The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1909-12-10


tell the whole story of the disappear
ance from the little town of Oakley
on the morning of Oct. 81, and the
finding in Detroit Saturday OF Henry
A. Wickham, the deformed store
keeper and town clerk in the first
named town who started for Chesan-
ing on business and disappeared. as
completely as though he had indeed
been the wind.
And those two lines tell about as
much about Wickham's motives for
disappearance and his intentions
when found in Detroit by former
Oakley neighbor, Patrolman Thom-
as F. Madden, as Wickham himself
will tell. The little man is still as
great mystery as during the agon-
izing weeks when his wife and
daughter waited. half hopeful, half
fearful, in the little town from which
Wickham disappeared. Taciturn,
seemingly resentful. sometimes
pleased but more often gloomy, any
thing but 1.-The old Henry who used
to be as merry as a lark" he sat
Saturday night in the home Of his
friend, Madden, 81 Adelaide street
He would not tell why he went away
from his home; he would not tell
very much about what he did while
away; and, strangest of all for a
man of his former temperament, he
would not say that he would be glad
to get back home once more.
Saturday Wickham came to De-
troit from Toledo. His moustaches
were gone, his facial aspect was
changed, but his deformity he had
with him, as always since the day
g years ago, when q heavy stone
fell on him, while he was working
near Bancroft, and so crushed and
twisted his spine that he was never
since walked upright. Patrolman
Madden had known Wickham in
Oaklay. Yesterday he looked at the
twisted figure, and recognized the
man whose wife and daughter were
mourning him as gone forever.
Madden took the wanderer in
charge, He sent Wickham to his
own home and then telephoned the
heartsore family in the little town
upstate,
But Wickham did not thank his
old neighbor. Instead, he MAIN
tanned moody silence and an atti-
tude of resentfulness.
"Glad to get back? Oh, 7 guess
so; as glad as 1 was to get away, at
OF ~ ic IA III;
gratitude to Madden
''At least, there was no woman in
the case" he said, smiling and shift
ing his twisted back significantly.
"And I haven't any debts am
afraid of.
Il know why I left think.
There were three or four reasons. |
won't say what they were. Not
now"
There was the veil past which I
might not see." That's another lit
tie bit of Omar that might be ap-
piled to Wickham. ."-Sunday's
Detroit News-Tribune.
Mrs. Henry Wickham and daugh-
ter, Miss Marvel, accompanied by
DR.. F. II. Rourke, passed through
the city Saturday evening on their
way to Detroit to see Mr.. Wickham.
Both the women, free for the first
time in nearly six weeks of an awful
suspnse, were light hearted, though
their eyes were reddened with tears.
For the past three days." said
Mrs. Wickham, 81 had given up all
hope. l concluded that Henry was
dead. But, as friend OF ours wrote
to us, it is always darkest just be-
fore the dawn, and that proved to be
the case.
eve learned Of Henry's where
abouts by telephone message
which Patrolman Madden sent to us
about five o'clock tonight. Mr.. Mad
den married Miss Lillian Albertson,
the actress, whose father is resi-
dent of Oakley. So he had often
visited here. Then, too he had been
in the Battle Creek sanitarium with
Henry two years ago, so was we'll
acquainted with him.
hdu pVCh III CHc just a
few moments before the message
came, but had started for home. II
was feeling very blue. In fact, l
thought, as l went into the house,
Tomorrow will be a,long day with
out Henry In few minutes my
daughter came. I remarked that
she was home early to supper, and
she said, yes. mother, with the
best news l ever brought. Papa is
found!'
you don't know what a weight
those words took off my heart. This
is the happiest day of my life!"
The party went to Detroit via the
Michigan Central to Jackson, reach
ing the former city at midnight.
They did not know Mr.. Wickham's
condition, other than they believed
he was not i'll. They were prepared
to stay several days, though hoping
that Mr.. Wickham would be able to
come..home with them Monday or
Tuesday.