The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-05-02
4 ROMANTIC STORY.

y despatch from Port JeTvis, y. \.
to the New York Times, relates this
Joseph Morse. Of StrOudsburg Pa, made
800, GOO in 1850 out of a contract on the Della
ware, Lackawanna and Western railway,
which was then constructing. He removed
to this place, and purchased fine residence.
His family consisted OF his wife and two
daughters His wifeS maiden name was
Colin She was member of a prominent
New Jersey family, and had two younger
sisters. Mr.. Morse gave both Of his daugh-
ter fine education. Frances was ETadu-
ate OF Seward institute, in Florida, this
county, a school founded by the father of the
late Secretary Seward, and which has always
been conducted by members of that family,
Miss Morse was a fine musician and linguiSt.
After returning home from school she be
came contributor to the New ! ork period
icalS. While at school, she, with ThOughtlcSS
companions of hers, inserted an advertisement
in New \ Ork newspaper soliciting cores
pOndeHcc with some gentleman, with view
to matrimOuy. The advertisement was an
sWeTed by r l. jerks, of Boston. 4 CORES
pOndence was carried on between Miss
Morse and jerks for some time. and finally
they became engaged without ever having
/ seen each other.
Some time after the Morse family came 10
Port Jeryis Mrs. Morse died. Her husband
subsequently married one of her sisters. In
1854 after Frances returned from school, her
betrOthed husband came ON from Boston to
see her. She dISliked him aS soon aS she saw
him. Her stepmOther, however, fancicd the
young man, and through her influence Fran
ces was induced to reconsider determiHa-
/ tiOn she had made to break of her engage
ment, and she and jerks were married.
They went to Boston. Mrs. jerks remained
. in that city only short time, a. She and her
I husband did not live happily together
/ jerks came to Port Jervis subsequently and
/ lived with ms VIE Tor SIX months, when q
/ separation was agreed upon between them,
/ and jerks went away. Meantime, Morse
had SQuaudered his fortune. During Sc
we're illness about this time NrS. jerks took
a. medicine large quantities OF opium
. When she recovered she aCceyed a position
f as teacher in one of the New Ork schools.
. 1t was there that she discovered that she had
acquired the opium habit. She became such
+ a slave 70 the habit that she was compelled
to give up her situation in New oTk- In
1889 her StepmotheT died. ana her father al
teTwsTd married the remaining one of the
three Coffin sisters Mrs. jerks gradually
obtained control of her appetite for opium
4 In 1854 her father took the contract FOR
. building the Hawley branch OF the Erie rail
way and removed from Port JeTyiS to lIaw-
+ ley. There Mrs jerks married = man NAM
J ed McEay, and the two removed To tOnuec-
ticUt. Il does not appear whether divorce
was ever obtained in the first marriage
/ Mckay died year or two afterwards
. Morse somewhat repaired his fortune by the
! Hawley branch contract, and removed TO St
Louis in $50 where he ama>~ed a large for
tune. and where, il i said, he still resides
His widowed daughter Joined him in that
CITY. and, by ueT accom- lll>llllltllN anu btttti
y, took a prominent place in society.
. The NorseS, in 1868, spent the summer at
. Saratoga. The young widow captured a
young SOUthtTneT named George :. Henry,
4 who was also staying At the springs She
married him, and they took up their resi-
4 dence on MS plantation near New Orleans.
They lived there happily for three years,
when Henry died After he died il was
found that his affairs were in such shape
that his wife and child would be left penni-
less. The child died soon afterwards, and
Mrs Henry fell soon afterwards into her
. old Opium-eating habit. She came to New
York city. Friends aided her in securing
work on the press. The habit Of opium
/ eating grew on her, and She was finally com
PEELED to cease writing She then engaged
. in dress making. From that time her friends
+ in this place lost trace Of her. 4 few days
ago IL was announced in one Of the morning
papers that Mrs. Henry had died At No. Il
Clinton Place. and that she had been 50 ad-
dicted to the use 0f opium that she required
from four to five ounces Of laudanum day.
This unfortunate woman proved to be the
former society belle at Port JeTviS, Frances
Morse.