The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-03-25
{ GlJEL JOKE MAKES
POOR GIRL HE|RESS
Induced to Think He Has Killed
a Man, Victim Becomes an
Unsought Fugitive
WANOEHER AMASSES FORTUNE
Dles Unwed in West Indies, Leaving
All to Sweetheart Of Eighteen Years
eefore-RomantIe Result of orue-
some Practical Joke.

Birmingham, Ala. Mrs Herman
Vester. wife OF a poor house painter
at Nashville, Tenn, and formerly a
laundry girl, is dazed and can hardly
credit her good fortune. An old sweet
heart, who left her without a word
eighteen years ago and from whom
she never heard in all that interval,
hes left her an estate worth 100000
Her old sweetheart was Il. d. Ennis.
who died a wealthy fruit grower and
landowner in the West Indies. When
she knew him he was a poor carpen-
ter at Birmingham, Ala, and fed be-
cause he believed he was a murderer.
IN those days Mrs Vester was Clau-
dia Clarke and lived in Birmingham.
She was a smart-looking girl, with
bright smiling eyes, untamable friz-
zy hair and merry disposition. She
worked at the washtub in a Birmiug-
ham laundry.
When Ennis proposed marriage to
her in 1892 she was the happiest of
girls at the prospect that opened up
to her, though Ennis was but poor
carpenter, and she started enthusias-
tically on the making of her wedding
outfit. Then Ennis disappeared.
One of the stories which alleges to
give the reason why Ennis fed says he
was mixed up in a shooting affray in
a saloon. Another declares 1t was all
hoax. a practical joke played on En-
| mis- at a possum-shooting party.
w. H. Jones. a well-known horse
man of Columbia, Tenn, who resides
a gondly part of each year in Birm-
ingham, says he was one of the pos
sum-hunt party and remembers it
well. A gun with blank shells was
given Ennis for fun, because he had
never shot before. The party went
out to the Red Mountain. which is
near the city.
Ennis was urged to fire at an
imaginary possum, and man fell. The
man pretended to be dead and was car
ried to Warner ] Smiley's undertake
ers' morgue, where Ennis was allowed
to look at him. That night Ennis fled
the city, and no one could ever find
what had become of him.
| Some say the joke was engineered
by James B. Smiley, the undertaken,
who was Ennis's rival for the hand of
| Claudia, but could not win the little
washergirls love.
Ennis fed without even risking a
final parting with his sweetheart. He
went to Kingston, Jamaica. Eventual
L. h.
cheap. Later he went to Darien and
then to South Africa, where he mined
and was successful. Afterward he re-
turned to Kingston and bought more
property. He never married. Wher-
ever he went the old love letters OF
the laundrygirl went with him. But
he never dared write to her fearing
either to let his whereabouts be
known or to mix up the girls fate
with that of a man who had killed
fellow-creature and might have to an
swer for his crime.
In the mean time Claudia had let
her broken heart be soothed by Her
| man Vester, the painter. They mar
ried and went to live at Nashville,
and little children grew up round
them, of whom the mother was very
proud. And Ennis was forgotten.
Three years ago Ennis, away. for
gotten, in the West Indies, got in
volved in discussion with a Spani-
ard. They fought. and Ennis's
wounds were serious. Then he made
his will. To the hospital where he lay
long with the injuries that in the end
proved fatal, he left $4,000. The rest
of his money and property he beque-
athed to his former sweetheart,
Claudia Clarke. The money forming
Claudia's share amounted to $685. ,906.
That sum is in a bank in Jamaica
drawing interest. The land is said to
yield $4,000 year.
Extraordinary efforts were made by
the jamaican Government to locate
the heiress. They advertised and on
cred large rewards. Eventually ii oc-
CURED to them to send to Birming-
ham, Ala. the city from which were
dated the Igirlish loveletters found
locked away In the dead fruit-grower's
house. They despatched their alcalde,
Daniel Jones. upon the mission. Al
calde Jones found Smiley, the under
taker. Smiley did not know where
the girl had moved to. but he knew
an aunt of hers, who supplied the in
formation.