The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-07-14
WHEN CONSCIOUSNESS RETURN.
ED, HENRY WHALEY WAS IN
POORHOUSE.
ONLY CHILDHOOD MEMORIES
The Last Heard of a kansan Who
Was in Logging Camp-A Ship
wreck Figures in the Strange
Story-Memory is Still Poor.

Eudora. Kas., July 13.-For thir-
teen years his mind a blank, for
fifteen years mourned as dead For
two years and how much longer no
one knows, sent from county to
county in search of an asylum and
an identity, broken in body as well
as mind, unable to tell his own
name or that of any of his people;
burden to every public institution
and receiving scanty care because
no legal right could be established
to care for him-then return of
just enough consciousness to remem-
Ter a cousins name.
Such is the story of Henry Wha-
ley. formerly a resident of Douglas
county Kansas, near Eudora, who
has just been found and return
here to the home of his cousin,
George c. Whaley. Fifteen years ago
the last letter came from Henry
Whaley to his sister, Mrs. Sarah
Henry, now of Lancaster, Ne. Where
he has been and what he has been
doing since that time no one knows
except that in the last two years
he had drifted from one county poor
house to another until he called TO
mind the name of his cousin while
in the county home of Wallace
county.
Thirty-three years ago Henry Wha-
ley who is now 81 years old. left
his home to seek his fortune. He
drifted into the northwest, working
at first one thing and then another.
sending letters to his sister and
other relatives once or twice a
month. The last letter came fifteen
years ago. He was then working III
a logging camp in Washington, and
wrote that he planned to see South
America as soon as the logging sea
son closed. He wrote that he ex-
pected to sail on a certain date.
giving the name of the vessel, but
that has long since been forgotten.
Then the sister read of the wreck
ing of that vessel with the loss Of
all on board. AS nothing more was
ever heard from the missing broth
er he was mourned as dead.
Several days ago a letter came to
George C. Whaley from Sheriff Nc
Nerny of Sharon Springs, Kas.. say
ing that a man who might be his
cousin was at the county poor farm
there, in a partly paralyzed condi-
tion. The cousin went to Wallace
county and brought Henry Whaley
to his old home here. His efforts
TO remember and the lack of any
trace of his former history make
his story pathetic one.
i can remember hardly anything
o: my life, except few incidents
of childhood, he SAID. Careful Gues.
uonlng and a persistent effort TO
/ bring back the past. seems to be
putting some activity into his slug
gish mind. The first that | can
remember at all is that about two
/ years ago | found that | was in
the Shawnee county poor house.
/ There | remember the officials dis
/ cussinS my case and saving that
they coufi keep me no longer be.
cause my identity and residence |
could not be established. Having no
legal right to spend the countys
money on me they shipped me to
some other county. | went through
The same experience, finding care
and a temporary stopping place.
From county to county | was sent.
until finally l remembered my name
while at the poor house in Wallace
county"
After Whaley was brought here
his sister was sent for and the mys.
terry OF the past fifteen years is
being Investigated. He remembers
absolutely nothing of the supposed
sailing to South America. so wheth-
er he was on the wrecked shin
or not can only be guessed at. He
has scars on his forehead and on
the back Of his head, one deep one ,
at the base of the brain Could the
cause of these scars be ascertained
something might be learned of his
past Possibly be sailed on the ship