Eloped From Nebraska
Died in
Richmond
About the middle of December a man and woman arrived in the city
and registered at the Ballard House as John Bailey and wife. They were
accompanied by a little girl about 3 years old who answered to the name
of Bette.
A few days after their arrival the woman was taken ill and
continued to grow worse until Dec. 24^th , when she died. A few days after
the death of the woman Bailey took the child to Hallard and let it with a
family named Douglass. It has since been sent to relatives in
Nebraska.
Yesterday the Conservator learned some additional facts in
regard to the couple.
In our quest for information we learned that
Bailey was not the right name of the couple and that they were not husband
and wife. The man’s name is John Stearn and that of the woman was Mrs. Emma
Uline. They had eloped from Boyd county Neb., where Stearns left a wife and
7 children in destitute circumstances, and Mrs. Uline left a husband and 3
children.
Soon after the arrival of the couple here is became necessary
for them to procure money and to do this they went before a Notary Public
and executed a deed of trust for some land located near Paw Paw, Ill. On the
deed of trust, which was signed by Mrs. Emma Uline, the bank at Paw Paw
advanced $125. Before the money was received here, however, Mrs. Uline
died and it was turned over the Bailey, or Stearns. He also received a
small sum of money from another place.
After the funeral of the woman
Stearns paid all bills contracted during her sickness, demanding and taking
receipts in all cases.
When Mrs. Uline was signing the papers necessary
to get the money from Illinois, Stearns told the Notary that they were a
runaway couple; that Mrs. Uline was his step-sister, and that she was
compelled to leave her husband on account of cruel and inhuman
treatment.
Frank Uline, the husband of woman, claims that when she left
her home she had between $400 and $500. If she ever had that much money it
had been spent before she reached Richmond, as she claimed to be unable to
pay the attorney for his work until she heard from Illinois.
Stearns
has disappeared, and the erring woman is sleeping in an unmarked grave far
from home and kindred.
Ray County Conservator, ? ? , 1893
Transcribed
and Contributed by: Lisa
Smalley
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