Year: 1875

From the Dunn County News.


One of those marvellous chapters of
human experience which gives renewed
force to the old proverb that ''truth is
stranger than fiction" came to our notice
| this week, and in the belief that the de-
tails and incidents connected Herewith
will not prove uninteresting we lay them
before onr readers.


Nineteen years ago, Timothy Stokin
was living on a farm in the town of Nor
ton, Wa1kasha County, Wis. His fam
lily consisted of himself and wife and
| three or four children. On the 18th of
July, 1856, his youngest child, little
girl, about seventeen months old, was
missing and could not be found. Word
was sent to her father then at work some
| nine miles distant he fastened home
to join in the search for the lost one.
The neighbors turned out and secured
the country far and near, but all to no
purpose. Mr.. Stokin, firm in the belief
the babe was abducted, finally heard of
two men travelling with span of horses
and light wagon, having in their custody
little child that answered the descrip-
ton of his own. He tracked them as
far as Ripon, and there lost all further
trace of the supposed thieves and tteir
infant charge.


Years rolled on, and during the long
infa IF hn IF f1,oi,
loved and lost darling, was without doubt
the skeleton in the closet" of that af-
fiicted family. The rebellion broke out,
and Mr.. Stol1in and his son entered the
army. At the close of the war the faith
Ell returned alone-his boy having lost his
life in the service of his country. About
this time he removed to Durand with his
family, and has there lived during the
past ten years.


Some weeks ago Mrs. Nasby, of Du-
rand, was visiting friends at Cedar Falls,
in this county, and there became ac-
quainted with Miss Fannie johnson, who
was teaching school in that district
Mrs. Nasby, who was acquainted with
the Stokin family, and had heard the
frequent recital of their lost child, was
forcibly struck with the close resemblance
of Miss johnson to another daughter of
Mr. Stokin ; and when she learn ed from
the young lady that her parentage was
shrouded in mystery, she was more then
ever confirmed III her opinion that Fan
ME was the missing child. On her re-
turn to Durand, Mrs. N. acquainted the
Stokin family with her discovery, and
Mr.. S. came up on the stage last We'd
nesday, went to Cedar Falls and had an
interview with his supposed daughter.
The striking resemblance OF the young
lady to other members OF his family
satisfied the father that she was indeed
his long lost child. He prevailed upon
the girl to accompany him home to Du-
rand in the hope that the mother might
identify her beyond a doubt, and they
left Menomonie on the stage Thursday
afternoon. At this writing we have not
heard the result of the meeting between
mother and daughter.


The question that naturally arises in
the readers mind is, where was the girl
during these many years? All that is
known is gathered from Miss Johnson's
own story. Of course she was too young
to remember anything about the circum-
stances of her abduction. Her first
recollection is of living at St. Louis with
a woman whom she regarded as her
mother. The intimation she had to the
contrary was when, during q severe i'll
ness from which she did not expect to
recover, the woman told her she was not
her mother. Soon after the woman re-
covered, and to all the questionings of
the young girl as to her parentage, she
ever after maintained the most rigid
silence. About nine years ago Capt.
Lorenzo Bartlett, of Hudson, master of
the steamer Viola, was at ST. Louis,
accompanied by his wife, and the girl
Fannie was probably given to them by
her supposed mother. AT any rate they

which city she has made her abiding
place until the present year when she
came to this county to teach school, and
was in charge of the school at Cedar
Falls when she was discovered as we
have stated. t.


Miss Johnson is very intelligent and
interesting young lady. By her own
industry and the kind assistance of
friends in Hudson, she has been able to
acquire liberal education, and fit her
self for teaching. We understand that
a year or more ago she received infor-
nation from ST. Louis that her parents
had been discovered, and she was urged
by some unknown party in that city to
come down and be restored to her fami-
ly. She submitted the question to
friends in Hudson, and they advised her
to wait until the references given were
found to be genuine. The matter was
placed in the hands of some person in
st. Louis known to be worthy of conf
dence, and after the most dihgent in
quiry and strictest search he could find
no clue to the party who appeared to
take such lively interest in the young
lady's family affairs. 1t was therefore
fair to presume the motives of the per-
son were of a questionable character,
and Miss johnson was advised to stay
where she was, and Like sensible girl
she needed the advice.