The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1877-06-01
A RENINISCBNCE.

Ah hS~ ApSSs ha~ Pte~~bs IVY ~
Louisville. Kentucky wAs very insig-
niicant plans. II had oaly about
twelve hundred Inhabitants: bu. among
them were quite q number Of persons
/ Of means.
/ The riches. Of them vas DuncAn JET.
frsys Preston, q middls.aged Scotch.
man, who had arrived in 1899 at thu
[ falls Of the Ohio river. with q fortune
OF Que hundred thousand dotisrs. BY
dint Of judicicus sp<culstions he bad
trebled his estate in less than eight
years.
Preston WAS . native Of Glasgow;
but tn. reason why be left Scotland
never became fully known. He him
self said that . gTievou, disAppoint.
/ n,est 10 love had caused him 70 cons Ia
| tos sew world. Gradually, however,
ranors began 10 circuists in Kentucky =
/ in regard to HE departure from Europe.
/ which seemed little to his credit.
| II wss asserted thst he had married
in 1859. the daughter Of James Nc
Glenigan. = wealthy sbip-builder Of
Glasgow. and that his wife had died
under suspici ,us circumstances. she hsv-
ing charged him on her dsath-de with
having poisoned her.
| il Wss said, however, that sn inves.i-
| Cation into tbs circumstance of the
death Of Mrs. Preston hsd resulted in
cliciting nothing suspicious. Public
opinion. it was added, which had at
firs. been very hostile 70 the widowsr.
had in consequence of the Investigation
greatly changed in bis favor.
| Prest0n's father-in law had died 10
1883. and his younger daughter. Eliza.
beth Jane. had become tho second wife
of her brother in-law.
She had died thrss weeks after her
wedding day, and hsr husband. declar.
ing that her domestic Affections had
rendered Gissgow an intolerHbls place
OF abode for h!m. bad sold his property
thare At great sacrifice. and emisrstei
TO America.
| A brother of his two wives, hO W -
a surgeon ia the British navy, it was
whispered, bad caused his sisters re-.
mains 10 be sxhumtd few mouths
after Preston had left Glassow. and
hal asserted that he bad discovered q
considerable quantity Of arsenic in hsr
! stomach.
Chsmis,ry. however. At that period
was in very backward state. aud sn
Edinburg professor of medicine. to
whom tho stomsch Of the corps WAS
sent for analysis, declared there WAS M
poison ia it.
Kentucky soc;sty. at that time, was
decidedly mixed. and people then treat
ed rich persons. even though their ante
ccdents we're believed to be suspicious
aud tquivocsl. with great deal more
Difference than now.
So Preston was readily admitted into
tho best families of the state.
lie lived in the finest building in
Louisville, 3 two story brick house.
which even now il an object Of curl
osity for those fars,ill.r with tho early
history Of kentucky.
L, WAS on tbs 10th of September.
1906. that Preston entered the houss oi
Jonas T. Blair. . wel.-,0-io Ohio and
Mississippi trader. and asked him for
the hand Of bis only daughter Mary.
| Miss Blair was beautiful creature OF
nineteen - tall. dark brunette. with
somc wat irregular features, but wore .
pair Of glorious eyes sparkling With in
| telliXsncc aud good dhsArtedness
All the AAt-boat,ucs on tho river
knew her. and not ope Of them would
have shrank from betting his bottom
| dollar thst there Was no young woman
more fascinating. accomplished and
goud on the whole American continent.
Miss Blair had received several offers
Of marriage when chs wms but little
over fift.cn years sf age. Her parents
had rejected the suitors. aud she her
self had declared lauShingly that moth
ing would tempt her to leave b. r pleAs-
snt home at Louisville. even thouxh h
she should become al old ms,d,
In 1905. however. . ycrag New
Yorker. Bradford T. Jones. bad arrived
in the city with letters Of iatro.iacs 90
to old Mr.. Blair.
He wss . school-tsscher by profes-
sIon, but. 1t Mr.. Bisirs request, he To-
came his bpck keeper aud business man
sgcr.
| From the very drst. after becoming
acquainted with Mics Mary Blair.
young Jones commenced paying Assid-
uous attentions 10 her
Ths young girl on Ter part. treated
him At drss rather colily. but gradually
the pr..estations II love. which he
never tired Of pouring into her ears.
overcanie her rspagnance. snd two
nlouths after they first met they hat BE-
come lovsrs.
Strange snosgh. Miss Blasrs parents
never suspected tho tender intimacy
between their handsome daughter ani
Jones aud when Mr.. Pssston applied
Tor Nssvs hand. both h.r fsthsr aud
her mother received hlm With oYen
sreis-
Mary was called ia by her mother.
an.i prestcn. with tha pom poas petite
ness Of . gsntlsman If the cid scl,ool
formally proposed 10 her.
III 10 \ great fortune fer you. Mary.
s.id her father, that - wealthy an !
respectable gentleman asks you to be-
come his wife"
Mr.. Pessaee." Aijs,t her mother.
says be will take you 20 Europe after
You are mArrisd."
Mary. blushiny - the roots u hsr
hair. dropped her pretty heed Thea
bursting into ,cars. abe hurried from
the rtsxD.
All yonsg girls ac. in that way.
sAsi her father TO Pressoc. The naAi-
ter 10 spstlsd Call sssin te-mogrow
morning. and my daughter will be Elad
30 ses yea-
Fer ssvsral dsys Mary Blair refused
10 ,sy whether or net che would bessscn.
rreston's w.fs.