The Topeka state journal., 1899-10-25
Sad Experience of a Nakeeney
Couple at Denver.
Esther Burns Goes Mad on the
Day of Her Wedding.
DAUGHTER
Engaged to the Hired Man,
They Go Ont West.
The Saddened Lover Brings
Home His Fiancee.

Wakeeney, Oct. 25.-There arrived
here today from Denver H. H. Hiedel-
mann and Miss Esther L. Burns, the
man a broken-hearted lover, the girl a
hopeless maniac.
It is a pitiful case. The couple were
to have been married in Denver, but
the wedding day found Miss Burns
mad woman in the matron's quarters or
the Denver Jail.
Esther Burns has spent most of her
life in the little town of Wakeeney. She
is a tall, rather handsome girl, a bru-
nette, and about 25 years of age. Her
parents are farmers of moderate means
but have always given her a good home
and she has been well educated.
When her father hired Henry Hiede1-
mann to work for him on his ranch last
fall the girl fell in love with him He
is as unlike her as can be imagined She
is tall and slim and dark, of an ex-
tremely nervous disposition He is
short and blonde, a stoutly built Ger
man. He, too, was nervous yesterday
as he twisted his worn hat in his fingers
and told the story of his cOurtship.
Hiedelmann worked on the Burns
in love with the girl. 1t was not
hasty courtship. He finally mustered
up courage, however, and proposed. He
was accepted and the engagement was
sanctioned by Esther's parents.
But the girl had grown tired of the
little town where she had spent the
greater part of her 25 years. She want
ed to see more of the world and espe-
cially of the west. Her parents are not
wealthy and she had not been able to
travel, but when she promised to be-
come Hiedelmann's wife she asked him
to take her to some western town,
where they might made a home for
themselves and where, perhaps, he
might find more lucrative employment.
So the couple decided to go to Den
yer. The marriage did not take place
before they started, for at that time
Hiedelmann did not have enough money
to set up home. 1t took nearly all
his savings to pay their railroad fare
and the other expenses of the trip to
Denver.
HiedeImann has friends who live on
the outskirts of Denver. When they
arrived there he took her to the house
of Lewis Corbin, a ranchman, who owns
a small property in Villa Park, and she
was Hospitality received. She was will
ing to assist in the work she had been
accustomed to do until Hiedelmann had
found work and was ready to marry
her. After the carnival was over he
set out in earnest in search of employ
ment. He tramped UP and down for
several days and finally he found work
with the Citizens Coal company.
After this the couple began to plan
for their marriage They finally fixed
the day for Sunday, October p. On
that day Hiedelmann would be at leiS-
ure and they could devote one whole
day to their simple marriage festivi-
ties before he had to resume his work
on the following morning.
Every night, after he had finished his
hard days work. Hiedelmann visited
his fiancee. 1t was not until last Thurs
day that he noticed that something
was wrong with Esther. She complain
ed of being sick and seemed melan-
chOly and somewhat displeased with
her surroundings. Thinking that a
change of scene might benefit her,
Hiedelmann secured a room for her
down town. Friday night she was de-
lirious and he realized that something
was wrong.
He went to a doctor and returned
with medicine, but the girl refused to
swallow it. Hiedelmann spent almost
the entire night by her side, caring for
her. Saturday she was in such cOndi-
ton that he saw he could not leave her.
He remained by her side during the
day. At times she was perfectly ra-
tiOna1 and then Hiedelmann would
think that she had only been tempor-
she would relapse into her former con-
ditiOn and talk incoherently about her
home and parents.
Sunday morning she was in such a
serious condition that he decided that
he could no longer assume the RESPONSE
bility of caring for her. So he decided
to put her in charge of the police mat
ron until he could make arrangements
to take her back to Kansas. The doc
tor whom he had consulted told him it
was not improbable that the altitude
had affected the girls nerves and
brought on temporary insanity, which
would disappear when she was taken
to a lower altitude.
And so they returned to the old home
where it is hoped careful nursing will
effect a recovery.