Condon globe. (Condon, Gilliam Co., Or.) 189?-1919, 1903-11-26
Roads Like q story BOOK.

UOHdo GtFS 9tOEl DV9As
An interesting story came 20 lIght
last Friday when y elaiInant 10 ths en-
tAte u Johh Mormon, Decreased, appear
ed 70 lay elaIm to tile property. Tile
claimant IL Mrs. Minnie wellens, Of
Kendsilville. Indiana. WHO, with her
husband, arrived here barely IN time to
get their clalm presented ~ the estate
would have reverted To the state oi ore.
gon on friday had they bssn day later
arriving, An order to that effsct haylnY
been made by Jndgs Bradshas on
the 2sth daV Of last ssptsm ,er. John
Mormon WAS we'll known by nlost Of thu
old residents of Gillian eonnty he bav-
Ing been engaged In this sheep business
here np ~ the time ol hts death which
occurred on the 9th day Of January 1898
lie died intestAte and without any
known heirs and all efforts 70 discover
heirs or near relatives were unAvAling
rntII the sppeaTsHcs OF the parties above
NAMED. Mrs. Wsllens claims TO be sis.
ter Of the deceased sheepman aud The
story she tells sounds like an old story
book. The name Mormon, she Gays
Was not her brothers tue name he hay.
Ing assumed that when ho came west
ahea. .t.s ;es: 1879 1879. a!= ..:e .s:as zee
John Henry OlliEes. The 0llIges fam
lily was harm In Germany and In 1859
John, his brothers aud sisters emiRrated
70 America srttling at Cincinnati, Ohio.
AZ that place John enlisted In the regu.
lar army. lie did not like army lie
however, aud after years service de.
serted aud came west. IL WAS then he
changed his name. After coming 70 Gil
liam county he engaged In the sheep
business with Char-es Wsigand, and
they acqnIred considerable property In
that line. During the time the two
men were partners Mr.. WeI1snd, whC
WAS also German, returned to the
Fatherland on visit aud Mormon ask |
I'D him ~ 20 10 a certain town aud visit |
his relatives but without telling Wei.
YAnd HE true aape. WelgaDd visited |
the village Mormon had named TO him
as mis- old home and made careful but
fruitless searcli 10 find the Mormon fam
lily. While prosecuting this search he
met some members OF the olliges family |
but OF courss did mt suspect that they
were the people Tor whom he was hunt
ing.
About the time Wiegand left Ger many
IL seems that Mormon had written let
ter 40 his brother In Cincinnati telling
him where he WAS located and some
thing Of his business affairs hut. strange
to say, while he addressed the Ciucinna-
ii Olliges Ne "brothsr" ha signed the
letter John Mormon" This was the |
tirst aud only word his relatives ever
had from him after his desartlon from |
the army. This strange letter was for
wArded from Cincinnati TO the old home |
In Germany aud reached there on the |
eve OF Weigand's departure after his
iruitless search for the Mormon family. |
lie was found by them however, Just a.
he was about 20 take the train 10 leave !
the village, and, after an interview, they |
concluded that Mormon and OllIges
must be one and the same person. To
further complicate matters this letter
was destroyed IN Hre some time alter
being received in Germany and that iin.
poFtant link In the chain Of evidence IL
gone.
Mormon Was married. in this county
number uf years before his death but
the union WAS not happy one and his
wife secured divorce and has since dis
appeared completely 30 that II che
kn2ws anything OF his past that wonld
assist in untangling the mystery 1t is
not at present obtHInsble.
Mr.. Weisend is here with Mr.. and
Mrs, WelIens TO assist them in estab-
lishing their claim. lie Is u man with
considerable property and spends his
tiue mostly in travel.
j, W. Shower has been retained by
the wellens to look after their interests
In the matter and it Ia expected that
evidence will be taken at an early date
in an attempt to establish Mrs. Wellens'
claim.