Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-09-27
NELLIE is SAFE.
The Long missing Belfast Girl, Nellie Brown,
Has Been Heard From.

{
to Mrs. Ozro Brown of this city, from
her daughter Nellie.
Five years ago Nellie Brown disap-
peared. She was pretty girl of 16 and
had an excellent reputation. She at
tended church regularly and had no
male friends except her school compan-
ions. Therefore the mystery of her dis
appearance was one that has remained
impenetrable until the letter came this
week to astOnish her friends and re-
joice her parents.
One August day. five years ago, the
girl went out into the fields after ber-
ries. She wore her ordinary clothes,
took no wraps and gave no indication
whatever that she contemplated leav-
ing the immediate vicinity of her home
When night came she did not return
and the alarm was given. A searching
party was organized and all the woods
in the vicinity of where she was last
seen were traversed. Not the least
trace of the girl was discovered. The
searching parties continued their work
for several days. There was no clew.
Then the boatmen in the bay and the
SoeSeAoSAo e@AOA3 thC oAOAG were dSkeu
to keep lookout for her body. AS she
was apt at times to have periods Of
dependency it was thought that she
might possibly have thrown herself
into the water.
The superstition that she had COM
mitted suicide was soon abandoned, for
some one who was searching in the
woods found spot where it appeared
that struggle had occurred. The
bushes were broken down, and there
We're small shreds of clothing on some
brambles. The minute pieces of fabric
were thought by Mrs. Brown to be frag-
ments from the dress worn by her
daughter. Then the ground in the
vicinity was gone over carefully in Or
der to find. if possible, where the body
had been buried. for the superstition
was that some assailant had violated
the girl, and then. to conceal his crime,
had murdered her and inferred the re-
mains.
But the melancholy quest was finally
abandoned, and the parents settled
down to the belief that their daughter
had been killed and hidden away. She
was mourned as dead, and a plain
stone was erected to her memory in the
family lot in the cemetery.
This week letter came to Mrs
Brown, postmarked at little town IN
the western part of Minnesota. This
letter was from the long-absent daugh-
ter, and brought the news that not only
was she WE'LL but was happily married
and comfortably settled in life. Thu
letter went on to give some sort of eX-
PLANTATION of the mysterious disappear
ance. The daughter stated that it was
almost impossible for her to make clear
just why she left home in that sum
mary fashion, for, so she admitted, she
hardly knew herself why, she thus
grieved her parents without cause OF
provocation.
While I was picking berries" the
letter reads, Il got to thinking that l
would like to go away to work. You
may remember, dear mother, had said
something about doing so. and that you
had told me that l mustn't think OF
such thing. / wanted to earn some
money and attend the Boston school of
oratory. and later, if could, go on the
stage" 1t
The letter then goes on to say that
the success of another Belfast young
lady who had married a well known ac-
tor the year before and had commenced
work on the stage gave her an idea
that she could do equally well, for she
had been a better elocutionist at school
than her friend who had gone upon the
stage.
Il knew" the letter went on, that
you wouldn't want me to go away and
study for any such purpose, and the
more I thought of the matter the more
anxious l was to try. 1 had with me
the money l had earned in the vest
factory, and I sat down and looked it
over. l thought how l held enough in
my hand to take me to Boston and give
me start and the impulse came to me
to go. know you will not understand
how I ever came to do it, and 1 now
hardly see for myself how it ever came
about. But 1 thought l would go, AMI
after / got well settled in the school I
would write home and explain it all
and ask to be allowed to stay.
81 walked to Northport and mixed in
with a crowd of excursion people from.
boat to go home, / went, too, and of
course in the crowd no one noticed me.
In Rockland I bought some clothes and
took the train for Boston. I found after
had been at the school that my money
| was not going to last me as long as
had planned that it would / hated to
write home until / got such start that
| you would be willing to let me stay at the
| school. So hired out as a canvasser and
worked for almost a year in the western
| part of Massachusetts, Then just as
| was getting ready to so back to the
| school, had an offer of position to go
West as a canvasser, and went.
II didn't expect to stay a great while,
| and l thought I wouldn't let you know
about myself just then. had read in the
papers long before that I was supposed to
! be dead, and pitied you all. for l knew
| that you must feel badly. But I thought
| a little time more or less couldn't matter
then, and so I kept on about my work
| And also got sort of a romantic notion
| into my head that would like to get on
| the stage and then surprise you all.
| The letter goes on to relate that, find
| ing the canvassing business lucrative, she
| kept on in it for nearly a year longer
then attended school of elocution in
| Chicago and at last Joined small the
| atrical company. playing a minor part
expecting to work into something better.
| But that company, and others that she
| joined later met with reverses and all the
| time she was becoming. In view of her sit
| uaton in life. less and less willing to COM
| municate with her friends. Her money
| sank to q low ebb, also. and then she
| found her company stranded. last Febru-