The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-09-15
MYSTERIOUS CASE

Lost His Identity-HiS Strange Dc
IusiOns. H
PHILADELPHIA, Sept 4s.-Labor-
lag under a delusion for thlrty-elght
years, Edward A. wheG OF Point
Breeze. has thought him i the son Of
Captain Alexander A. Wheaton ana his
wife, sarah Elizabeth, butt{ow he has
every reason to bellye his real name
is Bryan, and that he y the son Of
wealthy parents and RSEf to great
wealth.
From what he can l0ubh he was
stolen when a boy in order-that some
one else might inherit the fortune
which would be his by lawful right. His
story Is strange and mysterious and re-
garded as one seldom paralleied In real
life.
In 1862 Bryan, or whatever his name
may be, WRs born In Locllnprt, Niagara
county. MY When about IS months
old his mother was taken 70 aAhospltal
and the baby was placed an5the care OF
teriously disappeared. and llhe strlctest
search failed TO reveal q trace OF his
whereabouts. His fathet was In the
army and his mother lhethe hospital.
His grandfather, who, from all accounts
was very wealthy mani fepent q great
amount Of money IL prosecuting the
search. It was frultless. At the time
the baby was being carried farther and
farther away. He had been kidnapped
by the captain Of canal boat plying
upon the Erie canal The hdnapper
was Captain Alexander Wheaton, who
was ably assisted by hlsiWife.
nj k,.aa
known as Edward A. Wheaton, and in
his boyhood days no suspicion ever
crossed his mind but that he was lIv-
Ing with his father and mother. He
had a brother and sister, so called,
hut neither was the child of Captain
Wheaton and his wife, One, Dudley
Wheaton, was taken from poor fam
H. who had more children than they
could support. Later one OF his broth
ers struck 1t rich in the Colorado mines
and took him TO the west, where he Is
at present, rich and prosperous. The
other, Marion Wlnneford Wheaton, was
taken from an orphanage In this city,
her parents unknown. She lived with
The Wheatons until, with Mrs. Wheat
on. she was burned to death on Feb
ruary /. 1898, at Gallow's lane and River
road, where they lived.
Twice only during Mrs. WheatOn's
life did Edwards lmRglne that there
was anything mysterious concerning
his past. which had been concealed
from him. At any early age he had
been put to work In the refinery, and
never a cent Of his wages was allowed
him Mrs, wheaton demanded all. This
continued until Edward was twenty
three years old, when he decided to
stand 1t no longer. There was family
quarrel and Edward left. At that time
Mrs. Wheaton remarked to a neighbor,
This is what one gets for caring for
anothcr's dirt" The remark was not
reoented to- Edward until after Mrs.
Wheaton's death
At another time Mrs. Wheaton told
Edward that she had something to tell
him before she died. No amount of
pleading upon his part could persuade
her, to reveal her secrets This was af-
ter the death Of the captain and the
two had become recOncilsd. Edward
had married and had now, a home OF
his own. ,EIe did not help support his
supposed mother. hut she wanted for
nothing. She dressed better than her
neighbors. Her table contained daln-
tics ard delicac!es that none In the
neighborhood could afford.
on the night OF February /, 1895, the
house in which Mrs. Wheaton and her
daughter were liking was discovered 10
be on fire. Before the fire department
cached the scene the house was IN
ashes The charred bodies of Mrs.
Wheaton and Marion Wheaton were
found the next morning. Death had
sca!ed the llrs which held the secret
which Mrs. Wheaton had promised to
reveal TO the boy who had been known
M her son for more than thirty-fiYe
yan;G.
News o. her death was sent to her
sisters MIS-. JeGnnette Brown. OF Syr-
ncuse, N. Y, and Mrs. Francis Miller
New York. City. Replies were received
.f-orrcach. but they were brief and con-
tanned not n VOID to satisfy the curios-
Sty Which nov, more than ever. bur
dened Edward Wheaton.
At this time was repeated to him the
one short sentence Mrs. Wheaton had
told q neiGhbor when Edward left
home. It was adding fuel to the
flames -
whose dirt was he?
The flames had licked up all OF Mrs.
Wheaton's belongings and not scrap
OF paper was left which might per-
chance reveal q little, at least, OF the
boys IDENTITY.
4 few months after the fire there
came n letter for Mr.. Wheaton. Ed
ward opened 1t and what he found drew
the veil about his life closer than ever.
The letter was not dated aud there was
nothing to show where It had been
written, neither was there any name
signed to It. All the letter said was
this: why don't you writer"
Edward then determined to ferret out
the secret He went to Syracuse to
see his supposed aunt. Mrs. Janette
Brown. She could not enllghten him.
His aunt in New York. Mrs Francis
Miller. told him a little more. but n
very little. Between the two, however.
he arrived at the bare facts that have
been told.
1t was from them that he got the
idea thai he was Kidnapped in order
that some one else might Inherit his
fortune. HIS aunts, he thinks, know
more than they VIII tell. He has de-
termlned to go TO I.ockpOrt and insti-
tute a search himself with the hope
that he can discover where he really Is,
and II possible solve this mystery which
enwraps his life.
Iron Trade Situation.