The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-18
ROMANCE OF THE WOODS
BRIDE STOLEN FROM HER HOME ON
THE WEDDING NIGHT.
Kept a Close Prisoner for More than
Two Years in the WiIds of
Maine Forest.

AUGUSTA. Me-, Oct 16.-An the elements
of a great drama are in the story of Mrs.
Sirois. who was recently rescued after an
agonizing experience of two years. The
stealing of the bride, the strange fate that
came like q retribution upon her captor,
the devotion and constancy Of the bereft
husband and the lucky chance which led to
to the finding of the woman--all are as SEN
sational and as nicely balanced as the
scenes in the cleverest plot ever built upon
paper.
1t was in August, 1895. that there was
great excitement in the Maine woods, over
the coming marriage OF the prettiest girl
in ali that region, Rosie Pelletier and Ellie
Sirois, a gallant young woodsman. All the
parties were French Canadians, and one
who has seen many of these simple, kindly
folk knows well that their young women
are black-eyed, rosy-cheeked and beautiful;
their young men hardy, enduring and brave.
The day of the wedding came. Rosie Pelle-
tier became Mrs. Sirois and the wedding
festivities were at the full tide Of gayety.
Then there came the unbdden guest, and
all was confusion in a moment.
Peter Bubeer, a tall and reckless fellow
who had wooed Rosie himself, came dash
ing, fully armed, into the little cottage.
First he fired both barrels of his shotgun
into the ceiling to frighten the women and
set them shrieking and then he drew his
revolver, and, with deadier intent, fired
point blank at the bridegroom. Sirois fell
with a bullet through his arm and the tall
intruder, menacing every one with his re-
volver seized the distraught bride and
dragged her from the room. The guests
made hot haste after the escaping Lochin-
var. Bubeer seemed endowed with super
human strength and cunning, and no trace
of him could be found.
Siroiss healthy flesh soon healed over the
bullet wound, but never the wound in his
heart. He became possessed of one fixed
idea, to trace and recapture his lost bride.
Little by little his story was told in all that
country, and the guides and hunters all
kept their eyes peeled for the missing wom-
an. But the Maine woods cover a tremen-
dous area Sirois himself never lost hope
Sometimes he would accept employment as
guide and lead his employers in the direc-
ton where he supposed Rosie might be-
even while looking for game Oftener he
would roam the woods alone, beating the
great wilderness, section by section Or
again he would be pestered by dreams and
some region, only to meet with fresh dis
appointment
1t was another, after all, who found Mrs
SiroiS-Loe Lacoot, a middle-aged half
breed and firm friend of the unhappy
young people. A month ago he set out to
find a township suitable for a game pre-
serve for some wealthy Sportsmen, and so
came finally into a region strange even to
him, near Sysladobsis, or Dobsis lake And
here he came upon little shack or cabin
in a clearing, and from it wild, strange
figure with streaming hair fled in terror to
the woods. Raising his voice Lacoot cried
in French: Il mean no HARM l am a friend
Joe Lacoot. My name is Minissewah in
Indian, and / live at Lambert Lake"
At the words the strange creature ran to-
ward him with joy.
Are you really and. truly Joe Lacoot?
Don't you know me?'
Lacoot looked at the miserable woman,
at her rags and at her face, brown with ex-
posture, and at her figure, bony and scraw-
ny. In this poor half-starved creature he
could recognize no one he had ever seen
before, and he so Informed her. She re-
Don't you know me at all?' she cried
Rosie Pelleticr" fee1 ~
Rosie Eel 3Iier, the missing bride of poor
Ellie Sirois. Lacoot could scarcely believe
the evidence Of his ears and eyes. "Rosie
Pelletiere?' he repeated. Rosie Sirois," he
added. Don't call me that" she cried
Ellie won't ever want to see me again. He
won't ever want to see me again. He won't
ever want to call me his wife" and she
fell on her face in paroxysm of weeping
Then Lacoot Gained the girl and she told
her story-told how Bubeer had carried her
into the woods at first holding her mouth
so that she could not cry out afterwards
compelling her by blows to walk For more
than fifty miles the pair burrowed into the
heart of the woods Bubeer stealing sup
plies from squatters camps along the way
Away in the heart of the wilderness he built
his hut and coolly informed Rosie that she
was to live there all her life. She made fire.
quent attempts to escape, but was sharply
watched and brutally punished. At last She
turned on him. She had run mile into the
forest and been brought back with revil-
ings and thrust into the shack. Goaded by
yond endurance she seized a Ratchet and
struck him on the skull. In a moment the
mans nature was utterly transformed by
the blow. He became a vacuous idiot Ply
SicianS know of such cases. They are cur
able by lifting the portion of the skull that
presses on the brain. In the Maine woods
such a case is a living death.
Mrs. SirOis was stricken with remorse
when she saw what she had DONE though
no one could really blame her for it, and
she made no further effort to escape Bubeer
paid no further attention to her but lived
like animal, grubbing for roots and
roaming the woods for berries. Mrs. ST.
ros's fare was no better. She lived on for
est fare, from time to time killing one of q
stolen herd of pigs Bubeer had driven into
the wilderness. Sometimes she went hunt
ing with Bubeers gun, which he no longer
had brains enough to use.
Lacoot gave the woman a pair of moccas-
sins and cut for her skirt out of one of
his blankets. Then he took her little way
out to the hunting camp of Henry West
on Sapohic and left her there to rest
and recover, while he carried the good news
to Lambert lake And so Sirois and his
bride will be reunited and Bubeer will be
taken to some asylum.
o. q 49,