The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-23
REUNITED AFTER MANY YEARS.
JOHN LAHsE's REMARKABLE DIS
COVERY OF HIS LOST WIFE.

Found Her Sitting On n Bench In
Forsyth Park The story of the
Husbands and Wife's WanderinGs
In Search of Each Other-NearIy n
Quarter of Century of separa-
tion.
A strange story of a lost wife and her
discovery after long years were passed was
listened to a night or two ago by a party
of gentlemen, who had been attending the
services at Wesley Monumental church.
1t was a story of husband, who had been
separated from his wife for long time,
through no fault of either. and of the final
reunion after many years, during which
each thought the other dead. This reunion
came about in Savannah. though the last
the husband and wife had seen Of each
other was In Western Texas
The man is a German, Charles Lahse. He
told a story that reads like fiction.
Early In the seventies, he said he came
to this country from Hamburg. He was
a landscape gardener and thought to fol-
low that pursuit in America. After land
ing at New York he found no chance of
obtaining immediate employment at his
work, and he began casting about for
something to do. One day he passed an
army recruiting office, and the memories
of the days when he was in the army of
ways liked soldiers life, and one of the
pleasant periods in his existence had been
that spent in the ranks of the army of the
Fatherland. He determined to enlist. He
was accepted as a recruit, and was mus
tered into one Of the commands that was
soon after ordered to the west. He served
in the army for several years, and after
his term of enlistment expired, he decided
to settle down for awhile. This decision
followed from his meeting a pretty girl.
She lived on a ranch in Western Texas,
near the place where Lahse's command
was stationed. The two had met and love
had asserted Itself. Upon his being mus
tered out of the service Lashe married the
girl whose maiden name was Annie
Brown
For a time the course of their lives ran
smoothly but then came a season of trou-
BILE. Financial matters became straighten-
ed. Then an opportunity presented itself
for Lahse to go back to Europe, where
employment had been offered him in his
old profession. He left his wife in Texas
and went back to work on another CONT
nent. He was gone several years during
which he was able to lay by something
for his return to America In all this time
he had heard but once or twice from his
wife. Friends in Texas had agreed to write
to the husband in German for the wife,
as he could not read English script, but
=
time, and then she had no means of COM
municating with him.
Time passed, and the wife had not the
means of sustaining herself. She was
finally forced to secure employment In a
family as nurse. This family left Texas,
and the wife went with it. Since that time
she has worked for many people, and the
changes in positions finally brought her to
Savannah. Here she dropped her welded
name and was known as Annie Brown.
After he had laid by a nice sum, Lahse
came back to America He went
to Texas, but found that his wife
had left, and that no trace of her where
abouts remained He then began a search
for her, but after time gave it up as fu-
tile. He finally wandered to Cuba. There
he remained for several years, in the
meantime acquiring some property on the
island. When the instruction broke out,
he in some way fell under suspicion, and
the Spanish conhscated his property. He
then returned again to the United States,
and finally reached Savannah.
While wandering about the city not long
ago, he entered Forsyth park. The beau
ties of the park attracted his professional
tastes, and he was engaged in the admira-
ton of the manner in which 1t Is laid out.
Presently he saw a woman sitting on one
of the benches. There was something IA
miliar about the figure. With mind hesi-
tating as to whether 1t should believe
the evidence of the eye, Lahse finally APP
preached the woman. He spoke to her,
asking who she was. She replied that her
name was Annie Brown. This filed
Lahses heart with hope, and when the
woman, upon his questioning, showed that
she was indeed his long lost wife, his JOY
was unbounded. Each regarded the other
as having virtually come back from the
grave, and the pleasure of the reunion
was great.
Since that meeting in the park, which
was so entirely unexpected by each,
Lahse says he and his wife have been
living together in peace and joy, thank
ing the kind providence that brought
them together after the years of separa-
ton.