The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1904-12-08
The Phantom
oPiondU
A Strange story Of Dementia and
DevIItry.

| Dotn ambitious and adventurous. so lnat
sheir relatives were more scandalized
than surprised. when the orphan twins.
now being Of age, announced their in
tention of starting for the diamond fields
Of South America to seek their fortunes.
Father came home first, bringing "A
wife and myself as well as a fortune
large enough to disappolnt those who
had said that his bird in the hand was
worth more than any he would snare III
Africa's bushes
Aunt Jane, having fallen violently in
| love with and married the Cecil Rhodes
| Of those days, did not return with
father. This point is of Importance
Later she came back to US widowed
and sadly changed by her grief. She
/ the laws Of Nature with resignation.
Her will power and her won't power had
ever been in her own way as we'll as
making others unhappy. Yet, for some
years she went on investing her vast
wealth as she chose, and improving this
| vast estate with more taste and skill
tnan might have been expected Of one
/ IN her state.
But her judgment in matters Of art
and architecture was the last to fail.
| Having invested a million in this house
| and its grounds. she begged OF father to
lease or sell Manorial hall. and come
| here 10 live To insure his assent, her
| lawyer showed him a will giving Hedge
park 70 him during his life and entail
| 70 share equally with Uncle Johns chill
/ dren, he having gone where money Is
not needed; 1 must have been about
/ eighteen when Aunt James malady be-
came dangerous as well as uncomfortable; (;
you may imagine our horror when we
found that under the guise OF sending
At, the poor demented creature had pro-
butler.
"He was kicked out Of the house and
1 n
asylum. At this retreat she had her own
maid, her private carriage and coach
any further Juliet and Romeo expe-
riences. The doctors said that she was
| love-sick'
After fathers death I became acting
master here, and looked upon myself as
the owner Of Hedgepark whenever Aunt
Jane should die, as she was considered
no more than eccentric at the time her
will was made. Under these circum-
stances it was proper for me to live here
/ as father had been doing.
/ IN his place / was appointed trustee
person. This is the whole Of the story
up TO the date OF the mysteries. Shortly
after fathers death / was notified by
the superintendent. Of Maplewood thar
/ Aunt Jane was missing.
i For weeks the doctors had been an
4 noyed by woman who persstently de-
manded an interview with her aunt. Free
1 love Payne, who she insisted was unjust
ly confined there under the name OF Jane
1 Patton. They refused the impostors re-
/ quest, but neglected any precautions,
thinking that she was an ordinary crank.
one OF the thousands that roam around
and infest the world. failing to do any
thing quite wicked enough to justify their
/ arrest.
so Aunt Jane followed her VISUAL rou-
| tine of living, on the piazzas or about the
grounds until one day she wasn't there
/ Care? They all claim that patients are
| protected constantly and never out Of
sight nor of the mind of trained NURSE.
/ and yet from private as we'll as public re-
/ treats, patients do disappear for days or
| weeks. do walk the roofs and jump OFF,
do wander to the ponds or lakes and jump
in. or, they get access to the nurse
medicine closet and fiji up. according to
their preference, with narcotics or stimu-
lants, or If despondent, they have par
taken OF the rats potion. Now, about
Aunt Jane; they solemnly assert that she
had not been left unguarded a moment,
and yet while her maid was absent and
the nurse in attendance, she had beeil
spirited away. Can we believe it, Bribed
1t looks badly. but they claim that the
| nurse was not in fault, yet do not explain.
Detectives were soon at work but lost
| the trail almost before they were out Of
I sight OF the estate. The brightest one
quietly returned to the town, and soon
was on the trail again; they had never
left the city. but were at a hotel within
/ sight Of MaplewOod mighty shrewd
dodge. The female abductor was on the
/ alert. and escaped before the detective
could be shown to their suite.
Poor. gibbering Aunt Jane Drattlcd of
/ her newly found niece, and said that she
liked this new hotel better than the one
she had recently left. Yet she quietly
went with us to another hotel, where they
/ promised better care. Since then. we
nave been served with writs of all kinds.
! even one of habeaS corpus. TO produce
] Aunt Jane In court, to prove that she
wasn't our aunt, and had never been our
/ aUntl This Phantom Plaintiff. through
! LAWYERS demanded
/ portraits should be brought into court.
/ that the jury might compare our aunt Is
I features and poise with those on the Bud
7 long canvases and see that Aunt lane had
not a drop Of Budiong blood In her veins.
This Phantom has figured in these
4 complaints as next of kin 10 F'reelove
/ Payne. falsely called Jane Patton. false
/ ly pronounced insane by incompetent
/ authorities. and Illegally incarcerated at
one time in the asylum known as Ma
plewood. and now in some place to the
! complainant unknown
"Blackmail? What else can It be- Up
/ TO Aunt James death. this female devil
I or insane criminal continued her attacks
unon us. seeking possession Of the person
and estate of Freelove Payne. She had
as many and as obscure hiding places
as any foul animal of the wood. and no
sooner did we almost close in upon her
than she doubled and was lost. To fight
these phantom-like accusations has cost
us enough to endOw a Sanltarium 10 care
for such cranks. If she has paid her law
Acls oAlt must AdNt spent tAltuNB " nave
we'll furnished the Kurhaus that we might
have erected
When Aunt Jane died lawyers in the
name Of this next-of-kin demanded the
body for burial and later opposed the pro-
batting OF the will that I spoke of. We
buried our aunt by the courts consent
though We have only foiled this ghoul by
having the vault guarded. The probate
court sustained the will. and the Phan-
TOMS lawyers. as usual. appealed / think
il was about this time that we learned
Nflar 8
may have others.
THE case that comes up Tomorrow
seems to be her last card. surely il she
had held trumps, she would have played
them. This last game is based uDOn the
assertion that Jane Patton died and was
buried In South Africe. and that il was
Freelove Payne who returned and who
bought Hedgepark ana personated Aunt
Jane with fathers approval. Was ever
a cause more nendishly suggested Yet
while blackmailing her aunt's reputation
how ingenioUSly she establishes her pre-
tended claim - N Aunt James millions
II her story were true. then she would
be the heiress, for no one denies that the
woman who owned Hedgepark was the
same who died at the insane asylum. and
who lies in the Budlong family vault
What fiction writer would dare create a
tale like this?,
us that aii2" asked Mr.. Byer in as
tcnishment, as his friend took uD his
pipe.
it" replied Mr.. Budlong with marked en-
phasis.
Have you ever seen this hendg" asked
mo. That is. not to recognize her face.