The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1877-07-25
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Divided After Many Years.

In 1861 Miss Marie Matilda Kibbcl
lived with her parents, well-to- do-people,
at Albion, N. Y. She was about 20, was
prcposscssing in appearance, rather small
in stature, with q certain masculine APP
pearancc, though not coarse, which after
ward served her good purpose. Early
in the summer season she was with party
of cxcnrsionists at Niagara Falls, and met
accidentally with Chauncey IN. d Miles,,
then of Cleveland. It was "a case Of
mutual as we'll as suddeninfatnation ,and,
resulted in promises to meet again. Niles
was widower, with one child, lad, who,
since grown to manhood and to family, is
now q locomotive engineer on the Lake
Shore road, and lives at 275 South street
this city. His name is Rosalvi D. Niles.
The love-sick Niles soon went to Albion,
and aroused by his visit the serious dis
pleasure of Miss Kibbell's relatives. They
forbade further attention to the young
lady, under the penalty of sending her
away to Il convent. But neither was dis
mayed or disheartened. They met clan
destinely and arranged an elopement.
And so, having given out to friends of the
family that he would yield to fate and
lose his love, he started homeward, with
promise Of the girl to follow BY train
fourteen hours later, to meet, not at
Cleveland, where Niles was known, but
in Toledo Niles fastened on at once to
this city; where, having staid few hours,
he took an eastern train and met the train
bearing the faithful girl at Fremont. They
found they were pursued, and stepped off
and were married at once by Justice of
the Peace The next train through Ere
mont took her brother to Toledo in pur-
suit, but he could get no trace further
than that the couple took q train for To-
ledo at Cleveland. Both staid at Fremont
few days, when Niles went on to Toledo
and she followed, disguised in male at
tire. He secured a place in an engine
shop located, he thinks now, on Erie
street, and she, in her boy disguise, went
to peddling oranges and cigars on the
streets, and actually sold some to her
brother on one Of his trips to the city in
person.
AS the fall wore on they saw and heard
no more of the searching of friends, and
had settled down to housekeeping, throw
ing off disguise, though she went out but
little. The blast of war; was blowing
strongly-how fiercely, many lonely
heart still remembers we'll. ADVERTISE
ments from Cleveland were sent out for
engineers to rum Governmentt trains. Niles
Went there, made IN engagement for him.
self and fireman, and midWinter found
him running a Government engine on a
Nashville railroad, with his wife, in her
old disguise, as fireman. This lasted
several months. On Buell's famous re-
treat to Nashville there were reports of
train being fired into by bushwhackers,
and a number Of persons killed on the
train, and many hurt, including the brave
engineer, who paid no heed to obstruc-
tons on the track, and, BY bravely pull
ling through, saved the Government
valuable train of cotton. This was Niles.
He was badly wounded, and On being
stopped at Tullahoma, where the road
was blockaded, was removed to Murfrees-
boro' in an ambulance, and thence to a
Northern hospital, with his wife-freman
for hospital nurse. In 1865, the;war over,
the couple found themselves in Cleveland.
Niles got the gold fever, and leaving
his wife in that city, left for the West.
He returned at the close of the season,
however, disheartened with the wet,
which had made the mining season afail-
ure. They lived at Cleveland, in Toledo
and Chicago alternately, bo.h doing what
they could for support, living together
last at the former city. In 1872, leaving
her here, he went to Chicago to attend to
some business connected with the demise
of his first wife's brother, named Fits.
On his arrival he found a telegram that
his wife in Cleveland was suddenly ill
and might not live, though they would
inform him if she got worse. He staid
four days, and when he reached the Cleve-
land clearinghouse was stricken with
the tidings of her death and burial The
landlord showed her clothes and effects,
and took him to the grave, whose fresh
covering was too plain proof of his severe
loss. He gathered up the ckeepsakes,
gave up his place, and has since lived
here and there, earning what he could.
Here in Toledo he may be remembered
as a skillful letterer of windows and
painter of signs. Fl But it is the denoue-
ment which is the strangest part of his
history, which is that he has within short
time made the discovery that his wife is
not dead, but was discovered by her
friends, and by the deceit reclaimed from
her wanderings, and is now living at her
old home with the friends of her youth.