Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1877-07-12
A Romantic Story.

IN 1861 Miss Marie Matilda Kibbell
| lived with her parents, wellto-do people,
at Albion, N. Y. She was then about
twenty, was prepossessing in appearance,
rather small in stature, with certain
masculine appearance, though not coarse,
which afterWard served her a good Dur-
| pose. Early in the summer season she
went with party of eXcursiOnists to
Niagara Falls, and met accidentally with
| Chauncey N. Miles, then of Cleveland 1t
was a case of mutual as we'll as sudden in
fatuation, and resulted in promises to
| meet again. Niles was widower, with
one child, lad, who, since grown to man
hood and to family, is now a locomotive
engineer on the Lake Shore road, and
lives at 375 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 displeasure of Miss
kIbbells relatives. They forbade further
attentions to the young lady, underpenalty
of sending her away to a convent But
neither was dismayed nor disheartened.
| They met clandestinely, 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 home
ward, with the promise Of the girl to fol-
| low by a tram fourteen hours later, to
meet, not at Cleveland, where Niles was
| known, but in Toledo. Niles fastened 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 stopped off and were married at once
| by Justice of the Peace. The next train
| through Fremont took her brother to To
ledo in pursuit, but he could get no trace
| further than that the couple took train
| for Toledo at Cleveland. Both staid at
| Fremont few days, when Niles went on
TO Toledo, and she followed, disguised in
male attire. He secured place in an en-
| CINE shop, located, he thinks now, on
| Erie street, and she, in her boys 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
| pursuit.
AS the fall wore on they saw and heard
no more OF the searching Of friends, and
settled down to housekeeping, throwing
off disguise, though she went out but little
| The g blast of war; was blowing strongly
how fiercely, many lonely heart still
remembers we'll Advertisements from
| Cleveland were sent out for engineers to
| ran Government trains. Niles went there
made an engagement for himself and fire.
| man, and midwinter found him running
| a Government engine on a Nashville rail
road, with his wife, in her old disguise
as fireman. This lasted several months.
| On Buels famous retreat to Nashville,
| there were reports of a 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 distractions on the track,
and by bravely pulling 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 hlockaded, was re-
| moved to Mu1freesboro in an ambulance,
and thence to a Northern hospital, with
his wife-freman for hospital nurse.
In 1866, 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. disheart-
ened with the wet. which had made the
mining season failure. They lived at
Cleveland, in Toledo and Chicago alter
nately, both doing what they could for
/ support living together last in the former
city. In 1872, leaving her there, he went
| to Chicago to attend to some business con-
nected with the demise of his first wife's
brother, named Fits. Or his arrival, ne
| found telegram that his wife in Cleve-
land was taken suddenly i'll, and might not
| live, though they would inform him if she
got worse. He staid four days, and when
he reached the Cleveland clearinghouse
was stricken down 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 gath
| cred up the keepsakes, gave up his place,
and has since lived here and there, earn
ing what he could. Here in Toledo he
may be remembered as skillful letterer
OF windows and painter of signs.
But it is the denoument which is the
straDgest part of his history, which is, that
he has within a short time made the dis
covery that his wife is not dead, but was
discovered by her friends, and, by de.
ceit, reclaimed from her wandering, and
is now living at her old home, with the
friends of her youth. Niles, who has
himself told these facts, declares his in
tention of retaining his lawful wife, and
is sure he will succeed in doing so.-T0Le-
III lGA5oA To,,r,,