A REMARKABLE STORY.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 215, 13 August 1887, Page 5

A REMARKA BLE STORY.

A Los Angeles correspondent of the " San Francisco Chronicle" writes :— The story of W. S. Seavy, formeily City Marshal of Santa Barbara, who left his wife and eloped in 1880 with Mrs Charles Paddock, a bosom friend of his wife, is well known. Seavy recently turned up as Chief of Police of Omaha. Seavy was very popular in Santa Barbara. The eloping 1 couple went to Honolulu, and all trace of them was lost. till Seavy's election in Omaha recently was announced. The rest of the story has hitherto been unknown. Your reporter found to-day the only person in the United States, besides Seavy, who knows the sequel. The question "Is Mrs Paddock living at Omaha with Seavey ?" has been a&ked by innumerable people familiar with, the ca&e. The following story is derived, from a lady in this city of the highest respectability and unquestioned veracityShe said : "Mr and Mrs Seavy, as I shall call them, soon tired of Honolulu, and took a steamer for Australia. Arriving at Auckland, they concluded to make their future home there, and opened a toy shop and did a thriving business. They were a mo&t devoted couple. She was a fair fragile woman and appeared very sad. Her health was delicate. They removed to Dunedin, where Seavy entered into partnership with another man and took a contract away up in a sparsely settled part of the north of the island. Their wives went with them. They built huts and lived like the Australian pioneers. Before long the country wa3 visited by one of those long rains so frequent in that part of the world, and tho rivers rose rapidly. The bridge near where the party lived was washed away. The floods did great damage and many lives and much stock were lost. "In common with other settlers, tho Seavy party built a raft and embarked,, floating down the river, hoping to find themselves fast. Night came on and their terrors increased. Once Mrs Paddock was washed from Seavy's arms, but he miraculously managed to catch her. Again she was carried away, and despite all his efforts to save her she drowned. One of the survivors said afterward that when Mrs Paddock was borne away Sea\ y called : ' For Uod's sake, Grade, say you forgive me !' That Seavy returned to America alone is attested by Mr Lloyd, of Monrovia, who states that Seavy came from New Zealand to Chicago via London on the same Steamer as Mr Lloyd."