Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-12-24
FEARED WIFE WOULD
CONTRACT HIS MALApv
Had Received No Word From Homo
Nor Seen q Friend From Waterloo
Since hs Left Until His Chance Dis.
eovsry - Story Of Strange and Pa.
thetic Interest.

w llO II AOASAS " AA'
home in Waterloo, April Z. 1905. For
the first time in four lcng years the
man who voluntarily banished himself
from home, friends n relatives. re-
ceived the first bit Of information about
dear mes and heard for the first time
Of the death Of his wife and her mother.
Likewise, for the first time, Henry
Lehmann's pathetic story of his wan-
derinss was impaired to man.
AS previously related. lehman left
his home and family here in April. 1906,
and with the exception OF a letter to his
wife. received the next day. was never
heard from until this week. when
George S. Ferguson reported to rela-
tiyes here that he had seen Mr.. Leh-
mann at Sedalia, Mo.
After Ferguson had found Lehman
the two entered a restaurant and sat
down at a small table.
Flows Libby? Is she married
again?". was the first question Mr..
Lehman asked. the woman referred
to being his wife.
Then in his own way Mr.. Weaver
told the mar Of the death OF Mrs. Leh-
mann. how she grieved herself to death
over her husbands disappearance. The
man sat dazed turnout the recital Of his
wife's tribulations and the suffering he
had caused. He seemed purely re-
pentant and would say nothing except
that the course he took was all for the
best.
Mrs. Weaver had sent along a pho
tograph Of Mrs. lehman in the hope
tina. il Lehman had lost his mind, as
some supposed, sight OF her photograph
might re-awaken his memory. This
picture Mr.. Weaver gave him and ne
was greatly pleased. Then Mr.. Weaver
showed him the letter he had sent his
wife following his disappearance. This
he read carefully. 1t gives the only
reason Mrs. lehman ever received for
her husbands peculiar actions and
reads as follows: ,
A Pathetic Missive.
"My dear beloved wife: For some
time the conviction has come to me
that I was snitten with the White
plague, but I had not heart enough to
own up to you; hoping might be mis-
taken. But lately 1 suffered fortunes
on account Of it. a not bear to have
you suffer, too, so go alone 70 tne
northwest to work on a farm. either to
get better or die before long. Last
winters worry and ard work got the
st of me and I am a goner. I take
ONLY a few dollars along and leave you
ayerytning; you can draw the money
i'm the bank and your lends will help
you straighten things ~. If you
! knew how I feel you would pity me.
/ You nave been an ange to me. Ihis
makes me almost insane. this disease
takes all the grit out of a fellow. Good
bye, my dearest"
Story Of His Wanderinss.
AS the two sat at the little table.
! their food untouched, Lehman thirst
ed for news from home like a famish-
| ed wolf on the scent Of prey. He ask
ed about everyone he could think of.
of the growth of the city. of changes
in places and people. He said he had
not heard a word from Waterloo nor
seen an acquaintance since he lett this
city. The two talked for hours and the
substance Of the story OF Lehmann's
wanderings follows:
ION the night that I left Waterloo I
took my wife to j. r. Towards to visit;
then l went home. l had been working
hard that day getting the machinery
regulated in my new bindery and dur
ing the afternoon I had a severe
hemorrhaEe of the lungs and bled pro-
fuscly. l knew l had consumption.
had seen my mother die with 1t. 1 saw
my old friend, DR.. Cotton, die with 1t,
and 1 could picture myself going the
SANE way.
! tried to read. But the thoughts of my
lung trouble kept popping into my
head. I know il l stayed in Waterloo
r ,.o,lJ ~r-u, u,oo Lo~ ND yarooLor 7
might communicate the disease to my
wife, and 1 could not bear to think of
all the horror. If I must die. l did not
want to be a burden to Libby. After l
bled at the lungs I knew I could no
longer battle against the great white
plague. I knew l was doomed.
Il went to bed, but could not sleep.
The same thoughts haunted me. The
whole world looked against me. Ev-
erything was wrong. l leaped out of
bed, dressed hurriedly and taking along
an extra suit of clothes I hurried out
into the night with no definite plan in
mind. I walked across the river and
at the Rock Island railway station saw
two passenger trains, one headed either
way. I too the first one I came to,
paying no attention to the direction 1t
was going. I bought no ticket. The
train started az soon as I was on board.
Toward morning I realized for the
first time what I was doing. It was
then I wrote the letter to my wife. l
kept OF travelling and at last landed in
New York City. l worked there and
at Jersey City for some time.
"While I vas in New York City I
was taken very i'll and thought I was
going to die. I was stopping at a room
ing house. I pulled thru Inc when con-
''"'escent I had a premonition that I
must return to Waterloo at once, that
my wife needed me badly. That feeling
came over me at a time when you say
my wife was dying. / fully determined
to go home and bought a ticket as far
as Chicago. There while I was waiting
for a train to Waterloo. the feeling left
me and I had no desire to return. That
was at the time you say Libby died.
my Interpretation OF the premoni-
ton was that Libby remarked.
"After working awhile In Chicago I
heard OF an opening ii Farsors. ran.
and went there to work. About four
months ago I entered the employ Of