The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-11-28
After Fifty Years Absence She
Went East
70 CHILDHOOD HOME.
But the City Had Grown and
None Knew Her.
Mrs. Matthews Hoped to Find
FIR lends at Terre Haute.
Deserted by Her Husband and
Alone in the World.

Hutchinson, Nov. 28.-Some time ago
a Mrs. Rozella Matthews came to
Hutchinson in search of her husband.
She represented that she was from
Meade county and was the wife of an
old soldier. H. H. Matthews. Her hus-
band had disappeared just after draw
ing his pension, and she did not know
whether he had been killed and robbed
or whether he had deserted her. She
heard later somewhere. however, that
he had gone to Leavenworth to try to
get into the soldiers home. but learned
nothing further about him.
While here the woman, who was very
old, made quite number of friends
At one time she applied to Mrs. r. A.
Campbell who she hoped could assist
her in getting into the home at
Ellsworth. Mrs. Campbell gave her the
necessary blanks to fill out, but just at
that time Mrs. Matthews suddenly dis
appeared from Hutchinson.
The following special from St. Louis
explains her disappearance:
The rtturn of Rip Van Wic6le to the
village of Failing Water after his 20
years of slumber, was not attended by
more pathetic circumstances than
those which Mrs. ROZella Matthews of
Hutchinson, Kan, encountered when,
after so years of absence. she went to
her old home at Terre Haute, Ind, and
found that time had so changed every
thing that she was an utter stranger.
Mrs. Matthews is now at Union Sta
ton. She has no home, no friends, no
money. She is in St. Louis because the
first train she boarded out of Terre
Haute, after being rebuffed where she
had expected to be welcomed with open
arms, completed its trip at Union Sta
ton.
Three months ago her husband dis
appeared suddenly. She was an inVa-
lid from age and was without means to
support herself. In her hour of need
she thought of dear old Terre Haute
and the hundreds of prosperous friends
she had left there a half century ago.
She thought, if she could only go to
them, they would receive her jOyfully
and give her all the help she needed.
She recalled a dozen friends who, she
believed, would give her a comfortable
home and keep during the sunset days
of her life.
And she was happy in her anticipa-
ton. She told a kind-hearted man in
Hutchinson of her desire to go to Terre
Haute, and asked him to assist her. He
gave her a ticket to Terre Haute.
She boarded the first train for the
east and arrived at st. Louis Tuesday
morning. She was almost in rapture
over the prospect and told Matron
Hunter that she could hardly wait I'M
til she reached Terre Haute where she
would be with good friends.
In the course of a few hours she was
there. But everything was strange.
Terre Haute had grown from a little
town to a ty. Great buildings had ia
ken the places of the little, One-stOry
business houses of her day. She made
inquiry after her friends of every per-
son she met, but they stared blankly
at her and passed cOldly by without
reply. Then she sought out the mayor
of the city and told him her case He
listened kindly and when she had con-
cluded gently informed her that he
feared her friends were all gone.
Then she told the mayor she must
depend upon the charity of the people
of Terre Haute. but he assured her she
was not a subject of charity from his
city since she was not a resident He
advised her to return to Hutchinson
and procured her transportation to st.
Louis.