The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-10-26
A Wisconsin Man Married to a Woman
He Has Never Seen.

The following is vouched for by one
@. B. Taylor, correspondent of the
Green Bay Gazette, Wisconsin paper:
Mr.. William Bruce, a gentleman liv-
ing in comfortable circumstances on the
bank of Suamico river, in Suamico,
Brown County, Wis, is highly respected
by the community in which he lives, as
has been evinced by his being elected,
from time to time, to fill most of the va
rious township offices. He has also en-
joyed mott of the blessings of life, being
in good health and pecuniary circum-
stances, having valuable farm and q
pleasant home. Butone thing was lack
ing to make home all glsdness--a help
meet to share with him the joys of the
household.
Last winter his niece from Pennsylva-
MIA visited him, and discovering his
want, gave him the address of lady
friend of hers, living at Lynn, Susque-
hanna county, Pa, and recommended
her as one in every way suitable to
adorn his home. Her name is Mary
Knapp, who was consort of the late
venerable Justus Knapp, of Lynn, Pa.
She is an intelligent, cultivated, and
highly respectable lady, and beloved by
all who knew her. A correspondence
Immediately sprang up between them,
and love grew and thrived, even through
medium as matter of fact as Uncle
Sans mails, and finally resulted in an
engagement. About this time her af-
fianced had an attack of neuralgia that
settled in his eyes, and so affected them
that within four months after they had
become engaged he was almost totally
blind. Though he had become very
much attached to her through the me-
dunn of the correspondence, yet sense
of duty led him to inform her of his
misfortune, and to extend an offer to re-
lease her from her engagement. There
upon she wrote him very kind and
sympathetic letter, in which she stated
that if he were doomed to suffer for life
the awful affliction of blindness, he was
much more than ever in need of wife
to care for him through life, and tighten
the burden of his dark and dismal pill
grimage upon earth and, therefore,
that she had no desire to be released
from the solemn compact of marriage
which she had taken.
A few weeks ago the expectant bride
arrived, and the meeting with the be-
trothed was warm and affectionate, but,
of course, somewhat disadvantageous.
Soon afterward l accompanied him to
the Eye Infrmary, at Chicago, to learn
if any relief from his blindness could be
afforded; but no encouragement was
given. Professor Holmes pronounced it
dropsy of the eye, q disease 80 far ad-
vanced as to admit of no hopes of recov-
cry. Returning home with sad and
heavy heart, this fate was disclosed to
his bride and relatives. Though touched
to the heart with sorrow, yet even this
did not dissuade her from the noble pur-
pose to assume for life the burden to
care for one who had suddenly become
as helpless as child, but who had spent
many years in active toll.
The wedding day was appointed, and
the nuptials were celebrated August g.
1871, by which time he had become, il
may be said, totally blind, not having
sight enough to enable him to distin-
guish one from another of his own fami-
ly. The pair, however, are now living
in connubial bliss. And why shouldn't
they?