St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-08-07
ABSCONDER wHEELERss WIFE
DIsPOSSESsED OF ALL HER
FURNITURE,
EVEN TO PRESENTS TO HER,
BY HEARTLESS CREDITORS,
WHO HELD CHATTNL MORT
CAGES.
a POOR WOMAN IN DESPAIR.
She Sincerely Relieves Her Hus-
band Drowned-Lee Hail
EXplains.

Nothing developed yesterday to in
dicate the probable whereabouts of
Joseph V. Wheeler, the bookkeeper
for Field, Mailer & Co., who is sup
posed to have attempted to conceal
flight and defalcation by Stimulating
his own drowning in Forest Lake.
A warrant for Wheeler's arrest on
the charge of uttering forged deed
was sworn out yesterday by Hokan
Nelson, on a mortgage of whose
property Wheeler is said to have Sc
cured $1,000. Examination is said
to have shown not only that the
names of Nelson, his wife and his
brother were forged on the recorded
deed, but that the name of the pre-
tended notary was written A w.
Commick. Yet the signature was
supposed to be that of A w. Com
nick, floor walker in Field & Nah
ler's, who has a notary's license.
Undoubtedly the most shameful
feature of the entire affair is the
brutal treatment accorded to the I'M
fortunate wife of Wheeler by her
the slightest reason to believe that
she abetted or was even aware of
the dishonest proceedings alleged
against her husband. She still be-
heves him drowned. If she has thus
suddenly been rendered a widow
with a young, fatherless babe, she
is surely to be pitied. If she has
honI1 n n nd nv MI
who has wrecked his own reputa-
ton and disgraced his wife and
child, she is still more to be pitied.
Nevertheless, the young wife or wild
oW, half frantic with grief, has been
made the victim of a succession of
inhuman raids that would reflect
discredit upon evicting Irish con-
stabulary or Russian police. Wheel
| er, it appears, had
GIVEN A CHATTEL MORTGAGE
,, on his household effects to Phillip
Geib for $3.50, and a bill of sale to
Adolph j. Fetsch for $5S5. The doc
uments were not recorded until after
Wheeler's disappearance, and are
therefore not effective, except as
against his estate, unless he is found
alive. Thus any present attempt on
the part of Geib or Fetsch to secure
themselves is based upon slight le-
gal authority. Geib is a cashier in
Field & Mahler's, and presumably
former friend of Wheeler'S. Fetsch
| is a clerk in the same establishment.
Much to the surprise and Indignation
/ of the neighbors, men-sent by one of
! these parties-are stated to have gona
| to the Wheeler residence, 6S5 Carroll
! street, and pillaged the house of every
| thing they could lay their hands on.
| They even took, it is said, Mrs. Wheel
| er's SilVerWare and her wedding pres
| ents, to which they had no claim what
ever They attempted, so it is report
| ed, to deprive the desolate woman of
| her last bed, and in reply to her pro-
! tests, suggested with all the kindness
! of a Sioux Indian, that she might find
| some place to sleep in the neighbour
| hood.
| Two other creatures are said to have
! gone to the house, invited Mrs. Wheel
er into a private room, and at once de-
manded that she turn over to them
| S1COO the sum secured by Wheeler
| upon the Nelson property 1Hey
! threatened to have the terrified woman
| arrested, and said they would search
| the entire house. Though their feeble
! victim swore on her knees that she
| did not have the money, the two
wretehes are stated to have insisted
| until she tainted away. Next boy
| called for Wheeler's bicycle and sue
| ceeded in taking it away. Whether the
| innocent wife will be publicly basti-
nadoed for her husbands wrong-dofngs
seems now to depend on the sweet
Christian charity of his creditors and
the truth of the saying that even rats
| desert sinking ship.
Lee Hall, the real estate man VINO,
as stated in yesterdays G o be, act
ed as agent for Mr.. Roussopoulos, the
MORTGAGE, in making the $1,000 loan
| TO Wheeler is anxious that the public
I understand that he in no sense repre-
! scented Wheeler in the transaction.
The statement in the b that
Mr.. Hall received $50 commission was
! not quite correct. He was to receive
only half of it, what was left OF the
other half after paying the attorney
and expense of filing the papers, gong
to Barnes, the man who acted as