The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-08-18
ON ANXIOUS SEAT.
Webster Officer Hard
ly Knows Where
| He Is At.
BEEN MISSING MANY MONTHS.
Aged Ann Devlin Disap-
peared May % and Has
Not Been Seen Since.
BEEN MISSING MANY MONTHS

Webster, Aug. 17-Elias B.. Wake
field, probation officer of the first dis
trict court in Webster and Southbridge,
is having bad sleeps of late nights. He
is suffering from being kept on the
anxious seat In a nutshell, Mr. Wake
field is of the opinion that Judge Henry
j. Clarke intends to wrest his position
away from him, and, incidentally the
salary that goes with it.
They say that all is fair in love and
war, and hence it must be so in poll
tics. 1t is said that during Mr.. Clarke's
campaign for judgeship, when the late
Andrew j. Bartholomew defeated him,
and in the late strife when Gov VOL
colt recommended Mr.. Clarke as the
next judge of southern Worcester
county, Elias B. Wakefield worked
against him in all things, and now
Elias B. Wakefield must pay the pen
atty for so doing.
1t is rumored that Deputy Sheriff
Franklin Jacobs of Southbridge is the
man that will get the appointment. 1t
all lies with Judge Clarke, who is to
be the next probation officer.
Mr.. Wakefield has seen Sheriff ia
cobs about the matter The big sheriff
said that he was not exactly striving
for the office, still, he said that if the
judge was going to appoint a success
sor to the present one, he would like
the position, providing a Southbridge
man was appointed He said, however,
that he did not intend to work against
Mr.. Wakefield at all, but if he was
asked, of course he would say yes.
Now it seems strange to Mr.. Wake
field and his friends, both here and in
Southbridge, and he has a number of
them, too, why it is that Mr.. Jacobs
wants the position. AS a holder of ID
probation officers badge and authori-
ty, MI. Jacobs would be obliged to lose
all his fees that he now draws as a
sheriff. If Mr.. Wakefield makes an ar
rest now he cannot draw any fee for
it.
Mr.. Wakefield was appointed proba-
ton officer by the late Judge Barthoi-
omew, when. he took the bench, and
he has faithfully served in that capac-
ity ever since. Mr. Wakefield is well
liked by every one. lie has the indorse-
ment of the prominent men in town,
and in Southbridge. His Spec town
backing is extremely strong, consider
ing the fact that he is a resident of
Webster
Michael Devlin has at last given up
all hopes of ever finding his aged wife
alive and in good health 1t is now
several months since she wandered
away, and although Mr.. Devlin has
spent much time and money in search
ing, all his efforts have utterly failed.
He has exhausted every effort, and the
only alternative now is to await de-
velopments
The Spy readers will remember that
his wife, Mrs Ann Devlin, aged SO
years, went out of the house she lived
lin with her husband in Charlton, on
Sunday afternoon, May 28, saying that
she was going to the barn for eggs.
She did not return and from that time
to this, not trace has been heard of
her.
AS she was a trife mentally unbal-
anced, it was thought that she might
have wandered off during the heavy
rain storm that afternoon and either
injured herself or become exhausted.
The woods and swamps have been
searched by large posse and the
neighboring ponds dragged, but not a
single clue to her whereabouts has
been gained.
1t is not thought there is any foul
play attached to the aged lady's dis
appearance although there is nothing
to show why she has so mysteriously
and completely disappeared. She left
home, however, in the same way last
fall, and was gone three days, when
she was located.
The missing lady is SO years old. She
stands nearly five feet tall, and tips
the scales at about 40 pounds. When
she was last seen she wore a black
straw hat brown sack and was dressed
in black skirt. At that time her hair
was cut short
Mrs. Ernest L. Perry of Putnam
Conn, is visiting friends in town.