The Portland daily press., 1896-07-10
A STRANGE iNFAT uATIoN.
Wife of wealthy Vermont Man EIopes
With Dirty Understood Farm Laborer.

Livermore Falls, July 9.--The arrest Of
an clipping couple at jay Bridge, ye ster-
day, has furnished sensation for this
section. 1t is case Of the ''missus and
the ooachman" variety, where strange in
fatuation leads astray respectable
woman.
About three months ago man named
Joseph MoGraw went to work for Lewis
Merritt Of Hartland, Windsor county,
VT, on a farm. Mr.. Merritt is wealthy
farmer, a cattle buyer, who purchases
| cattle for market and keeps them on a
farm until he has picked up large
drove.
Mr.. Merritt was called to Boston on
| business June goth. just as soon as he
had started Mr.. McGraw and Mrs. Msr-
rift packed up their clothing and went to
White River junction previous to which
Mrs. Merritt took check of nearly s95
and tried to raise the money on 1T of her
| husbands brother. He said he did not
| have the money, but let her have SIS on
| it. After she arrived at White River
| Junction she took man to identify her
and went to the First National bank and
had the check cashed. Tuesday afternoon
they left White River junction, going to
Portland aud from there to jay Bridge
where they have lived together as man
and wife ever since.
AS soon as their eloperent was dis
torney, who set the deputy sheriff, D. @.
Jones of South Royalton, VT. on their
track The officer traced the couple to
Portland, then to Lvermore Falls, where
MIR. Jones has remained since Tuesday at
the Riverside house. He at once located
the parties and has been sliaa0wing them
up to Wednesday night, when, with the
assistance of Deputy Sheriff j. H. Soule
Of East Livermore and Officer Farnham
of Jay Bridge, he started out to arrest
the parties. They found them about mid
night at the house Of George Bean at Jay
Bridge and demanded adinittance at their
chamber door. They were admitted and
found McGraw and Mrs Merritt in bed
together.
Mrs. Merritt, as soon as the officers.
with the exception of Mr.. Jones, had de-
parted from the room, burst into tears.
She admitted that she had made a big
mistake and asked Mr.. Jones to COM
municate with her husband and request
that he allow her to come back. A dis
patch was sent Thursday morning to Mr..
Merritt.
McGraw was lodged in the police
station at Livernore Falls over night
and this morning was taken before
Judge Boothby. at Otis Falls, found
guilty and was bound over to the s. j.
court at Pennington.
When the couple arrived at Jay Bridge
Tuesday, McGraw took Mrs. Merritt to
the home of his parents, where they re-.
manned part of one night, when she re-.
ported that she could not remain there
longer, SO they went so George Beams to
board, Mrs. Merritt doing housewo1k.
Mr.. McGraw went to work yesterday for
the Jay Paper company.
Mrs Merritt has been married to Mr..
Merritt about five years. She is a9 years
old, brunette, and is considered very
nice looking. She was we'll dressed
carrid gold watch and had an apund-
anoe of rings and jewelry. She is we'll
| educated and stood in high Vermont
| society. Her husband Is 2S or 30 years
old, nice appearing man, very In
| telleotual. He has good business capacity
and is reported worth from twenty to
thirty thousand dollars
McGraw is short in STATURE Is very In
ferior looking and Is of French Canadian
birth.