The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1900-11-23
GOT FLEECED.
A Vernon Woman Loses her Husband
and $500.

After having lived "a years in this
world without knowing that men were
gay deceivers, Mrs. Hattie e. Norton
Of Vernon, Mich, has had the sad ex
perience of discovering that one man
at least answers the description and
is likewise villain.
Mrs, Norton took the first steps in
her sad.ending romance last summer,
when she answered an advertisement
in Detroit paper. A gentleman,
middle-aged and well-t0.do, wished TO
correspond with lady, also well-to.do
with the object OF matrimony. Mrs.
Norton answered and from the ac-
quaintance growing out of the cores
pondence marriage was arranged.
The bridegroom to be, Charles E.
Holmes, In his last letter, stated that
he would come on from San Francisco
to Detroit for the wedding He ar.
rived in the city about two weeks ago
and Mrs. Norton came down from her
home In Vernon to visit with her
daughter, Mrs. Anthony Loucks, of 29S
Rivard street. The intended husband
did not call, but arranged for meetings,
and the daughter, while wondering
what engagements her mother could
possibly have, did not learn of the pro-
posed wedding until one day Mrs. Nor
ton suggested that they go to Vernon.
and at that time informed her daugh
ter Of her intention to be married. She
said she wanted to get her money and
would not in all probability ever live
in Vernon again.
She also told her da .ghter at that
time what a very nice man her f1ance
was and said he was quite wealthy and
was at present guest at the Hotel
Cadillac. She described him as a man
of middle age, rather bald, and gave
the impression that he was just the
kind Of man to make good compan-
ion for an old lady the rest Of her life.
The daughter feeling that her
mother had right to do as she pleased
offered no objection to the wedding
and went with her mother to Vernon,
where the mother drew her little fund
Of 800 from the bank. She said at the
time that she didn't intend that her
proposed husband should know that
she had any money aud as precaution
sewed it into the lining of her skirt.
Saturday evening she met her aged
Lothario and the two went to Windsor
and were married in due form by Rev.
d. H. Hind of Sandwich street.
The couple then went to the Mann
ing house where, in celebration OF the
happy event, the husband proposed a
bottle Of wine. The bride partook of
the liquor with her spouse and from
that time can remember nothing un-
til she awoke in the morning alone.
Her husband had gone. likewise her
$500, her marriage certificate and two
letters from the groom. She called
some of the employees Of the hotel and
told them her fears that her husband
had left her. The clerk remembered
seeing the man go out of the side door
about midnight.
Mrs. Norton was seen at the resi-
dence Of her daughter this morning,
but was too i'll to talk coherently. She
said she had been shamefully deceived,
but did not care anything about the
man If she could only get her money
back. She said she never told him a
thing about having the money and did
not know how he came to find it, as
she had sewed it tightly to her skirt.
She was sure that she had been drugg.
ed and believed that she escaped luck.
lily with her life. She could not give
the least information whereby the man
could be identified, except descrip.
tion. Holmes has been wise enough
not to give her bis photograph.
Mrs. Norton-or Holmes, as she
should be called, as tue marriage con-
tract appears perfectly legitimate-is
not seriously i'll, but the disgrace of
the affair and the loss of her money
has wrought her up to such high
pitch of excitement that she Is hysteri-
cal and cries almost necessarily. She
Is not attended by physician and her
relatives are not worried over her ply.
steal condition, the effects of the
drug having been only temporary.
Mrs. Holmes told Mrs. Meyers, a
neighbor Of the Loucks, that she met
Holmes in the parlor at the Cadillac |
last Thursday night and went to
Whitney's theater with him. 1t was
found that @. r. Holmes was not reg
stered at the hotel on the day men,
TONED and II he was a guest at the
hotel he assumed another name for the |
time being.
Glare Bingham, of Vernon, has been
arrested as being an accomplice of |
Holmes and locked up. The police
expect to arrest Holmes soon.
Detroit, Mich, Nov. 2O.-Clare s.
Bingham, of Vernon, Mich. ex.son.in |