Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1899-07-27

| Louis. has frequently visited the Val
ley and is quite we'll known to a nun
Der of people in Ironton. He was here
this spring, and early in the summer
his wife and two little boys spent sew
eral weeks in 1rontOn boarding at the
residence of c. B. Hill. The fact that
the family is known here lends local
interest to the following taken from
Mondays GtO6e-DemOcrdt: ''Austin
Peck, whose name has been much used
IN the newspapers during the last few
days in connection with that of Miss
Adele La Brier, of Poplar Bluff. Mo-,
who claims she was married to him
| the first part of the week, is a married
man and has wife and two children,
who are now living in st. Louis coun-
~, at Pattonville. The wife was for
merly Miss Fillingham, a daughter
| of Charles Fillingham. a retired farm
| er of some means. Austin Peck, when
| he was in ST. Louis last week, denied
that be was married to Miss La Brier,
claiming that she was only a casual
| acquaintance. This much was learned
| from a member of the Peck family last
night. The story of the elopement,
| of sensationalism. A telegram to the
Glo6e-Democrat from Poplar Bluff last
night says: Miss La Brier returned
from st. Louis Friday morning, stating
that she had married Austin Peck, and
that he would return Sunday. In the
afternoon her mother received a tele-
gram from man, stating that Peck
had married his daughter four years
ago, and that she and her two children
were now living in st. Louis county.
On receiving this news Miss La Brler
tainted, and when seen was almost
broken-hearted, piteously weeping,
and declaring that she knew Peck
would come back. A marriage GER
tiicate was produced. showing mar
riage in st. Louis July 90 by one
Frank Ross, Justice of the Peace of
Montgomery county, Mo-, and witness
ed by Charles Browning. Peck arriv-
ed at Poplar Bluff from st. Louis |
Sunday on the early morning train and |
went directly to Mrs. La Brier's, but |
he refused to be. interviewed or to |
make a statement. Peck first reached |
Poplar Bluff last May, and claimed to |
be the grandson of Peck, of St. Louis, |
and said that he had lately fallen heir
to a large sum of money from his
grandfather's estate An announce
ment appeared in the St. Louis papers
the latter part of last week relating to
the alleged elopement of Miss La Brier
with man giving his name as Austin
Peck, who said he was a grandson of
the late Charles H. Peck, who died
recently, leaving a large fortune. his
grandson, Austin Peck, being awarded
as his share, $500. According to the
story from Poplar Bluff, the couple left
that town Tuesday in a buggy and
drove to Hendrickson, where they re-
NAMED in the station awaiting the
train for st. Louis. which they board
ed. The next development was the
return of Miss La Brier to Poplar Bluff
Friday, when she said she had been
to Austin Peck in st. Louis,
and that he would return to Poplar
Bluff the next day. When inquiry was
made of members of the Peck family,
a mystery seemed to spread over the
case. Stephen Peck, the supposed
head of the Peck family. in st. Louis,
when asked concerning the marriage
Of Austin Peck, expressed the greatest
irritability. ami, after saying that he {
knew nothing about it and cared less,
shut the door behind him in a half
rage. Inquiries at the directory ad-
dress of Austin Peck developed that a
man giving his name as Austin Peck
had lived there until the latter part of {
the spring, when he had left without
informing the neighbors of his next
address. The telegram received last {
night brought the issue squarely. A 6
relative of Austin Peck's stated that !
the young man had married the
daughter of Charles Fillingham about Is
for years ago. Mr.. Fillingham is a
man of some wealth, and is now living |
at PattonvIlle where his daughter and
two children are staying at the pres t
ent time. For the past few months,
Austin Peck has been, for a greater c
part of the time, in Poplar Bluff,
where he has transacted business in I
with the real estate of his
Charles H. Peck. 1t has '
been customary for him to come to St.
Louis often, remaining only a few '
days. Since the removal of the family
from Ella avenue, where they formerly /
lived, the wife has visited relatives. \
though she is now at Pattonville. The
attorney for Austin Peck in st. Louis '
is Mr.. Randolph Laughlin, with offices
in The Lincoln Trust building. Mr.. r
Laughlin said last nigh: that when he Il
went home Saturday night, he found
Austin Peck, who had been waiting for Y
him from o'clock until 1880, in v
great stew, and anxious, apparently,
to sue the local papers for libel. He b
made an emphatic denial of any mar
riage or form of marriage with Miss il
La Brler, and claimed that he only
knew her as a casual acquaintance. v
Mr.. Peck told me-" said Mr.. Laugh T
lin, last night, THAT they had driven
to Hendrickson together and taken the
st. Louis train. Having met before.
he said, they sat together, but only as
He told me that Miss
Brier had left the train at De Soto P
and that he had come on to St. Louis.
Further than that he said he knew V
nothing, but said the marriage story I
was gotten up by persons who wished
to hurt his credit in Poplar Bluff. l
know nothing further of the case than c
be told me. He went over in detail "
with me the circumstances of the trip
70 St. Louis" 1t is said that Mr.. G
Peck went to Pattonville Friday morn
ug TO see his wife and children. He ii
net with a cool reception. The pa
0ers which contained the account o. Il
he alleged marriage were shown him