Scandalous story--1899

[ddurbin]

from THE MOLINE REVIEW  Jan. 6, 1899

A SENSATION

Monday evening our people were treated to a slight sensation in the matter of officers placing under arrest a man and woman passing as man and wife.  They had been here since Saturday evening, having obtained rooms at the Dunlap residence.

It seems that the woman, Mrs. Spence, is the wife of a confectioner at Emporia.  When he discovered that she had disappeared with his three year old child he immediately instituted a vigorous search and traced them as far as Eureka.  Monday morning the distracted husband and father boarded the Howard freight for Eureka and while enroute discovered through brakeman McVeigh that they were in Moline Saturday.  He then stopped at Eureka and when the train reached here Mr. McVeigh ascertained that the runaways were still here and in company with a fakir who gave his name as Simpson, and so wired Mr. Spence.  On the evening train Undersheriff Rowen, of Eureka, came and with the asistance of Marshal Long, placed them under arrrest, and after guarding them at the Palace hotel over night, took them on the morning train to Eureka.

The man Simpson represented while here that he was advance agent for a lecturer and had dates printed at this office.  However Matt Nelson had a letter that he was a fraud and was in possession of a good overcoat and pair of shoes belonging to his supposed employer.

Thus are unsuspecting hotel keepers imposed on and a virtuous community scandalized.