The Republican journal., 1877-02-01
a. Sad Case.
From the St. Louis Journal.

From the st. Louis Journal
suit tor divorce has been filed in the
circuit clerks Office by Scion n. Sapp, at
torney-at-law, in which Frank Nj. Gordon
is plaintiff and EStelle +. Gordon, a nece
of Judah T. Ben amin, is defendant, and
connected with which there is a thrilling
and romantic heart history, running thro
the past two years. The plaintiff to the
suit and the beautiful though frail defend
ant were both formerly residents OF New
| Orleans. The families were both wealthy
but met with reverse during the war,
which left young Gordon upon his own
resources He determined to come to st
Louis to try his fortune. assuring the
beautiful Estellc that anon he would come
sum, and marry her Being a young gen
tlemen of good address and possessed OF
more than ordinary business capacity, he
soon succeeded in securing 4 lucrative
position in one OF our most prominent
wholesale dry goods houses, and in the
| course OF two Years, by strict economy,
he had saved sufficient means to Justify
him iii attempting voyage upon the
| tempeStuous sea OF matrimony. He had
been in the meantime in constant com
munication by letter with the idol of hi
heart. and finally u little less than a yeal
ago, he wrote her to come to st Louis
at a niyen time and they would he mar
rieh On the 24th OF March, 1879, she
arrived and took rooms at the Southern
The services Of the Rev. DIR. Tudor, of the
Centenary Methodist episcopal church,
| We're secured and the ceremony was per
formed in the presence OF Il large circle
oi the friends and acquaintance OF Mr..
| Gordon, and they were pronounced has
| band and wife. After IN hour in the par
| InrS spent in social chat the guests depart
ed and the happy bride and groom re-
| paired to the looms assigned them. and
which were adjoining each other, being
separated by folding doors. Arrived il
| the front room oi the suite, they sat for .
short time in commonplace conversation
when, as il suddenly recalling some Al
most forgotten mission, Estel!e asked
| Frank to accomp my her into the next
room for Il moment. He, supposing 10,
| the instant that she had some lady lrienG
70 present TO his acquaintance. hcsitatet
and told her it was too late. But she in
! sisted, and he submitted to being led ntt
| the next room There he saw an old col
ored woman whom both he and his wife
| had known from infancy rs Il servant
of her family, and lying contentedly upo,
| her lap an infant about six months old
Quick as lightning u horrid suspicion
flashed through his mind, and turning
| quickly upon his new made bride he
asked:
''ilstelle, whose child is that ?,
1t is mine, Frank" said she, pleading
| ly approaching him and cndeavoring &c
throw her arms about him.
My God" he muttered. as he stagger
ed up against the door, utterly amazed
aud pushing her from him he demanded
to know why he, who had never wronger
| her by thought, word or deed, should be
thus betrayed and that by the only wo-
man he had ever loved. She began weep
Ing bitterly. and conlided to him whom
She had Just SO deeply wronged the story
Of her betrayal by n wealthy banker al
! New Orleans, (whose name appears in the
petition, and whom she designated as the
father OF her child. Young Gordon was a,
a loss what to do under the circumstances
lie did not have the moral courage tC
lace a tlownin@ world with the lacts il
the case. bat rather chose to bury his
modification. He finally rented rooms 70,
her. where She remained Ton two months
Then Gordon induced her to go to New
Orleans under the promise that he would
follow her. This promise he did not COM
ply with, The fair but trail wife then re.
turned TO st. Louis, where she indulged IN
all manner Of eNceSSe9, and wound up in
a house OF designation. Her conduct Sc
mortified and distressed him that he gave
up to despair. and became a mere wreck
ot hi4 former self. He was unable To re-.
tam any employment, AZ She followed
him like Il slenth-hounti, and seemed de-
termined 10 drag him down to her level
and as 4 last resort he had sued for Il Ill
yorce, having obtained satisfactory r}i-
lencc a her repeated adultery.