Omaha daily bee., 1902-08-26
RETURNS TO HER PARENTS
Maud sohOnfeld Watkins Comes Hsms After
Her Husbands Arrest.
WATKINS HELD IN MONTANA FOR FORGERY
wife Denies that was Married
After Only Three Hours Acauaint-
ance and Declares Love
for Husband.

Mrs. Maude Shonfeld Watkins returned
to Omaha last night and is now at the
home OF her brother, II. Shonfeld, us
South Eighteenth street. The return Of
Mrs. Watkins was due to the arrest OF her
husband in Newcastle, wyo., on a charge
OF forgery. In the hour Of trouble she
turned to her parents. Her father, S.
Shonfeld, who since her marriage to Wat
kins in the early part Of June, has never
ceased in his search for her, feared to meet
her at once and spent the night In his
once in the Karbach block.
81 cannot see her yet" he said. 9TH
shock would be too much for me. For
days and days 1 have longed to see her
and have her again with me, but now that
she is here ] must wait-wait until l am
calmer, walt until I can fully realize that
che Is here. / shall not go to the house,
but shall remain in the ONCE tonight"
Mrs. Watkins came in from Billings,
Mont, at 7:45 o'clock last night and was
met at the station by Mrs. S. Shonfeld, her
mother, and Immediately taken to the
home of her brother. She said she was
unaware that her family was worried about
her.
Mrs. watkins Talks.
81 knew nothing of their distress until
l arrived in Omaha" she said. 81 did not
see anything in the newspapers about me
or Mr.. Watkins until my mother showed
me the clippings. l wrote home OF my mar
riage and told Of the trip we contemplated.
1 wrote often, but did not hear from home,
because we were constantly travelling and
the mail did not reach me. The statement
that Mr.. Watkins and l married after three
hours acquaintance Is untrue. 1 knew
Mr.. watkins six days and during that time
h. 3faNNaI ma nftnn ~ Nhn knUn0 ~ wnD
sister in Ogden.
IT love him, and now that he Is in
trouble I shall return to him and stand
by him until he is out of trouble. He
was the soul of honor to me-kind, good,
loving, generous. 1 did not know that he
was wanted by the officers until he was
arrested. Then he told me that he vas
wanted for forgery. l do not believe he
is guilty. In our travels we visited all
the cities along the coast and went all
through Alaska. He made friends. wher-
ever he went and we were constantly in
vited out by the best people in all the cit
les we visited.
He was as liberal as he was kind. On
one occasion, while we were on q steamer,
there we're SOM poor people aboard and
he took up a collection for them. He
gave 800 and raised another 500 among
INV poooOA6CAoh
Were Starting for New York.
"At the time of his arrest we were just
taking a stage coach to go to the station
to start for New York, where he has rel
atives. 1t is my Intention to go to my
husband at once. 1 was with him IN pros
perity and 1 shall not desert him now that
he needs me.
after my husbands arrest the people
whom we had met lowered me with
money and did everything they could to
help me. They were good to him, and as
the officers we're taking him from New
castle to Billings, where he now is. many
Of the best of them said: You are all
right Phil; we will stand by you"
Mrs. Watkins, then Miss Maud Shonfeld,
met watkins while on a train going to
visit her sister In Ogden. The two were
married and at once left on a trip through
the west. The father could get NO trace
Of them and finally called in the aid OF
the Pinkertons and the police of the coun-
try. In the meantime he looked up Wat
kina' rorord and raceived many ranorfa