El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1896-12-31
A REMARKABLE CASE.
A Young Man Twice Wooes
and Wins the Girl He Loves.
Through Mental Disorder He Is Led
to Wander from Home, and For
gets All About Events of
the Past

As the finale to an exceedingly singu-
lar and at the same time a romantic
case. information was lately received
to the effect that William f. Higgins, of
| SanIIuskV, and Miss Edith MarchuS, OF
263 Forest street, Cleveland, were mar
red in that city some time ago, thus
joining two young people who were
| separated for months by unprecedented
circumstances.
Several months ago the medical au-
thorities We're nonplussed by the pc
culiar maladV which afflicted Mr.. Hig-
gins, and to this day there has been no
satisfactory explanation of it made
! The young man is about % years of
age, and up to the summer of 1895, lived
with his parents in Sandusky. He went
| to Elvria, where he obtained a situation
on the electric railway, and one day in
| August of that wear, while at work as
| lineman an insulator fell from a cross
| top and struck him on the forehead. At
| the time he complained of a peculiar
| sensation about the head, and as time
passed by he daily became more con-
| fused in his thoughts. Fearing that he
| would be i'll, he returned home. and was
Frustrated for four weeks. When he had
| turned to Elyria and reentered the en-
ploy of the railway company.
One Saturday evening he announced to
his landlady that he was going home to
spend Sunday, and she became alarmed
when the young man did not return.
Mr. Higgins, the father, went to Elyra
in search of his son. That was the first
intimation that anyone had that mis-
f(,r-t11 ha6 haf n on q
was thought for time that the young
man had been murdered for his money.
This idea was exploded when his bank
book and sum of money were found in
his valise. The father returned home
again. He communicated with the au-
thorities of various cities, asking for
information regarding his son. Re
ports came of strange young men in
various sections, and the father
travelled hundreds of miles to identify
his son. So many disappointments
awaited him that for a time it seemed
hope was vain.
One day a friend of the family told
the father that he thought he had seen
VIII in ST. Louis. Mr.. Higgins at once
left for that city and found his son.
The father was overjoyed at the re-
covery of his son and threw his arms
around the neck of the young man. The
CONSERVATION and horror of the father
can hardly be imagined when the son
said: Excuse me. but / do not know
YOU" Then the terrible truth flashed
across the mind of the father, and he re-
allied that his son had lost his memory.
The father worked with the young man
for hours trying to recall to him scenes
of his home and mother, but all to no
avail. The young man said he remem-
bered nothing antedating his living in
boarding house in St. Louis. Where
he came from, he said, he did not know.
He said. however, he was DESTROYS of
solving the mystery of his past, and ac-
cepted his fathers invitation to return
home with him in the hope that his
memory might be awakened.
It was supposed that when young
Higgins would arrive home and see his
mother he would again be himself in
every respect. But he did not know her,
although she wept on his shoulder and
repeated to him all those fond names
she used in addressing him when he was
an infant and growing child. He could
not recall anything of his past.
Then delicate surprise was ar
ranged for him, which, it was
hoped, as last resort, would awaken
his memory. Miss Edith Marchus, of
263 Forest street, this city. whom Mr..
Higgins had been engaged to marry in
October, 1895. was sent for. She ar
rived, and was much moved by the
presence of her lover, whom she had
mourned as dead for many months.
The young man treated her with re-
spect. but his demeanor plainly indi-
Gated that Miss Marchus, whom he
would have married but for his mis-
fortune, was as Il stranger to him. Miss
Marchus had formerly lived in San
dusky, and having moved to Cleveland.
she was prevailed upon to remain at the
Higgins home for several days, in the
hope that constant association would
rekindle young Higgins memory.
All efforts failed. however. but Mr..
Higgins developed a strong attachment
for Miss Marchus, which ripened into
love, and they were finally married in
this city.-Cleveland Leader.