Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1905-10-14
FISHER HAS SKIPPED OUT
Man Accused of Deceiving Girl BY
Bogus Marriage Leaves.
GIRL ALSO LEAVES TIE STATE
Both Were Indicted on a Serious
Charge True Facts of the Sem
sation at Berkeley Springs.

4 =
prominent resident" who was
charged with deceivlng young
girl by a bogus marriage and
for whom the officers are look
ing, has skipped out and is now
in hiding in Maryland. 1t is
said that the girl has also es>
capped from West Virginia into
Maryland and cannot be found,
and it is believed that the two
went away together to avoid
arrest on a serious charge.
Readers of The EveningWorld
will remember the sensational
story published a few days ago
concerning the affair, which at
first located it in Berkeley coun-
ty. An investigation, however,
uncovered the fact that the par
ties involved were residents of
Morgan county, and that the
man was one of the most promi'
nent citizens of that section.
The mans name is Rossi M.
Fisher and the girl whom he is
alleged to have wronged is NAM
ed Lola Keesecker, a mountain
lass of some seventeen summers,
buxom and rosy~cheeked, and a
member of well,known family
in the district in which they re-
sided.
1t appears that about two
years ago Fisher, who is a man
of middle age, became infatu,
ated with the girl and asked
her to come and live with him
on his place at Berkeley Springs.
The girl was not unwilling, as
Fisher was a man of means
and prominence and able to
provide well for her. But the
girls parents objected to the
arrangement, and in order to
overcome this objection Fisher
is said to have entered into a
written agreement with the girl
to keep her as "housekeeper''
for a certain period, and then
marry her if such an arrange~
ment was mutually agreeable.
Upon these terms the girl be-
came an inmate of his home.
At the end of year or two the
man wearied of his youthful
companion and on some pretext
got her away from his home
The giIPs mother then entered
suit against Fisher for S., 900
damages for seduction. While
this suit was pending the girl
went back to live with Fisher
upon the old terms, but again
the man got the girl away
from the house. The girls Sis
ter then went to erland
to secure the services of an ats
torney to prosecute the suit for
seduction, telling a story to the
effect that Fisher had deceived
the girl with a bogus marriage.
In the meantime the prescott.
ing attorney of Morgan county
got hold of the story and insti-
tuted an investigation, un'
covering the facts as stated
above. At the recent meeting
of the grand jury that body in
dicted both Fisher and the girl
for illicit cohabitation, and an
attempt was made to arrest
them. The utmost secrecy was
maintained by the officers, but
Fisher got wind Sof what was
going-on, and. sending a.wasn~
ing to the girl they both skipped
out. The trial was to have been
held last week during the sese
sion of the Circuit Court before
Judge Faulkner, but it has
been indefinitely postponed
Fisher has been prominent in
politics in Morgan county for
several years, having once been
nominated for the legislature.
He was also a candidate for
the state senate last fall. He
is man of some means, and
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