The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1909-01-04
THE HARLEY HAYES CASE.

Story Recently lold n The Nob-
esonian of Man Who Reap
peared After Being Mourned
as Dead-Supposed Remains
of a Man Exhumed and Found
to be Remains of a Hog.
In a recent issue of the Rob- |
esonian was told the strange
story of Harley Hayes, who was
mourned for several months as
dead and who reappeared just as
a Lumberton law firm, which had
been employed by the supposed
widow, was preparing to bring
suit against the companies in
which the mans life was insured
for the payment of the policies.
1t will be recalled that the man
was supposed to have been
drowned and some weeks after
lis disappearance a body was
found in Lumber river which was
identified positively as the body
Of Hayes. The Wilmington Star
of December 31st has the follow
ing story in regard to this
strange case:
Like a story from a dime nov
ell reads an account of the sensa-
tional disappearance, the reap
pearance and the subsequent de-
velopments in the case of Harley
Hayes, young white man, who
formerly resided at Fair Bluff,
Columbus county, and who for
months was morned as dead, and
then returned after his supposed
, body had been buried in the fam
lily cemetery Of his father.
!, ''The story was recently print
ed in The Lumberton Robesonian
= and this account simply has to
, do with subsequent developments
: in connection with the eXhum
ing of the supposed body by the
, father and the discovery tina
the remains were those of a hog
q instead Of the son who had beer
/ mourned as dead and upon whose
70 lite demand had been made upol
"a the Metropolitan and two othe
= life insurance companies for pay
ment of policies Of $1,000, whle
= Hayes had carried in these con
II panies. News of the later deVe
opment in the case was brOugf
lS to the city yesterday by Messr'
II Ed. Hill and W. M. Ford, leadin
de merchants Of Pages Mill, S. c
% where the father of Hayes no
. resides. =
III 1t is stated that Hayes ha
., been living under another nan
ne at Manning, S. c., and that /
u was discovered there by a dete'
" tive employed by the insurant
~: companies. At any rate he f.
- turned home and remained thel
IA IA for some time, but it is nows ia
- ed that he has left the commul
p ity again. So far as is learne'
he made no explanation of h
SO continued absence but did So
,ly that he was not responsible f,
the efforts made to collect the i
er surance on his life and cou
nd not be blamed for that. No effo
was made toward his prosecute
he and the identity Of the remain
nv buried in the family cemetery
nd the elder Mr.. Hayes was left
or the only part of the mystery
no be solved. The father Of Hay.
mt settled the question by exhur
ing the body, according to t
r. stories which reached the ci
on yesterday, and the disclosure W
'ba made that theremains were tho
be of a hog. How the clothing cal
q a. to be on the carcass is not c
- planned but it is easily to be sc
10 how the coroner's jury and
me family could have been mistak
ON in the horribly decomposed sts
re- re- of the remains. This fact ale
lor prevented the ordinary fune
vas services at the time of the int
1hl ment and the fact that the
mains might never have be
oily discovered as other than tn,
OF of a human is said to be due
md the fact that when exhumed, /
to hair was found on the amin
the The elder Mr.. Hayes reno,
ing the remains and reinterred tn
cen elsewhere in the event tie
and surance companies may desire
oW- pursue the investigation
OF ther."