposition was not taken, but b,
saw the Missouri Neal when here, anl
has often told the writer that he was mol
the man who once worked for him. The
writer OF this saw and talked freely q
the two gentlemen from Missouri, VIII,
were here in the interest OF the prosecu.
ton, They both said that when Nea
appeared in Missouri as a Christian min
, lister he al once took rank among TN,
best OF his profession lie was splen
did speaker, a companlonable man, seem
ed to be well educated and thorough,
understood the Scriptures II he is in
deed the Kentucky Neal the transform
alton OF the rude, uncultured you'll
from the knobs OF Lincoln aud Boyle tC
D
the accomplished preacher OF Missouri
was sudden and almost miraculous. A
a conclusion to this sketch. let Mrs
, Hammer be heard, She is living in Dan
a vile snd when the INTERIOR JoURNA
saw her this, Thursday, morning, sh,
said:
The man who came to see me min
+ years after my husband disappeared Wa
undoubtedly that husband. Time an
good clothes had wrought changes i
u him, but he was the same man. kno,
il with the same certainty that | kno'
my mother, my brother or any one al
familiar with He was always goo
u talker and the more he talked the bette
he talked. He was so very ignorar
. when he first beg IN to speak in publ
u was why he made so many mistakes
g He deserted me and treated me badly
:, but am sorry he was sent to the pen
Tertiary; sorry ior his Missouri family.