San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-12-05
MRS. HARTSIG REMEMBERS HERS
AFTER EIGHT YEARS.
DEMENTED, SUPPOSED DEAD, BUR-
led AND MOURNED FOR SHE
RETURNS TO HER HOME.
One of the Stories that Read More
Like Fiction Tkan Fact, Though
Taken From the Records of
Real Life.

trolt eight years ago and a body
picked up on the railroad track
near that place, horribly mangled,
was identified by Mrs. Hartsig's
relatives and buried by them.
A few days ago the real Mrs.
Hartsig walked into the office Of
her son, E. A. Hartsig, in the Secu-
rity building. The story told by
Lewis w. Hartsig, a son Of the
missing woman, is a very romantic
one. He says his mother, together
with his father and six children,
lived in Detroit eight years ago
and that his mother was mentally
deranged on account OF i'll health.
The family decided to send her to
the Pontiac lunatic asylum and
from this place she escaped twice
within two months. Mrs. Hartsig
was not a dangerous lunatic, but
the family thought it best to re.
turn her to the asylum, as the ply
sicians had hopes that they might
finally restore her reason.
Mrs. Hartsig discovered what
was about to take place ard on the
night before the contemplated re-
moval she escaped and this was
the last seen Of her by any men,
Der of her family until a week ago.
The day of her disappearance the
body of a woman was discovered
dead on the tracks Of the Detroit
and Michigan road, twenty miles
from Detroit. The body was in a
manglcd condition and the cloth
ing was literally torn from the
woman's form. The Hartsig fami-
ly were notified and identified the
body as that Of their mother. A De-
troit dentist also identified the
gold plated false teeth which were
in the mouth of the dead woman
as those sold to Mrs. Hartsig. The
body was taken in charge by the
Hartsigs and given a decent burial.
Mrs. Hartsig owned property in
Detroit which is valued at $4,000
and her will was duly probated
and the rents Of the property have
since been collected by James E.
Hartsig, her husband.
Mrs. Hartsig, in telling her
story to her family after their hap
py union, said she travelled by rail
to Benton Harbor, Michigan, and
was taken in charge by the po-
lice on account of her strange &C
tions. The authorities placed her
in a sanitarium at Benton Harbor
for twelve months, and she was
then pronounced cured. But Mrs.
Hartsig, during her last attack OF
insanity, had forgotten her name,
and there was nothing about her
clothing or jewelry by which she
could identify herself. She decided
to come to Chicago, secured a sit
uation as nurse In Evanston, about
seven years ago, and has remained
there ever since and has amassed
a small fortune in the city.
Mrs. Hartsig was reading news
paper a week ago her son says, and
happened to see the name f. A.
Hartsig, which was the name of
her son. Hartsig had been indict-
ed on a charge of forgery. Mrs.
Hartsig at once became possessed
OF all her faculties. She recognized
the name as hers, and the initial
of those of her son. She went at
once to the criminal court and
found that f. A. Hartsig had been
released on bail. She secured his
address and went at once to the Sc
curity building and walked into
the office where she found her son
and also her daughter, Rose, who
recognized the mother immediate
ly. While in the office another
son, Lewis H., entered. There was
still another person to whom
the strange temperance came
as a surprise and this was Mr..
Hartsig, the husband. He Is fifty
years old, and thinking his wife
dead, had married again in Detroit.
He has also one child by the sec
ond marriage and a very compli-
Gated state of affairs exists in her
household. "Mrs. Hartsig," her son
Lewis says, ''has stated that she
would apply for a divorce, so as to
cause no embarrassment to the
young wife with whom Mrs. Hart
sig is now living. Mrs. Hartsig,
together with her daughter, Rose,
is now on a visit to her aged
mother, Mrs. Dove. who is wealthy
and lives in Savannah, ILL.,, and Mrs.
Hartsig thinks she will take up
her residence at that place. Mrs.
Dove never did believe her dead,
and there has been a reward OF
$1,000 out for information concern