The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1874-09-03
THE STORY OF CANDACE BLIvEN.
A Country Girl Who Married in
Secret and Fell Heir to Two Will.
lions of D0llars.-.TWenty Years
Of Weary Waiting.

[From the Elmira IN. W Gazette, Aug. 81.
In 1856 a gentleman of high birth
and great wealth in England came to
this country to travel for pleasure and
to study the scenery and people of the
New World. A lover O. nature in its
most varied and picturesque character,
he spent some time in Central New
York, going about among our beautiful
lakes and tarrying upon their highly
cultivated shoEes. In these rambles he
came to the quiet village of Dundee,
where he made home for some time
with Baptist clergyman named Cur
rier. While there he fell into compan-
ionship with the daughter of a well-to-
do gentleman by the name of Bliven.
The girl was at that time
sixteen years of age, handsome, engag-
ing, and sensible. The acquaintance
soon ripened into a sort of roman
tic friendship, and at last the foreigner,
whom We may as well designate by his
proper name and title-Sir John Cor
don Talmadge-offered his hand to Can
dace, which was accepted. The direct
narrative is to the effect that the two
were united by the Rev. Mr.. Currier
who was pledged to secrecy concerning
the marriage for the term of one year.
The parents of Candace were not in
formed Of the action of their daughter,
nor did the knowledge of the secret
marriage come to any of the villagers.
Soon after the wedding, Sir John left
his young bride and returned to his
home across the water, having prom
Used to record the marriage in due form
as soon as he should arrive, and having
additionally promised that he would
return within the year and take his
wife to England.
The year went past, and Sir John
did not come. Meantime, the Rev. Mr..
Currier, the only person in America be-
sides the young wife, who knew of the
transaction, died, and his secret died
with him. Another year passed, and
five, then ten, almost twenty, aid still
the waited for husband did not return
to make good his promises, nor did any
tidings, we understand, reach the ears
of Candace concerning him. At last,
in March last, we believe, through the
instrumentality Of q personal advertise
ment in one of the New York papers,
the long silence was broken, and tidings
for which the Dundee bride, now grown
to almost middle age, had so long wait
cd, were received.
1t appears that the return of Sir
John to England without his American
wife was for the purpose of arranging
matters satisfactorily with his parents,
who he knew would be indisposed to re-
ceive his bride if she were taken to them
without prior knowledge Of their sons
step. Shortly after his return home it
happened that while out riding with his
mother one day his horses took fright,
ran away, threw the two out, killing his
mother, and very seriously injuring Sir
John. From this affection, however, he
recovered partislly, and in due time set
out for America to reclaim his wife. As
if adverse fate directed his every move
ment, when he reached Liverpool he was
taken severely ill, and for long time
he lay vacillsting,as it were, between life
and death. Though recovering, his ill.
ness had so prey ed on him that he be-
came demented, in which condition he
lived all these years, unable to make
known the object for which he was
journeying when sickness overlook him.
In the latter part of last winter sanity
strangely returned to the afflicted man,
but only for short interval before
death relieved him of that life which
had been burden. During his lucid in.
terval recollection of his earlier life
came back to him, and the secret wife
in Dundee was uppermost in his
thoughts. He made known to his
brother, now Sir Alfred Talmadge, the
true story of his marriage in this coun-
try. wilied his immense fortune of
$4,000 half to the brother and . Sis
ter, and the other half to his wife in
case she might be found alive. He fur