The San Francisco call., 1897-07-25
FINDS HIS WIFE
ANOTHER'S BRIDE
Boston Mans Search of
Years Crowned With
Success.
Portland Detectives Locate
Mrs. Aaron PendergaSt
of Boston.
Living With Another Man While
Her Husband Spent a Fortune
to Find Her.

PORTLAND. Or. July 24.-"There will
likely be denouement of story twelve
years old in few days." said Detective
Simmons last evening, "that will create
the sensation of the year here if compro-
mise is not speedily effected"
While he was in Boston last spring
seeking Defaulter Jewett, he vas In the
detective quarters there one night intro
duced to Aaron Pendergast, man ol
about 46 years. After Pendergast left, one OF
the detectives told Simmons that Fender
CAST had been haunting the police head
quarters almost nightly for a decade 10
learn something bout his runaway wife.
Pendergast was perfectly lucid upon all
subjects excepting his idea that Boston
detectives had no more important business
to at tend to than to look for Mrs. Fender
gast who might be dead for all they
knew.
"He added" said Simmons, "that PEN
dergast belonged to one of the best fam.-
lies in the city. A little more than doze Il
Beacon Hill Girl, he had one of the finest
jewelry-stores on State street. Six months
after the wedding Mrs. Pendergast dis
appeared, and at first it was supposed she
had eloped with one OF her former ad-
mirers, who left Boston at the same time.
Pendergast neglected his business, travel
ing about the country in the expectation
OF locating her or the man he supposed
she left with, but he never met either.
Now he is out of business and almost
penniless l presume concluded the Bos-
ton officer.
"It was three nights later" resumed
Simmons, that | again met Pendergast
at the station and, telling him that l was
an officer from the Pacific Coas,, l led
him on to tell me something about his
domestic failure. He admitted TO me
tha: even then he would like to meet his
wife, but he could not believe her alive,
else he certainly would have heard some
thing of her in all these years. He
showed me her photograph and in an in
slant | recognized it as that OF q woman
l had seen in Portland, though it had
been taken 80 many years ago. | told
him that it might be poss. be for me 10
aid him in unraveling the old mystery
and he gave me one of her photographs.
| did not again see the woman whom The
picture resem bled until about a month
ago, and that was in a Second-street car
going south. l screwed mp my nerve to
address her as Mrs. Pcndergast.
'Why-why-why, sir, you certainly
are mlSldheU, Sdlu S4e, 'lnat not my
name! But her face turned a crimson
red.
Pardon me; L m detective, and be-
Iieved you to be Mrs. Aaron Pepdergast,
formerly OF Boston, s I'D l.
mo sooner had l uttered that sentence
than she swooned dead away. Then l
realized l mad made no mistake. l halted
the car. got her glass of water, which |
gave to the onductor, and then 1 oisap-
peared. l took the numb ber OF the Car,
and upon its return trip ] got from the
conductor such information that within
couple of days disclosed TO me that she is
the wife OF rich man here-.he same who
left Boston in her company"
In conclusion, Detective Sim mons said
that Psndergast is now here. The woman
never was divorced from him, but his az
lection for her has vanished. All he seeks
now is compensation for the money he
expended in his search for his erring wife.
Ii no settlement is reached soon he will
expose the woman, as he has nothing to
lose by so doing.