The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1894-04-14
Il WIDOWS BIG SURPRISE.
Her First Husband Returned Just In
Time to Prevent Her Marriage.

]
Time to Prevent Her Marriage.
| The pension department of Geor-
gia furnished Il combination Rip
| Van Wrinkle and Enoch Arden story
when Gilbert Hanson made applica-
tion for pension, says the Pittsburg
/ Dispatch, Gilbert disappeared thir-
ty years ago, being left for dead up
i on the field at Petersburg. He has
been sleeping his thirty years sleep
| in Pittsburg and he returned to
Georgia just in time to prevent him
1 self from enacting the role of Enoch
, Arden.
Last year one of the Confederate
widows of the state who drew 800
from the state fund was Mrs. Perme-
liza Hanson of Carroll county. -
short time ago the son-in-law of Mrs.
Hanson walked into the office OF
Judge Brown of Carroll county and
said; well, ledge. reckon vel
lose the pension. now that the old
mans turned up, and on the Judge
| questioning him the romantic story
| OF Gilbert Hansons disappearance
| and reappcarance came out.
Hanson lived in Macon county,
Ala, when the war broke out and
was one of the first to volunteer as
private in Company f, of the Tbir-
teenth Alabama regiment. lie was u
good soldier and escaped injury UNI
til the battle of Petersburg. when he
received what was supposed to be
his death wound. The papers upon
which Mrs, Hanson was granted Il
pension last year were very full and
explicit. establishing beyond rea-
sonablo doubt the death OF her hus-
band on the field at Petersburg.
According TO the atlidavits of the
captain and members of his company.
he fell in that battle and 1t was be-
lieved he died in the hospital. Us he
was never heard of again. The other
day Hanson, whose home is in the
country, walked into the Office of
the ordinary and explained his alb
sence. As tho family would by his
return lose the 500 year pension,
he called to see il he could not him
self draw n pension under the law.
1t seems that the loss OF pension was
the fact foremost in the minds OF
members of the family, and that on
account of it this modern Rip Van
Wrinkle had not received any too
cordial welcome. lie found that
he could not get the pension, though
he bears the evidences OF hard usage
during his thirty years absence.
Where have you been during all
these years. asked the judge.
'Wcll. he said. II was pretty
badly wounded at Petersburg, and it
took mo Il good whilo to get over it.
and when / did | driftcd to Pitts
burg, Pa, and have been there
ever since.
why didn't you come homo?'
81 was too poor. | didn't have
any money!
-'wny nldn't yuu write home7n
al didn't know where the post
olfico wac. and / didn't have anybody
to write for Inc. -
Hanson has been wording as a day
laborer in ana around Pittsburg for
these last thirty years. Finally he
saved enough money to get back to
the South, and. learning that his
wife had moved from her old home
20 that of her parents in Carroll
county, he made his way there. His
neighbors say that his return was
timely. a. his widow had serious in
tentions of marrying a neighboring
widower, and cnly the husbands re-
turn prevented Il second marriage as
soon as this years pension money
was secured.