Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-11-06
HIS WIFE OR CHILD
The Awful Question S. c. Viii
lifts Has TO Solve.
HIS DAUGHTER is HIS WIFE
A Story in Real Life That II Written by
. Novelist Would Be Pronounced
Absurd and Horrible.

CHICAGO, Nov. 5.-Counsel Was re-
tanned today in one OF the strsngest
cases ever brought 10 the notice OF the
pubic. The facts OF the case outdo
those OF any Of III. Rider Haggard's
novels aud verify the old maxim, that
truth Is stranger than ietIon-" The
lawyer in question Is James w. Droii-
lard, Who mas an Office IN the Chamber
OF C0nlmerce building and the client
IL Samuel Clinton Wiliets. who asks the
LAWYER 20 decide for him whether a
Woman wnom 40 married about two
wears ago Is nis wife er his daughter
About forty i've years ago. according
10 the story told the LAWYER, Mr.. VIII
lets was married to MIss Mamie Evans
al Elie, Ia. lie Was but IL years Old, /,
while she was just turning i6. They
went q live WITH MIR. WIllets' parents
and for year they were happy. At
tue ena of that time q baby giri Was
horn aud the Joy OF the young couple
Knew no bounds As time passed, how
ever, disseEsions arose and quarrels
we're trequent. n erisls was 1T last
reached.
one night young MIR. Willetts
returned from his work and found his
wife aud little child were gone Shortly
afterwsTd lie heard tbs wife had died.
Sx years after ms wife deserted him
Mr.. N.lletts naTrled Caroline stevens,
a Young g.ri whore parents reside IN a
small town adjoining Erie. Ia less
than Two years a son was gwen 10 hun,
but hIs wife was taken away.
His sons Bride.
The child grew and prospered In
health and wnen IL years Old he er-
tered the employ of the trm of Hard
ing, DAVIS S Co.. wholesale hardware
dealers IN Pittsburg. Pa. In few
Years be was sent on ths road by the
tlm. In the meantime the father
moved To Pttsburg and took up his
residence with MS son. On Christmas
night 1860. Mr.. Willetts sat waiting in
nj. apartments for the return OF his
son, VINO had been on the road for
three months
come visitor came IN. He was not
alone; with him he brought young
and beautiful wlfe. She was Miss
Helen Wright, and young Willets had
met and WOO her IN Cleveland, o.,
=
parents had recently died.
Mr.. WilIets took a strange fancy to
his sons bride, and as time flew on it
was difficult TO say which loved her the
most, father or son, For twenty-eig
years the couple lived happily together
aud old Mr.. Willets seemed conteated.
On December Is. 1888, George Wilietts
died after q painful illness of six
months. A few months after his con 3
death Mr.. WiIlets and his daughter-in-
law went abroad
Marries Hrs Own Child.
A singular attachment had sprung
up between them and on January Is,
1890. they were married IN West Ken
sIngton. London, England, by Wayne
McIeonsrd, an Episcopal minister.
shortly sfterwarc they returned to
Amerca and devoted considerable time
10 travelling. Much Of their time they
spent IN Chicago, ss they intended to
make this city their home.
few months ago the possibility
that ne had married MS own daughter
began To dawn upon the mind of Mr..
WIllests, and ne was forced To beleve
that hs wife was the little girl who had
been horn TO him many years before in
Erie, Pa.
S.nce then he has learned that his
first wife after deserving him went to
Cleveland, o., where IN less than seven
years she married man named John
Wright. She brought her little girl
up under the name OF Wright.
SHORTLY after her marriage her new
found husband deserted her. She was
left alone with her daughter and IN a
snort time died.
Miss Wright left alone, sought en-
plOyment aud earned her living until
sne met George WiIletts IN "a house IN
which she was boarding, and fell in
love WITH hIm. MIR. Willetts aud his
wife, or hIs daughter a. ne now calls
her, are living on the north eide. Mr..
Wliletts stated today that he had sent
private detective TO Cleveland, o., to
trace the career OF his trst wife, and
he daily expected news from him.