The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-07-03
An Extraordinary Story OF Love, Secret
Marriage, Betrayal, DesertiOn, Di-
vOrce, Revenge.
A BosmsHELL FOR WASHINGTON SOCIETY
[From the WASHINGTON conital

lfrom the Washington Capital.
some SIX years since young law student
of this city fell in love with and courtad a
lovely girl, who soon returned his love and
the two became engaged to be married. The
young gentleman was poor, however. and
not yet admitted to his profession, so that
marrying for the time seemed out of the oues-
ton. He was madly i'm love, however. and
fearing that before he could secure sufficient
competence to Justify marrying he might lose
the OBJECT OF his affections, he pleaded with
ner 10 nave secret marriage, and promised
that Immediately after the ceremony she
should return to her home and he would. as
usual, go to his bachelor quarters. After
much persuasion she consented and the two
were united in wedlOck at the church of st.
John in Georgetown, by Rev. Mr.. Tillinehast.
upon the-June, 1866.
Inc young man for while was true to his
promise, but he soon became as importunate
for the possession of her person as he had
been for the secret marriage. OF course she
yielded, but they both kept their secret, and
as progress in the law was very slow. she. AT
MS suggestion, brought an influence to bear
upon the administration that resulted i'm an
appointment to western territory. Her So
cial position and connections were sufficient TO
control the appointment, and she had money
enough to provide him with an outfit.
The young man departed and made ouite
successful career for himself i'm his now
field of operations, and, writing regularly and
returning at intervals, he assured hep of his
heartfelt affection and earnest endeayors to
procure home suited to her. This sort of
thing continued for four wears. when she was
telegraphed to meet him at Cincinnati. She
hastened to obey, and arriving at the last
named place found her husband in a state of
great excitement. He told her that he had
got involved in some moned transactions
and the choice was presented to him of eth
er marrying very rich woman, who loved
him to distraction, or being sentenced to the
penitentiary, and that he had married and
was now in her power. She could punish
him for his dastardly conduct, and if She did
that, he could not complain; he added, how
ever, that he had parted from the woman at
the door of the church, that he did not love
her, and could not love any one but his law
full wife. 81
Appealed to in this manner she could only
ask him what could be done, saving that she
was ready and willing TO shield him to the
last. He then suggested divorce, and said
that he could go to New York and procure
one without any difficulty. To this She con-
sented, and the two wended their way to the
great commercial center, where he found a
divorce lawyer, and in three days divorce
was procured upon testimony manufactured
between the husband and the shyster, of the
most extraordinary character. One man, for
example, by the name Of, swore that he
had known the plaintiff and her husband
for years in Downingsville, Pa, a place the
poor woman had never seen. Another wit
ness, calling himself -, swore that the par
ties were bona fide residents of New York,
and that he had frequently accompanied the
defendant in nightly visits to houses of ill
fame; that on one occasion he had waited at
such a place for the defendant until tired, and
then went to the room, knocked at the door,
and being told to come in, found the defend
ant putting on his clothes, with prostitute
undressed in the room. Upon this showing
the divorce was granted, and the decree
winds up as follows:-
THAT the marriage between the said plain
tiff, and the said defendant,- be dis
solved, and their said marriage is hereby dis
solved accordingly. And the said parties are
and each of them is free from the obligations
thereof. And further that it shall be lawful
for the said plaintiff to marry again in the
same manner as though the said defendant was
actually dead. But it shall not be lawful for
the said defendant to marry again until the
said plaintiff be actually dead
Enter s. JONES, Judge"
The poor wife returned to her home feel
ing that she had done a heroic act in shield
ing the man she loved, and sustaining her.
self with this thought time rolled on, until
one morning she awakened to the fact that
she had been cruelty sacrificed. She learned
that the man whom she had clung to was
about to marry fashionable lady of the first
connection in the land. She made inquiry
and found, to her siekening disgust, that the
day was actually set upon which this in
famous outrage was to be perpetrated. She
hastened to New York and procured a certi-
fed copy of the decree, intending to appear
at the church on the day of the mock mar
riage and forbid the banns by presenting
copy of the legal document that showed that
although separated from her he was not au-
thorized to marry another.
Unfortunately, through circumstances over
which she had no control, she arrived too
late. The cruel act had been accomplished.
A grand wedding, graced by the presence of
members of the cabinet and our most aristo-
cratic people, had occurred, and the papers
were full of glowing accounts of the magnifi-
cent ceremony. Our readers will recolect
the event, and they will have occasion to re-
cur to it again, as legal steps are being taken
by the betrayed wife's friends TO bring this
wrongdoer to punishment. The wife is now
satisfied that the whole story of the second
marriage was fabricated to deceive her, and
she is of course very indignant
In addition to all this we learn that this
gay Lothario paid his court last winter to one
ofour most beautiful and accomplished bellies,
whose appearance in society always created
futter among the gentlemen who flocked to
her side to bask in the sunshine of her smiles
and to enjoy the brilliancy of her conversa-
tion. 1t was supposed that the gentleman,
as he then appeared to be, and this fascina-
ting lady, who,e family is one of the Oldest
and most exclusive in the country, were en-
gagged, but it seems that while she enoyed
his conversational powers, she discouraged
any tender emotions, and thus saved herself
from occupying the unpleasant position
which the aforementioned bride now holds.
In few days the fashionable circles of
Washington and certain lady of tn cabinet
will all be at sea in a high state of astonish-
ment and excitement, and a certain territori-
al official, now candidate for governor, win be
brought up with a round turn.