Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-12-29
\ STRANGE CASE.
\ Young Woman Found Wandering
In Il Louisiana Thicket


for rs thrilling Il story lis fiction knows
might be woven out of recent events
that have taken place in this neigh
borhond. Two prominent planters Of
the northern part of the county were
out few days ago on Il hunting eN-
| petition, when one of them. Scein.
something tluttering i'll Il bush some
( distance Off, fired at it under the impress
sion that it WIS Il bird. But the next
moment the dog, which had run on to
bring the game 10 the gentlemen. be-
gan to act i'll Il very singular manner
| and. not understanding his actions.
the sportSmen went forward To see
what he had found.
At first only Il trail OF blood WAS dis
covered. but presently the rusty blade
of Il knife was found sticking in the
freshly turned earth. thus indicating
the recent presence of 4 human being
In the meantime the dog had followed
the bloody trail and was now barking
/ ana running about some object iii the
wood near by Going at Il run to The
spot, the gentlemen were shocked TO
dead body of Il woman bleeding" from
Il new wound i'll the foot She had
evidently been struck by the shot
fired ut the supposed bird. but had
managed to get this far. wishing from
some reason to hide herself After
some little trouble the gentlemen sue
cecded i'll reSuScitatin@ the poor Great
ure, who was Worn to Il shadow and
Was clothed only i'll Il couple of thin
cotton garments, bearing also the
marks of hard treatment.
They questioned her closely, but she
cyinced 4 singular dislike to anSwerin"
their inquiries and begged them to 30
and leave her, declaring that she was
not i'll need of help. But convinced
that some sad story lay beneath this
suggestive appearance. the hunters
persisted i'll requiring her To give an
account of herself. and noticing that
She seemed to be in mortal terror 81
any stir being made about her, as
if she dreaded some ones vengeance
or diSplelsure, the gentlemen told her
that She could fully coniidc in them.
to her, and represented that she would
die i'll the woods of starvation anG pri-
v;ltion, us her wounded foot prccluded
all idea of her moving about to supply
her needs.
At last the woman, on girl, for the
foriorn creature was only about 10,
though aged by suffering and exposure,
told her pitiful story. 1t seems that Il
few months ago she ran away from
her fathers farm in southern TcnneS-
See with Il man who taught dancing
and singing to the country people, and
waS married to him at the nearest
town. For some weeks they had lived
Gu the few dollars the girl had taken
with her when she left home aud
whatever her husband could pick III
by his varied accomplishments. But
at last bringing her to this section,
he told her that the ceremony she had
been led to believe was marriage was
not legal. and that he WAS tired of her.
He brought her to these woods by
might, and left her, threatening that
il she allowed herself to be found and
hG would return and kill her. He told
her to give us her story one that he
invented for her, and that if she ever
met him i'll after life t" hold her
tongue about what she knew of him,
or he would murder her. The girl
had IN idea from something ne let
drop that he had Il plan for marrying
ri. wide in hnI If
the state, but that he would change
his name again, rs he had done several
times since She had been with him.
She WAS taken home by one of the
gentlemen and provided with warm
clothing, though her story was SO cX-
traordinary that its truth was doubted.
But in case it should be true one OF
the planters made some inquiries as
to what was going Oh i'll the vicinity
Of the town for which the girl had
ina gincd the villain bound
At last he heard Of Il cOrr0bOration
Oft he story from Il wholly unlocked
for cource He received Il letter from his
brothers. widow, vino lives near the
state line, asking him for his accounts
rs her agent III managing her property,
which is considerable. She gave no
reason for wishing to take ii Out of
his hands, but he made Inquiries 1T
oncc and learned that the foolish WO-
man was soon to be married to Il
stranger whom she had known but Il
week or two, but who had completely
gained an unusual power over her.
From the description Civ: II Of this
man Mr. t concluded that he could
be none Other than the hero Of the
accompany him, he set out at once
with the girl for the home of his sister
in-laW.
He found that the stranger Was
actually staying i'll the house and that
the marriage would take place that
night. He went at once to his sister
in-law and told her the girls account
of the future bridegroom, but she refus-
cd to believe it and charged the
planter with designs on her property
himself. However, it appears that
the adventurer had seen the brother
in-law come in and had CLEANED enough
of the purpose Of his visit to see that
his game was UP, and was just in the
act of lcaping from q window about
ten feet from the ground when the
planter caught sight of him. Drawing
the weapon he had brought with him
in case the fellow proved ugly, the
gentleman halted his man and, calling
IL servant, succeeded in binding the
man Snc11raIv He IyaS then locked in