Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-12-29
The Daily Story
The Strange Case of Winifred Collins.
By Margaret G. Devereaux

snaH scratch on every day on tho -.
endar as It passes till have Won ,r ~
me again" 'ou witt
1T viii not be long. Tom" ror,,.,
the girl. "A year is not en- ,a spied
1t was when we were cbildre. as
month isn't much more than a wsaa
was then. and it is only e,yh .eeA
months between now and the s a-'se1 ;
{ return" one
The next day Winifred Collins -.
by train to Boston and thepca 80. III
the Atlantic to Havre She s,rasss
both in France and Italy during a -
and half. as she had interded ~
went to Genoa to sail for bon,o =,
wrote her lover that she would leav.
Genoa on certain date in an 60
steamer the name of which she o..
him. When the ship came in Tom ca
I breth was On the dock eagerly sc,r
/ ming the passengers who descendad -.
( gangway looking for his Winifred m
! line grew thin and she had M. -
! peared. The last person descendos
put not the girl be was looking for
Running up the gangway. he soupb,
the purser and asked him IL the man,
of Winifred Collins was on the 10.
senger list. It was not.
The mystery was not solved witb,r
week or two, as Gilbreth supposed {,
would be. month passed and thers
were no tidings of Winifred. TIC
months passed and her lover was In
an agony Of fear and suspense. Cabla.
grams 10 Genoa brought only the m.
formation that her name was on tho
register Of hotel there the day the
steamer on which she was to have sail.
ed left port. She had paid her bill and
left the house two days later.
Gilbreth went abroad in search n,
his betrothed, but, finding no trace Of
her, returned disappointed and in de.
spair. He knew not which way IN
turn to- continue his search. Thinking
that she might have sailed by another
ship, he searched the records of ships
that bad within that limit of time SAID.
ed from italian ports and found thatc
small American owned ship. the PeIi-
can, had sailed from Leghorn two days
after the date Winifred was to have
sailed from Genoa, but was overdue
several months.
Here was a clew to information con
corning Winifred. but undesirable in.
formation. If Winifred had missed
the ship on which she was to have
sailed and taken the Pelican instead
she was probably lost Tom hoped
that the clew he had foundswas incor.
rect
One day a friend of Toms who knew
of his trouble called his attention TO an
item that had been floating among the
newspapers mentioning the rescue OF
a woman at sea. 1T included mention
of the parts of letters on the boat from
which she was taken. He inferred that
they were G A n, the last three letters
of the word Pelican. Then be knew
that he was on the track of his be-
trothed.
All now depended on his finding Al
berta Corwith, who had been merged
in the millions of New York's inhabt
tants. There was but one medium by
which she could be found. If that fail
ed the task was impossible. If Alberta
Corwith had remained in New York
the chances were far better than
she had gone elsewhere. Tom laid out
a system of advertising by which the
New York field should be first covered,
to extend the search through
out the United States If the New YORK
field did not produce the desired result
His advertisement read. Information
wanted of Alberta Corwith."
Within a month after the insertion
Tom received note from dry goods
irm in New York city informing him
hat an Alberta Corwith was employed
n one of their departments. Tom took
he next train for New York. went 10
he address mentioned and, on inquiry
earned that Miss Corwith would De
ound in the cloak department Tnere
he found Winifred Collins.
He sprang forward to clasp ner III
lis arms, but she recoiled. He told nef
who she was and that he was her fance
She listened with interest TO what ne
aid. but did not remember ever having
cen him before
Winifred being found, the next ques-
ion was. Could her memory be re-
tored? The case was submitted !"
Musicians. who gave various reports
)ne medical man suggested that WINE
nocked about in the boat among INC
rreckage the castaway might nave
eceived Il blow on the bead that nau
reduced the amnesia. He examiner
head and found a shgnt ue
ression. This was the place from
-hich the stewardess had wasneu
way the clotted blood.
Soon after this discovery Winiireu'
Sull was operated upon. Several per
ms whom she had known before 20
q abroad. including her betrotheu.
God about her when she came ou'
ON the effects of the anaestheue.
hough suffering from il. her eye
.ightened. and on seeing her love-
he attempted to hold out her arms "
m.
The case of Winifred Collins exciteu
ar5ed attention owing 10 the stranse
of circumstances "hsH
imposed it. She had taken a Tram