The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-03-20
EIGHT LONG YEARS
Dempsey Hunted for His Lost
Wife and Child.
THOUGHT HE HAD FOUND THEM
But the Woman He Traced to Seattle
Was His wifc's Double, and
Dempsey Il still Looking.

St. Patrick's day brought joy and sorrow
TO the heart OF Domlniek Dempsey. For
eight years he had been searching for his
wife and child. and when he thought the
end had come he suddenly found that he
had been grasping at deiusion.
Dempsey Is former resident OF Fergus
Falls. MINI. but in the course of time he
drifted 10 a listle town on the Canadian
Pacific railroad in British Columbia. His
occupation was section boss" and they
say he was a good one. He had a happy
home. and IL there ever was a man who
loved his little daughter IL was Dominick
Dempsey.
About eight years ago Mrs. Dempsey's
health commenced to fail, so she went to a
hospital at New Westminster. Frequent
~ she wrote loving letters to her husband.
who, living far out in the country. longed
for the day when wife and child would be
with him once more. Finally a letter
came In which Mrs. Dempsey said that.
while she was getting along very well.
yet she thought 1t would be better for her
to go 10 the hospital at Victoria. The only
argument she used in favor of the change
was that she thought she would receive
better care. Day after day passed and the
husband received no tidings of his wife.
He wrote to her both at New Westminster
and Victoria, but his letters were always
ed out in search of the lost ones. At New
Westminster he learned that they had left
presumably for Victoria. In Victoria he
failed to find trace of them. and IL was
said at the hospital that they had never
been there. From that day until last week
Dempsey never heard word or got the
slightest trace of his wife and child.
few days ago Dempsey met an old
friend in this city. who told him his wife
n NJ oh ltrfrx h. g. ~.
bay. AT the house of man named Draper
Without further delay Dempsey started
out to find the place. He succeeded, but
learned that the woman had taken her
child and returned 10 the city. Not hit
discouraged, he continued his search until
he located the lodging house where his
lost ones were supposed to be living. He
was not especially anxious about recover
Ing the woman: IL was the child his heart
yearned for. The instructive fear that If
he made himself known 10 the woman she
would put the child beyond his reach
caused him to apply to W. r. Gay for ad-
vice. AIR. Gay concluded that the proper
way TO recover the child without the wo-
man WAS by habeas corpus. The papers
were duly made out and about TO be sent
to the courthouse for fling when Gay
asked Dempsey If he had not made a mis-
take as 10 the identity of the woman
his wife and child. and as the tears rolled
down his cheeks he begged that the papers
be served so that his little one could be
taken away from evil influences
Suppose you go to the house and see the
woman suggested Gay Dempsey would
not 10 that for fear that all chance of re-
covery would be gone, To make the mat
ter more definite. a man was sent to the
lodging house. armed with good descrip-
ton OF the woman, to inquire about Mrs
Dempsey. on his return he said that her
appearance tailed with the description.
even 10 the appearance of her front teeth
How old do you think she is? asked
Gay.
About 50 or 3D. was the reply.
Dempsey said that his wife would he
older than that. but ne was stilI certain
there could not be any mistake.
What did the woman say about living
AT the head of the hay and the name
Dempsey"
She said she never heard of Mr. DENIM
sey. and that If she did live at the head OF
the bay II was her own business"
Gay then Insisted on Dempsey seeing the
woman before The papers were filed. The
| result was that the case never reached
court. for Dempsey never saw the woman
| before In his life. although she was his
wfe's double in general appearance