Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 78, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 June 1899 — After Thirty-Five Years. [ARTICLE]

After Thirty-Five Years.

A Brother and Sister Strangely United. A. G. Hardy, superintendent of the county poor farm and bis daughter, Miss Bessie, returned this week from a trip to Chicago, which was the final act of an incident as unusual as most of those found in the “story books.” They took to the city with them, Mary Downey, a woman abont 45 or 46 years old, who has made her home at the county farm for the past 15<years. Along in 1862 or 1863 Mary Downey and two brothers were left orphans in Lafayette, by the death of their father, their mother having died some years before, and married again, leaving other children by a second wife, orphans were kihked ou£ fa shift for themselves, the stepmother’s family doing nothing more for them than to make way with some property that belonged to them.

Mary, then 5 or 6 years old, was given a good home for a few years by Dr. Crouse, of Dayton, but when about 9 years old was given to Pat Murphy, near Alter’s mill, in this county. She was brought up in drudgery, and never sent to school or church. About 15 years ago her health failed and she was sent to the poor house. She remembered that she came from Lafayette, and had two brothers, but never knew what hadjjbecome of them. She [often asked Mr* Hardy to try to look up her brothers, and said she had a younger half brother, James Downey. Now Mr. Hardy had long known an Ed Downey in Lafayette, and he went to see him* He learned that his full name wes James Edward Downey, and that he himself was’ Mary Downey’s half brother. He informed. Mr* Hardy that of Mary’s two full brothers one had been’killed in a wreck at Decatur, 111., not long ago, after a successful career as a railroad man. The other brother, Wm. Downey, lived in Chicago, and was employed by a gas company. Mr. Hardy wrote to him and he came down and identified bis sister, whom he bad not seen for 35 years, and whom he had been led to believe was dead. He went home with the [intention of preparing a permanent home for his sister, and last Saturday, as previously stated, she went up with Mr. Hardy and daughter, and is now fully domiciled in the home of her brother, and a very comfortable home it is, as Mr, Hardy had opportunity to[observe.