The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1895-06-28
A QUEER CASE.
The Peculiar Influence Of an Old Wom.
an and Her Daughter.

llOuubdiH HdS otO0oSO VIZ ANA6@
borhood, and has incidentally
proven quite a boon to the quiet
rural community, as it has furn-
ished something startling to talk
about, and every tongue is wag-
ging.
There are nothing better than
reports and rumors upon which to
base an article concerning the
neighborhood sensation mentioned
above, SO the Leader will not youch
for what appears in its columns.
Well merely tell the tale as twas
told to us.
For a number of years respect
ed and moderately well-to-do young
farmer has been residing on the
Weston mountain, where he owns
two ranches. He was known as
quiet, honest, industrious, and was
quite bashful and modest in the
presence of women. He managed
his farm and business affairs in
good shape, and altogether proved
a good citizen and neighbor. His
name is Lou Wilder, and he is
something over thirty years of age.
For several winters past wom-
an named Mrs. Egan, about sixty
years old, and her daughter, aged
about twenty-five, have made their
home on the mountain. The sum-
mers, it is supposed, they spent at
Portland. They formerly lived at
Walla Walla, where; it is said, Mrs.
Egan took much interest in Meth
odist church work. She now, it is
claimed, poses as spiritualistic
medium. She is described as a
small and feeble old lady, with
fanatical look in her eye, while her
daughter appears as a prepossessing
and ladylike young woman, bright
and intelligent in her talk.
The mother and daughter, it is
stated, first obtained great influence
over an old mountain farmer named
Thomas Twyman, Finally, about
two years ago, he decided them his
farm, rough place with but little
land cleared and cultivated. There
was no consideration except ver-
bal one that he was to live with
them and they were to take care of
him until his death. They soon
made him 30 uncomfortable that he
had to move out, and now, so the
story goes, he is working for his
board on Henry Richardson's place
below Milton.
Next the pair began to work up
on Lou Wilder, and it is supposed
that the young bachelor, having
little acquaintance with the female
sex, became easily susceptible to
the advances and influence of the
young woman. Anyway they seem
ed to have gained complete control
over him through hypnotic or other
agencies. Reports are that he
spent most of his time at their
place, and that he presented Mrs
Egan with two horses and buggy
1t is also said that he had two OF
three hundred dollars in money,
and this disappeared in mysterious
manner. One we'll authenticated
story. is that the old woman COM
manded him to kill two fat hogs
which he owned because the "devil
was in them" He asked if he
could sell them and she replied
that the devil would still be in the
money. SO he killed them and
rolled their bodies down a hillside,
The bewitched young man has Q
brother, Frank Wilder, who tried
to draw him from their influence,
Frank went several times to the
Egan place to see Lou Wilder, but
the latter would always disappear
Finally Frank concluded to invoke
the laws authority to end hi
brothers strange infatuation, and
swore out a complaint fol Louis ar
rest on charge of insanity
Deputy Sheriff Charles A. Fraziel
came up from Pendleton Tuesday
to serve the warrant, and took tn,
patient in custody without any
trouble.
Lou Wilder was very quiet anC
self-possessed when brought tC
Weston on his way to Pendleton
He looked cheerful, strong anC
healthy, and very little like an in
sane man. He did not talk abou
his affair at all with those who en-
gagged him in conversation, but
conversed intelligently about th,
crops, weather and other matters
: There is little doubt that when re
leased from the peculiar spell o
Mrs. Egan and her daughter b,
will fully recover his faculties.
OF course the matter has createt
a great amount of interest and gos
sip in this locality. There is tall
of asking the authorities to preven
in future the exercise Of any undu
influence on the part of the inter
esting pair of females who live OF
Weston mountain. However, the,
have yet to tell their side of th,
story.
1t is later learned that Wilde
was examined Tuesday night befor
(. the county judge in Pendleton. II
was released, the county physician
and district attorney being unabl
= to see any evidence Of insanity
: He talknd and acted ratinnallv. mn