Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1873-11-06
ROMANCE OF REALITY.
4 Ercfhcr Weds His lIalf-Sister-One e
of the Encldents of u California 'sFOr-
sy.Nincr'Nr RecEIcss mtricilies.

4 E-efhcr Weds His lIalf-Sister--Ou
Of the Encidents of u CaIif0rMln 'sFO
hi ss.Nincr's+ Reckless Eccentricities.
Il There lived in Portland, Me-, lS4e
John and George Harris, brothers
John, the elder, was steady and rich
George, the younger, was dissipatet
, aud poor. John remained single, bu
George married and was the father o
! five children. While John was pilin,
UP the dollars, George was always il
debt, and SO, when the gold feveI
broke out, George set out to seek hi'
! fortune among the minerals of Califor
MIA, leaving his family to the care o
! his brother.
Two years in the diggings brongh
George Harris indifferent success
He occasionally forwarded to hi
family driblets spared from his .rol
licking life, and in 1851 he sailed fol
home. 1t was then the practice fol
the steamer from Aspinwall to take il
coal at Kingston, Jamaica, and George
Harris, with other passengers, went on
shore to see the city. On the plaza the
wealth and fashion of Kingston were
abroad in force, and everybody fell
jolly when her AIajesty's band began
TO play. Phryne was there also in her
dashing turnout, very beautiful and
very queenly, and she saw George
Harris, the California miner, demoral.
lied in pocket, but magnificent in
physique, aud the strong passions oi
| the courtesan coveted him.
4 George Harris did not go to New
| York, but remained in Kingston with
Carrie Lesieur, which was Phryne's
other name, until he tired of her, and
until a fit of virtuous consideration
for.ihc wife and children away off in
| Portland came over him, and that was
five years. He wrote to a friend in
Portland. and that friend replied that
his wife was dead,t and his brother
John was dead. and that the whole of
his dead brothers estate was left TO
him and his heirs. Carrie Lesieur,
who had loved George Harrison
that was his Kingston name-ycry de-
votedly, cried bitterly when he in
formed her of his determination to re-
turn TO the States. A girl had been
born to them, whose name was Flora,
and when George badc the mother
and child ''good-byc" on the Kingston
wharf, he promised to keep their mem
ories green within his heart so long as
he lived.
Fifteen years have rolled Off the
reel of time since George Harris left
Jamaica. He has corresponded fre-
quently with Carrie Lesieur, but at
last a Kingston newspaper reaches
him to tell him that poor, fond, for
saken Phryne is dead.SS = Flora is his
first thought. Fearing the worst for
her, George addressed letters and re-
mittances to the Kingston police.
Flora has married a distiller. One
morning the distiller is found dead in
his bed from poison from his own
hand, and Flora is left comparatively
poor. Now Flora has time to think
of the wealthy man in the United
States of whom she has heard 80
much, and she determines to go from
Jamaica to find him if she can.
In the spring of 1872 Madam Flora
Snowdon arrived in Boston. She in
quired of the hotel clerk about Port
land, (in Maine.) its ship-owners, &c. !;
| and that gorgeous creature refers her
to dashing young fellow who enters
| at the moment, as TO one who knows
! ali about Portland, and introduces
him as Mr.. Thos. T.. Harris, of conf
mercial firm in the modern Athens.
| Mr.. Harris and Matatn Flora con.
verse, and she tells him that she is in
search of a Mr. George Harrison, who
was in Kingston, Jamaica. Mr.. Tom
Harris has never been made aware of
the fact that George Harris-for he is
| that genteman's son--was eyer in
Kingston, and as the inquiries are af-
ter a party by the name of Harrison,
and not Harris, he has no satisfactory
information to offer. When Flora
left Boston, five days afterward, dur
ing which time he had beenvcry assidu-
Gus in his attentions, to go to Port
land TO look for Mr.. George Harrison,
she carried the heart of Tom Harris
with her. and left her own as hostage
with Tom.
Arriving at Portland, Flora Snow
down did not find Mr.. George Harri-
son, but she found George Harris in.
stead, gray-headed, festive old
fellow, who was very much excited
indeed at seeing her, and promised to
find George Harrison for her, and
make all things lovely if not serene.
This conduct of George Harris much
astonished the gentle Flora, who,
thinking that the old fellow had fallen
in love with her, concluded TO leave
Portland rs quickly as she could get
away from it, and she returned to
| Boston and Tom Harris. Young
Tom was delighted to see her. but he
was married! lie told his love, and
then proposed divorce from the in
convenient ties that bound him. To
avoid scandal, Madame Snowdon was
Hospitality lodged in private apart
ments, a lawyer was consulted, aud in
two months time Mr.. Tom Harris un-
furled his banner of freedom to the
breeze, and he and his half-sister
were joined in the holy bonds of we'd
lock.
When Mr.. and Mrs. Thomas Harris
went to Portland ON their honeymoon
trip the Misses Harris were "tickled
to death" to see their dear sister-in-
law from Jamaica, but old George
Harris was nearly dead without the
trouble Of tickling. He saw the
daughter of Carrie Lesienr-his
l daughter--as the wife Of his son, and
then he gave one dismal howl, and
then he tainted. II twould have been
mercitul, perhaps, if George Harris
had not come out of that faint, but he
was uncommonly tough, and he did.
He took the young couple aside and
told them all about it, and then there
was another scene, very thrilling, and
affording excellent material for a
high-toned French drama. George
Harris left Portland and took his
family South, where Mrs. Tom gave
birth to boy. And now comes a
neat thing in eonnundrums: What
relation is Tom Harris son to Tom
Harris and all the other Earrises,
and, if so, how much :-,St. Louis Re-
| publican.
a Singular Suicide.
A singular suicide recently occurred
in Springfield, ILL.,, the rash act having
been prompted by an extraordinary