The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-08-20
STORY or A
WOMAN HERMIT
For Sixty Years She Had Hardly
Spoken TO NslghAors.
FATHER CAUSE OF TROUBLE.
Stood Between Her and the Man She
Loved Until TIL II Was Too Late.
ASad RsmancG
FATHER CAUSE OF TROUBLE.

hermit OF Wesley. has come to light.
1t is a story OF passionate love and bitter
hatred. IL reads like tale from Racine.
"old winifred winsns as he is called
has been an enigma TO her neighbors
for more than sixty years. She has led
the life of a hermit speaking TO no one,
giving none her confidence. Now. In her
eighty-hfth year, however. she has con-
cluded 10 tell her story.
sixty-eight years ago the woman hermit
of Wesley was seventeen years old. OF
beautiful personality and romantic dis
position, she was sought after by many
lovers.
Her father wished her To marry one
man, but she loved another. IL is an
old story in a way. but in this instance
II was a new plot
The man OF Miss Winan's choice was
Charles Young of Buffalo, a handsome
young man whom she met one night at
dance. So opposed was John Winans.
the father OF the girl, TO her marriage
with Young. however, that he planned
10 have Young killed In duel.
Young and his. rival met in the encoun-
ter They were strangely seconded. The
father acted as the second OF Youns's s,
opponent. while the daughter represented
her lover i'm the fight
Youngs pistol drew first blood. and
the successful duelist promptly demanded
Miss Winans hand from her father.
Tho two became enga ged, old Winans
ofss
TOOK HIS DAUGHTER AWAY.
= During the absence OF Young from
Wesley a short time after the duel Wi
mans took his daughter away. the fam
lily moving TO Allentown. No word as
TO their whereabouts was left with Mss
winan's suitor. Young followed dis
covered their hiding place and demand
ed the hand OF Winan's daughter.
Again the ardent lover was 'outwitted.
The father secretly removed TO Boston
Mass. For several years all trace of the
winans were lost. Letters from the girl
TO herlover were intercepted by the father
and Young was I'm despair.
He travelled extensively In search of his
promised bride. visiting Pennsylvania,
had 10 abandon the quest I'm despair.
Miss Winan's was told by her father
that Young was dead. A bougus letter
purportin to come from one OF her lovers
friends. was received by her announcing
the sad news. She fell into a decline
and nothing could arouse her from her
melancholy thoughts She constantly
brooded over the supposed death of Young
Young in his turn realizing that his
search was vain. enlisted in the Union
army He served with Grant and Sher-
man and distinguished himself In the
battles OF Fredericksburg and Vicksburg
After the war Young chanced to go TO
Boston on business. He attended a pub
lie reception. one Of the faces I'm the
crowd was strangly familiar to him
He was studying the countenance close
ly when suddenly IL dawned upon him
that the face belonged TO his bride-to-be
There was mutual recognition.
DAY FIXED FOR THE WEDDING.
The couple began at once to make ar
ransements for the marriage They
fixed on the following day 10 be welded
i'm order that no accident should inter-
fere with their happiness.
But, like the villain in the melodrama,
old John Winans again appeared on the
scene. At the alter he separated them.
The girl became insane. IL was neces-
sary To place her in an asylum in Bos-
ton. The repentant father did all In his
power TO restore his daughter TO reason.
even consenting TO the marriage, but
IL was too late.
Madness now proved a more effective
bar than had all the schemes of the OBJ
dllraIe-tafet4-- Ffft-doetors told Young
that there was no hope for recovery
OF the girl: and after patiently waiting
near her for two years. he left Boston.
l,. It'll IA s,,
III OF dependency.
But the doctors had made terrible
error i'm their diagnosis OF Miss WI
mans condition. In three years she re-
covered her reason and was discharged.
In the meantime her father had died,
leaving her $4,000
She went back TO Wesley I'm search OF
Young. There she learned of his pitiful
death Though the blow was severe
one her reason did not altogether give
way Trained TO control herself through
her long soiurn In the insane asylum.
she did not permit her mind to give it.
up 20 violent madness
SETTLED INTO MELANCHOLY.
Mentally affected, however her grief
took another form. She settled into
profound dependency. from which moth
ing has been able TO arouse her. Though
living in Wesley more than three e-score
years. she has scarcely spoken two words
20 any of her neighbors in that time
srfortly after learning OF the death OF
Young she shut herself mp i'm her house.
from which she has seldom ventured
save 10 buy food or clothing. There are
hundreds Of people living within n block
of her and have never seen her.
Those who have had the opportunity
10 scrutinlze Miss Winans have noticed
one thing: on her left hand can be
seen heavy gold ring. IL Is the one
given her nv Charles Young when she
ulighted faith to him sixtv-eight years
ago. She has been welded 90 his memory
ever since. never permitting herself 10
entertain the thought OF marriage TO an
other
Once every year she n1vsteriously dis
appears from her home and Is absent
for two weeks on ono OF these occasions
she was watched She was seen 90 pur-
chaSr y ticket for Buffalo II II at BuMalo
that the body ~ her lover reposes In q
family vault