The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1879-11-13
A SOUTHERN ROMANCE.
Love, Marriage, Happiness-A Dis
covery, Followed by Sepa-
ration, Misery.

VIC ldJe Wal, duOuG Jue year 1000
: well to do family, consisting OF hu!
' band, wife and child, caught,
/, about four years of age. settled i
e Walker codnty, Ala. They state
! that on account OF the operations
the two armies on the North Ca
] DINA coast, where they reside,
they were forced to seek hon
: elsewhere, and when they starte
, from their North Carolina hon
Texas was their destination, bU
upon reaching Walker county,
THAI SJaJe, they found IL TO be
quiet, peaceable and prosperou
community, and hence they con
cluded to settle down there. In ad
dttion to the tamily-John H. Rev
nolds, wife and daughter, as alread
stated-there were several slaves
Among the latter was a handsom
quadroon young woman, who wa
the maid of all work for the family
She was kindly treated, however
and most of her time was occupied
in caring for Mrs. Reynolds, who
was an invalid.
After the war closed Mr.. Rev
nolds concluded to remain in Walk
er county, as he had secured a good
farm aud was in fair circumstances
considering the losses entailed upon
Southern men. When Mr.. Rev.
nolds lived in North Carolina one
of his warmest and truest friends
was neighbor by the name OF
Henry Horton, who was also a
farmer well to-dO, and possessing
traits which render neighbors much
attached. The great desire of Rey-
nolds was to induce his old friend
and neighbor to sell out his possess
sions in North Carolina and remove
to Walker county, to assume the
same relations he occupied in for
mer days. Reynolds addressed
many warm, gushing letters to Hor-
ton, describing the beauties, the
riches and the bright prospects of
Walker county. There was q farm
near him that would suit him ex-
actly, and, if the latter did not have
enough money to purchase it, Rey
nolds would assist him. Finally
Horton yielded to the opportunities
of his old friend, sold out his prop
erty in North Carolina, and with
his wife and son removed to Walker
county, where he purchased a farm
a short distance from where Rey-
nOlds resided. Being thus settled
down once more as neighbors and
friends, things went smoothly and
prosperity smiled upon the two
houses. Mark Horton, the son,
and Jessie Reynolds, the daughter,
went to school together in the
nelghboring village, and as years
wore on they grew up to mani God
and womanhood fondly attached to
each other, a fact which gave the
greatest satisfaction to Reynolds.
His wife died about the time the
war closed, and his daughter, being
his only child, retained all his affec
ton, and he lavished upon her every
luxury that heart could wish. L be
quadroon woman renamed with the
family, while the other slaves scat
tered and found new homes VIII en-
the close of the war brought their
freedom.
When the time came for Jessie
Reynolds to quit the village school
and finish her education at college,
her father sought an interview with
Mr.. Horton, and lost no time in
broaching the subject of the future
marriage of Mark Horton and his
daughter. He reminded the old
man of the many years friendship
that had existed between them, and
how happy he would be to have the
son of his dear friend and neighbor
wed to his only daughter, who had
now grown into a beautiful young
lady, the belle If the country tor |
miles around, the envy of all the
other young ladies Whereabouts, aud |
the most popular girl to be found |
in the county. Mr.. Horton liked |
Jessie, and so informed her father.
But he thought both her and his
son too young just then to enter
INTO matrimony. He desired his
son to make a mark in the world
before marrying. 1t was finally
agreed, however, that Jessie should
20 to college for a year, and Mark
Ihould do the same. Upon their
'eturn, should they desire to marry,
he parents should interpose no oh
ections. The young people were
ent to cOllege-one In Kentucky
md one in New Jersey. When
hev returned from their collegiate
tudies, they became infatuated with
ach other on sight. Three months
hereafter there was a wedding Mt
he Reynolds mansion, which was
me of the grandest affairs of the
ind that had ever been witnessed
n that section. The loving pair
7ere made man and wife under the
appiest and most promising aus
ices. Each was heir to a comfort
BILE home and good income All
he neighbors thought that this
latch was the most appropriate they
ad known, and every body predict
d happiness and prosperity to the {
ewly married pair. The father of
lark presented him a nice farm,
nd the father of Jessie had a splon- J
id residence built for them. After
brilliant honeymoon, Mark end
is beautiful young wife concluded
} settle down on the farm which
adj been given them, and Mark de
,rmIned to adopt farming as his 3
usiness. Here all went merry ~
marriage bell. Prosperity smiled j
pom them, and in due time q son =
as born unto them, an event which q
as celebrated with great ecLGt, and .
hich brought unusual joy 10 the Z
areuts. In the midst of all this +
Apply condition of things the whole I
eigh borhood was thrown into a q
ate of utter confusion by the re i
ort that Mark Horton had sepa /,
lted from his wife, and that he had :
led a bill for divorce, ALLEGING that ;
fraud had been perpetrated upon
i'm in the marriage; that lis wife
ad negro hood in her veins; that
lerefore the marriage was null and
old. There were hundreds of ru-
lcrs, some ridiculous, many mali ]
ious, and the remainder about as !