The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-12-06


youngest of whom is still living In Edgar
county, Ills.
Davis went ut once to Carroll county,
Ark. In his wapdcrings ho stopped Mt tho
homo Of Hulda Queen, who lived about SO
miles from Carrollton. Hultla Queen aft
erward became his wife and Is now tho
nged woman, Mrs. Hulda Smell, who until
u few days ago believed that the A. IT, Dn.
Wis of Montana Was tho A. J. Davis who
had married her so many years before
Davis did not remain long at the Queen
farm. He was sorry for his dcscrtion and
returned to his Iowa homo. Flo remained
only n short time, however, and went back
to tho Arkansas farm, whcro he began to
make love to the girl Hulda. He came and
went, wandering from place to place, go
Ing without taking leave and returning
without asking it. Ho wished to hide his
past, and that Is why Mrs. Smell knew
nothing but tho merest fragments of his
history before 1889.
In lS4l Davis took up permanent resi-
dcncc near tho Queen farm, going into
partnership with brother of Hulda Tho
young man had evidently forgotten his
vito and littlo ones in their Iowa home
In 1S42, after three years of courtship, hu
married Hulda Queen. His first vito had
already obtained II divorce and month or
~
husband was jeremiah Cornutt, who took
her and lcr children back to Edgar coun-
ty, Ills.
Davis seemed to be happy in his now
homo in Arkansas, but he moved from
Elnco to place, sometimes disappearing
without cause and returning without cx-
PLANTATION. In 1913 his first Child was born.
In tho following year the husband and ia
thcr left his homo for Texas, where ho
hoped to secure somo permanent residence
and living. Ho returned to learn that
his wife Hulda had received u farm as u
gift from her father.
In 1913 lie persuaded his vito to 10 with
him to Texas, and in tho following ycar
lie left for tho goldlclds of California.
For year after that Mrs. Davis received
letters from her husband, who was pros
pccting on the Tuolumnc river. He was
interested In the construction OF dam und
was greatly distressed when he wrote To
his wife that the dam had been washed
away and with it had vanished his horcs
OF fortune. Mrs. Davis received very few
letters after that, and short time after
the last was sent from the mines.
There was year of silence, and then
Mrs. Davis sought u man who had arrived
in Texas from the California mines. The
stranger told the woman that he had
tho Tuolumne river Davis had been
killed, the stranger said, in u quarrel. The
long silence Of the husband seemed to be
explained by his death. y year later, in
1852, Mrs. Davis married j. T. Williams
The couple lived for two years on tho Tex
as farm and then went to California They
took up their residence Mt Fort TETON, near
tho Tchachapi, where tho aged woman has
lived ever since. Williams had freight
ing contract with tho governments His
duties took him frequently from home and
out on tho southern roads.
Many people stopped on their way at
the Williams home. II was natural that
tho young woman should question them
in reference to Ecr first husband. \. j.
Davis, who, the stranger had told her had
been killed in n quarrel. These inquiries
reached tho cars Of n miner on tho Tue.
lunIe river. II WAS n strange coincidence
that two mon bearing the nano OF \. !.
Davis were at that timo mining on the
Tuolumno river. Both of these mon ha,l
been interested in the building of n dam
that had been washed away. Both sh1wc;
several remarkable similarities in physical
characteristics, although the two mon
were III 10 way related. Doth were known
as a. j. Davis, although the name OF ono
WAS Abraham john Davis and that OF tho
olnVr WAS y nurcw JACKSON Davis.
The inquiries Of the woman at Fort re
Jon in no way seemed TO interest Andrew
jackson Davis, but they seemed to possess
remarkable interest for Abraham John
Davis. who started on his way 10 see the
woman of Fort TETON and to learn who
she WAS. lie arrived mt tic fort one morn
ing shortly after Williams had left for;
southern journey. Davis WIS met at The
door By Mrs. Williams. In II moment tho
woman recognized! her first husband, who
had been Killed, she thought at the mines
lpbrid!ngs followed, and then Dayi.
went away He said 1t had been I'll his
Ilult, but that ho would never cal! 0uothc.
woman his wife That WAS in ls;5, and
Mrs. Williams, or Mrs. Smell. rs sac nov
is, never saw him again. He left the
mines, but no ono knew where he went.
At the very same time Andrew jackson
Davis left the Tuulumnc, and no ONO knew
what became Of him until his old friends
learned in 1889 that ho had died at Btltic,
Mon, leaving n fortune of between slG,.
00G, coo and $20,000,o00.
No ono knrw what had become Of Atra.
ham John Davis, ard 10 ONO know thn. II,
was not Andrew jackson Davis urtil De
tcctivc StilwCli filed in the blank that be-
gan in 1885 and ended in 1865.