The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1910-08-13


Wednesday nigh in company with Pre-
vost, and telegraphed Messina here that
Mrs. Ardillo was on the train, bound for
New Orleans. Nick Ardillo, husband of
the young woman, boatGed the train when
it arrived at this city at $50 o clock Thurs
day morning. and was informed by the
news butcher that his wife had locked
herself in a lavatory shortly before the
train reached Donaldsonville. With the
assistance of the conductor the lavatory
door was opened and Mrs ArdilIo was
brought forth. Confronted by her hus-
band the wayward young woman con-
sented to return home, and when St.
James was reached Mr. and Mrs. ArdiIlo
discmbarked and waited for train No. So,
the west-bound Merry Widow" on which
they returned to DonaldSonville, arriving
here at 9:51 a. m. Mrs. Ardillo's mother,
Mrs Joseph Aiola, was waiting at the de-
pot and received the prodigal with open
arms. Mrs. Aiola was moved to tears by
the reunion with her erring daughter, but
| the latter was calm and self-possessed
and did not seem to regret the commotion
she~had caused or the pain she had in
fiicted on her family. The father of the
young woman, Joseph Aiola, and her I'M
Gle, Manuel Messina, were not present
when she returned home, having gone to
Lumberton, Miss, the afternoon before in
response to a telegram from a police Of
| fetal at Alexandria stating that a young
| woman answering Mrs. Ardillo's descrip-
ton had bought ticket at Alexandria
early Wednesday morning for Lumberton,
Miss.
According to the story related by Mrs.
Ardillo, she left her husbands home
shortly before 10 o clock on the night Of
July 30, removing her shoes and walking
barefooted from the house to the Bayou
Lafourche public road. where she replaced
her shoes and proceeded to the 7. and P.
depot in this city. She had made bun
die of her clothes and carried it over her
back. Arriving at the depot, she waited
in the dark on the south side of the track
until the arrival of the 1917 o'clock west
bound fast train, which she boarded with
out purchasing ticket. Before leaving
home Mrs. Ardillo had appropriated $40 of
the common fund belonging to her hus-
band and herself and with a portion of
this amount she paid her fare to Marshall, |
Texas, which place she reached early
Sunday morning. She stopped at the
National Hotel in Marshal. where she met
the alleged blind man, James Provost. |
with whom she engaged in conversation.
After hearing her story, Provost invited
Mrs. Ardillo to travel with him and assist
him in selling pencils and shoestrings,
which she consented to do. While Pre-
vost poses as being blind, Mrs. Ardillo
says she is convinced he can see as well
as she can. From Marshall the couple
travelled to Fort Worth, Texas, and thence
to Shreveport. where they boarded T.
and P. train Wednesday night with the
of going to New Orleans. AS
has previously been stated, the couple
were recognized and their plans were in
terfered with by the husband of the runa-
way woman.
The reward of $50 offered by Manuel
Nessina for the return Of the woman was ,
July paid to the young Jews butcher who
furnished the information which led to
Ter recovery. His name is Fred. Haupt- !,
nan, and he resides at No. PHI North
Cleveland avenue. in New Orleans.
The first information concerning the
Whereabouts of Mrs. Ardillo was received
lere last Monday, when Chief of Police
henry Schaff, ST., received a letter from
!. S. Mcdaniel, a brakeman on the Texas
md Pacific Railroad out of Marshall, Tex,
Idvising that last Sunday morning hemet
woman at the National Hotel in Mar
hall who in every manner answered the
description of the missing woman. Nc
}aniel stated that he recognized the
1oman from the photograph of her pub :
shed in the papers. He said that the
roman, while at Marshall, was in COM 9
any with blind man vino was selling
encils and shoestrings. After he had .
who she was he engaged her
l conversation and was told by her that =
ne had left her husband because he re-
lained out late at nights and had been p
nfaithful to her. al
Immediately on Chief Schaff's notifying CT
leFiff E. C, Hanson of this letter the 81
erif got into communication with the 81
oprietor of the National Hotel at Mar rh