The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1923-11-29
DIG SKELETON
OUT OF CLOSET
Family Skeleton" Reveal
ed in Hearing of I'll. t.
Smith Estate.
A BROKEN ROMANCE
Hearing Recalls How Wife of
Hermit Strangely Left Him
Many Years Ago.

A Family skeleton" was brought
out of the closet in the county court
in the hearing recently held in regard
to the settlement of the estate of
Henry T. Smith, Hermit of Salem"
who died more than year ago leav-
ing an estate in excess of $4,000.
The testimony of the hearing recalled
the story of the tangled domestic af-
fairs Of the hermit, whose wife after
being married to him and living with
him for thirteen years strangely left
the home in Salem and was never seen
there again. She returned to northern
Wisconsin where it is alleged that she
secured divorce and later remarked.
The clearing up of the mystery re-
garding the wife was one of the steps
necessary in settling up the estate of
the hermit, it being necessary to pro-
duce enough evidence to show that the
wife, if living, or her heirs, had now
Eno claim to share in the estate.
Witness Tells ofsParting.
Mrs. Margaret Felter,, who from the
time that she was eleven years old
until she was eighteen, lived at the
home of Andrew Smith, the father of
Henry T. Smith, was the witness at
! the hearing. Her testimony as given
to questions asked by Attorney G. A.
Mittelstaed, representing the estate,
regarding the marriage and separa-
ton, was as follows:
"Was Henry T. Smith ever married?"
Eyes, sir"
'Do you know what his wife's name
was ?"
Jennie Page
"Were they living together at the
time Of Henry's death?"
"No, sir"
"What became of Henry's wife"
"She visited me on Sunday, on
Monday she went home and never re-
turned but his mother told me that she
married man by the name of Daniel
Sims and lived at East Green Bay"
'Were you acquainted with Henry's
wife ?"
ayes sir, but not until Henry
brought her home as bride"
"Where was her home?"
| s.New London, Wisconsin"
GLOW long had they been married
| when. she left?"
"About ten years"
"Do you know whether she obtained
! a, divorce 2"
Ellis mother told me So"
Thought She Was Dead.
"You heard from what Mrs. Caro-
line Colby Smith said that she had
remarried?"
eyes, sir"
"How long ago, if you can remember,
was it that Henry's wife left him y
about thirty-two years"
/ "Have you ever heard anything di-
rectly from her since that time ?"
"Never word"
"Have you ever heard anything in
/ directly from herw
"People claimed they received pap
ers with her death notice"
''You never saw that death notice 2"
| "No."
Reports which have reached Keno
sha, none of which was brought into
the evidence because they were not
substantiated, declared that the wife
| is still alive The evidence showing
that she was divorced is sufficient to
dispose of her claim to any share
in the estate.
Tells of Relations.
The witness also went into details
regarding what she knew of the rela-
tives of the deceased At the time of
the death of the hermit it was believed
that Clarence W. Smith, now in Los
Angeles, was the closest relative to the
deceased. Mrs. ,Felter stated that in
her opinion Clarence w. Smith was
not a relative but had merely lived
near and had happened to be of the
same name. Indications point that
relatives found in the cas- will i'm
herit the estate.
Definite decision regarding the heir
ship has not been made by the
court, one other witness being yet un-
heard in the case.
nppEcnN NOT TO RESIGN