The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-01-03
CHASING A HUSBAND
Has Been Poor Little Mrs.
Charles Occupation
FOR FOUR BITTER YEARS
Man Who Deserted Her is
Now Behind the Bars.

Cincinnati. jan 2.-Living at the Way
farer's Rest in Covington is a frail little
| woman who has transformed herself in
| to old age within the space of four years
| Romping through the halls Of what was
once an old mansion or scampering about
the lawn outdoors are her two boys, aged
six and eight.
When she married Robert Charles in
New York, nine years ago,she was six
teen years old. She was only a girl of a
little over fourteen when he began ia
court her. and when he told her of his
! former wealth, of his travels as a gen.
tleman of leisure, used to luxury in his
English home. of the strange lands and
| people he had seen in ten years of mi
grafton through Australia, and both the
| Indies, she believed him, for he was near
| ~ old enough to be her father, and, te-
sides, she loved him.
| He was in the employ of an insurarc e
! company where his address made L easy
for him to earn an easy living, and their
married life began with fair promise.
| When five years later he fled with anoth-
er woman, this child-wife, now a mother,
became in single night a woman with
a relentless purpose. For four years, with
no capital but the clothes on her back
and spirit which no adversely could
crush, this slight creature now so broken
mat she starts at the rafting of the elet-
trio buttons in the home which shelters
| her. has logged the path of her husband
and his companion, giving them no peace.
forcing them to shift from city to city.
! md
states, until now the man is in Jail and
the woman under bond to answer a
charge of felony.
Throughout this dreary journey, cover
ing thousands of miles, her two boys,
Harold and Stanley, have been her con-
slant companions, sometimes sleeping on
railroad trains, then in the shelter of
charitable institutions and again In the
hospitable homes of sheriff, marshal, at
terney or judge, whose services she had
invoked and whose sympathy had recn
aroused. How this indomitable little
creature ever struggled through this Pc
| Rod of time passed among strangers,
| confiding her secret to few EXCEPT the
police, she scarcely knows herself
Once when funds ran low she did Rave
to part with her children for five months,
but during the remainder of the time she
chung to them, perhaps because they were
all she had in the world.
narrative of her pursuit of Robert
Charles would fill a small book. A
glimpse at some of her experiences Vi;l
suffice to indicate what che woman can
| do. When the husband deserted aer he
fed with Florence Becker, married wo-
! man with whom he had become acquaint-
ed during a call as a fife insurance so
licitor in Saratoga. n. Y. This was in
1895. Harold was then two years old and
| Stanley three and a half.
Mrs Charles caused the arrest of her
husband in Troy soon afterward and he
! was brought back to Saratoga. but es-
capped on a technicality. Then began the
long chase. Jersey City, Newark and
Philadelphia were visited in turn, the fu-
| gitive coming to grief in the latter city.
Here he became very devout while in Jail
and prevailed upon his wife to withdraw
the charges. preying to reform. She for
gave him and took rooms in Brooklyn.
She soon discovered that he was main
tanning an establishment in New York,
where Mrs Becker passed as his sister,
| Florence Scott. Another arrest and fight
followed, and again the young wife be-
came a wanderer, with her two babies.
! This time the husband came West and
| Mrs. Charles found him in Covington. He
escaped the officers leaving his compan-
! ion to bear the blame. Mrs. Charles would
not prosecute Mrs. Becker. who repaid
! this mercy by rejoining the husband soon
! afterward.
| 1t was the custom of the wife to dis
| guise herself during her chase. sometimes
| padding her clothing so as to make he's
slight figure appear like that of very
corpulent woman, and sometimes going
to the extent of donning male attire af-
| ter dark. Her usual form of concealment
! however was a black sunbonnet and a
pair of ehavy blue goggles These she
would put on upon nearing the towns
where she expected to encounter the fee
ing couple. who had early in the pursuit
learned to dread her relentless vigilance
Often she startled a friendly fellow pas
senger on the cars by suddenly producing
| the familiar bonnet and glasses. and sew
eral times she was forced to explain that
1 really true, for she never sought the ser
vices of a detective agency. It was hel
habit TO enter a town at dark. in order &c
prevent Detection.
She shows little trace Of bitterness
against her husband, and 1t IS an indig
nant lawyer and not the forsaken wife
who is bringing the fugitive TO the bar
of justice here
Il want only justice" she says. II
is not right for my husband 20 leave ms
penniless with the children and support
another woman"
But there is one incident which bring:
a little fire TO her eyes when she recall.
it 1t was in Brooklyn while her husband
was living a double life The children
were sick in a hospital andshewaswith
out money. She waited near by where
Mrs Becker was living, and. standins
in a doorway, saw her husband pass load
ed with presents OF fruit for the woman
She sent Ssanlty to ask for money Th'
boy returned with s and said Mrs. Peck
er had kissed MIN and shown him pic
ture OF his father and Mrs. Becker VIII
their heads close together.
Soon after this the insurance compsn,
for which her husband had worked tool
pity or her and gave her work as q col
lector.
Il was AZ Pontica that Charles set III
in evidence 2 bogus divorce decree which
he said he had obtained IN Oklahoma
The wife was frantic. and. going 20 De
troit. she Appealed TO Governor Pingree
who summoned the Attorney General.an,
the local authorities we're advised 10 TAX
no final action until Mrs Charles couls
prove the tasty OF the claim. In III