Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1878-02-14
The Harrison County Widow
Again.
A Republican Reporter Sees Her
for Half Hour.

A Cadiz reporter had an interview
with the gay widow, Mrs. Clark, last
week, and gives its substance in the
Red,l6lican, as follows:
Mrs. Clark was born in Beaver, Pa.
Her name when girl was Belle Wat
tersnn. Her parents now live in Vir-
ginia. She is now probably 35 years OF
age,-(our reporters guess, Only,) is
decidedly good looking, intelligent,
vivacious, and sharp as steel trap.
She has relatives in Beaver, Pa, and
also at Waterford, Norfolk county,
Canada. She was married in 1862 to g
Mr.. Clark, q Railroad engineer, who
died in 1869. Her only child now
lives with her parents In Vir-
q mia. She met Mr.. F. ID. Barnes
in Beaver before her marriage with
Clark, and also was intimately ac-
quainted with Barnes first wife, and
was a connection of the family. This
explains how she happened to go to
Deersville, last June, to keep house for
Barnes.
THE CoURT5HIP.
Mrs. Clark relates that within a
week or two after her arrival in Deers-
vile Mr.. Moore called,-first on a
friendly visit to Mr.. Barnes (?) but
soon after to see her, avOWt dly. As
the summer advanced his visits be-
came more frequent, until they some
times reached three visits day. He
was very kind, and on one occasion
stirred peach butter for her all after
noon. II want the women to under
stand" remarked Mrs. g. TO our re-
porter, "that L recommend the old
gentleman as a very handy man to
have about the house. He was very
kind, and would bring me apples,
peaches, plums and everything he
could find good to eat. On one 'occa-
sion he brought some persimmOns.
They we're the first | had ever seen,
and as one of them fell out of his hat
ON the floor, in some alarm l exclaim-
ed that thought it to be mouse that
had jumped out of his wig" "But ]
tell you," she added, 81 was always
very careful what ate, tor there is no
telling what tricks these old codgers
might be up to-"
Finally came the proposal. This
Mrs. Clark regarded as the climax of
the joke, and told him seriously that
ste couldn't,-tha she would have to
lift him in and out of bed and carry
him on a pillow, I'd she couldn't
think of it. But he was not to be put
off SO easily, and instead of despairing
only redouble,i his persuasiOns and f.
nally offered eve rything in heaven and
on earth if she would marry him. She
put him to the test to see how much OF
heaven and earth he could gather up,
and the total result was thousand
dollars in money and deed for a little
property. The old gentleman procured
a marriage license and brought the
money and deed to her, which sheat
first refused. But es he insisted, the
next day she concluded to accept the
money. As he gave it to her he said
-"this ia your own till the words are
said-and Mrs. Z. says that as "the
words" have never yet been said she
supposed il is still her own.
Thus matters had drifted until she
found herself in an embarrassing posi-
tiGn, apparently about to be married 10
man to whom she had never given
her consent, who was lOathsome to her
personally, but whose Whims she had
INDUCED until he evidently thought it
was all in earnest. Something had to
be dOne-right away. The $1,000 wcs
convenient in such An emergency. She
left Deersville ON Sunday night, took
the train next morning at Philadelphia
Crossings, reached SteubeHAille, took
the River Road ahd arrived at Beaver,
Pa, on Monday evening. The story
of her pursuit is well known. Moore
and Msllernee were in Beaver the next
day, and she met them-they in a car
riage, driving swiftly out of town for
Beaver Falls, and she walking along
the sidewalk. She wore sun-bOnnet
aud they did not rt cOgniZe her. But she
didn't tarry long at Beaver. She was
soon In Cleveland. then in Buffalo, and
then across in Waterford, Canada,
among her relatives. She was married
on November 30th, TO Mr.. F.D. Barnes,
OF Deersville, the gentleman for whom
she had kept house, by Rev. II. Clam
ent, a Methodist minister. She came
to Columbus last week to see Mr..
Barnes child at the Blind Asylum, and
10 her surprise found an officer waiting
to arrest her. The rest of the story Is
known.
The officers took possession of Mrs.
Clark's watch and jewelry, which she
has the privilege Of redeeming at one
hundred dollars, and which she says
she intends to do. Among the jewel
ry Is a ring given her by Moore, hav-
ing beautiful design Of two hearts
closely intertwined, which she values
very highly, and does not doubt that
II cost at least a dollar and half. She
says she still has Moore's marriage H.
cense. which has pretty red letters on