Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-10-08

FATHER HEARS ABOUT LONG
LOST DAUGHTER FROM
STRANGER.

Marshalltown, Oct IA most happy
! reunion OF father and daughter, who
had not seen one another for nineteen
years, was brought about in this city
when Charles P Riggs, OF Marion, Ind,
clasped in his arms his daughter, Bes.
sic Dot, and Miss Riggs looked into
the face of her father for the first
time since she was babe.
The reunion was the contamination
Of a most unusual incident-a shave
and a chance conversation with a
stranger in a barber shop. Mr.. Riggs
is barber in the Spencer house at Ma
rion. While working at Peru, Ind,
eighteen months ago, Riggs was shaw
ing stranger, and when business
trip to Iowa was mentioned Riggs told
the stranger that he had dau. liter
somewhere in Iowa, or he believed her
to be in Iowa. This stranger-Riggs
does not know mis- name-happened
in some way to find the daughter in
Union, and it was not long until the
fathes and daughter were in cores
pondence, and their meeting Sunday
was the result. Mr.. Riggs will re-
main in the city for week or ten days
visiting his daughter, who lives with
her cousin, Roy Bates, 4osh South
First street.
Miss Riggs is clerk at the New
England store and came here few
weeks ago.
Riggs Tells Story.
When seen today Mr.. Riggs told an
Interesting story of his lo.lg search for
his daughter, which has finally ended
so happily. 1t was nineteen years ago
last Memorial day that Mr.. and LIS.
Riggs separated. Riggs takes the
blame for the trouble upon himself,
and at the time Of the separation did
not grieve over the circumstance.
When he began to realize, however,
that he was not to see his baby again.
he awoke to his loss, and during all
these years has been trying to find
where Mrs. Riggs had gone, and where
his daughter was.
Mrs. Riggs left Marion with the
baby, according to Mr.. Riggs. and
came west settling at Union. In the
course Of few years she obtained
divorce in the Hardin county court,
and was happily married to Henry H.
Pool, a well-known business man OF
Union, now manager of the Union
creamery. There his daughter. Bessie
was reared to womanhood and has
learned to love her stepfather for his
many good qualities.
Mr. Riggs says he has written thou
sands of letters, to one part OF the
country and another, in an effort to
And his daughter, and his replies from
postmasters and police chiefs never
brought any results. Then came the
chance acquaintance at Peru, which
brought about the reunion IN the most
unusual way.
Stranger Finds LongsLost Daughter
While at work shaving the stranger
who. from his conversation with q
friend in the near chair, Riggs cleaned
that he was in the real estate business
and was going on his way out to Iowa.
Riggs took occasion to tell the stranger
about his daughter whom he believed
was somewhere out IN Iowa, but where
he did not know. In joking sort or
a way the stranger told Riggs that II
ne found his daughter "out In Iowa"
he would tell her about her father. and
how anxious he was to hear from her.
That was the last Riggs ever saw OF
the stranger.
Gets Letter From Daughter.
But the joking remark had its reali-
ties. for this same real estate man,
whom Riggs does not know had bus1-
ness in Union last May, and there, in
some way, happened to hear of Miss
Riggs, who was then working in the
Office of her stepfather's creamery.
Miss Riggs wrote her father, telling OF
the circumstance of meeting the
stranger and hearing his story OF her
father. The father and daughter have
correspondent regularly since the first
letter in May, and Mr.. Riggs has taken
the first opportunity possible to leave
his business and come to this city to
see his daughter.
Mr.. Riggs married again few years
after the separation from his first wife,
and has son IA years old.
To MEET AT MT. PLEASANT.