The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-12-03
LOVE BY TELEGRAPH
Story of a Courtship Over 9, 200
Miles of Wire, n
Which Winds Up, as Ala Such stories
Should, With Wedding
Cupid at the Keys,


p CHICAGO, Nov. 90. Minnie A. ]. Odeil
was the daughter of manufacturer of paper
boxes of st. John, N B., who dying left his
wife and Minnie almost pennies, and in
order to aid her mother in the struggle for a
maintenance the young lady undertook to
learn biography. She mastered the art, and
IN year she became "a proficient operator,
and was engaged by the Western Union com.
pany at st. John She remained in
the company's employ with satisfaction
for a year witheut anything hap.
pening TO change the current of
her easy and uneventful life, until about
eighteen months ago At that time a man
went into the subofice where she was EN-
ployed to senda message to Fort Worth, Tex.
The message was very brief, and the lady
took and transmitted it to its destination.
The operator at Fort Worth who received il
was young man, whose name was AIling-
ham whose father Who was Confederate
soldier had been killed during the war, leav-
ing his young son in care OF
his widow and alsopenniless almost. Young
Allingham, whose full name is Henry H.,
received the message which was sent by the
young lady from St John, and something
in the mechanics Of its misunderstanding
probably to egraphers-attracted his at
tention. He telegraphed back to know who
was sending it. The answer was returned:
ga young lady" With the natural
gallantry of the chivalrous southerner
young Allingham replied: ''You send
we'll" Not to be outdone, Miss Odell re-
piled: "And so do you" From this simple
Interchange of compliments great fruits were
borne. The st. John young lady and the
Fort Worth young man fell into a converse
ton over the wires. They described the
places where they lived, they told who they
were, and many other things. In time the
wire from Fort Worth, it was noticed was
pretty much always "hitched on" to the wire
from st, John, when the Texas operator had
nothing else to do. In like manner it was
observed the st. John young lady was talking
very frequently with the other end, almost
of the antipodes. This thing after several
months became alarmingly frequent The
Fort Worth young man called on the young
lady in st. John before breakfast (by wirel.
He called her up at midday to take lunch
with him tby wire, and in the evening he sat
Oh the sofa with her, clasping her fair form
with his sturdy right arm, and pressing her
heaving bosom against his starched shirt
front 10y wire. He even went to the theatre
with her (by wire, and finally, and as a mat
ter Of course he babe her good night at Ii
O'Clock every evening (by wire) The St
John damSel and the Fort Worth youth
fell in love (by wire). 1t was in the
nature of the case that photographs
should be exchanged with dispatch"
Here the far-separated couple were obliged to
waive the use of the wire and employ the
mails. The letters which accompanied the
interchange of photographs were the only
ones which the pair ever wrote to each other
They acknowledged their receiptby wire As
easily as though it were done in the parlor of
her mothers home, Miss 0dell last Septem-
Der received what she had long ex-
pected and longed for. Over the wire
from young Allingham came the question
''Win you be nine" Answer was
| returned in the affirmative by wire, and the
| happy day was set for Nov. % Mrs. 0dell
and Mrs Allingham gave their consent to
the union, but the great question was as to
how the engaged couple should meet. 1t was
finally decided to split the distance and meet
| at point midway. The point selected wa,
| Chicago, and on the 9th of November &
motherly old lady and bright, vivacious
! little girl with brown eyes and wavy colder
hair appeared at the Briggs house ant
registered az Mrs. Odell and daughter, st
john On the 2eth-the day appointed fol
the meeting-a good-looking young mar
with a sun-browned face and an easy car
riage registered in the running hand of thu
telegraph operator, 81 H. AIlinghani, For
| WORTH and inquired for Mrs. Odell anG
daughter. He was shown to their room, ant
the bell-boy who led the way tells Of tn
meeting between the young couple who haC
never met, but weresoo to be man and wi.
| The young lady had been anxious and i'm
patient all day, and as the brown-face'
young man entered Mrs. Odel's door, tn
young lady, radiant and loving, ran forwar,
to meet him.
.."HarryM
"Mimliam
81 should have known you in minute b
your picture
"And you.n
"Then, F" said She boy, she jumped in hi
arms and he gave her a hug like, bear, an
the door closed and had to go down stair
without seeing the fun A few hours after
Mr. flaming, one of the proprietors wa
summoned to the room Mrs. Ode
told him the romantic story of tn
couples love while the said coupl
sat Billing and cooling, and sampling eac
others lips mot by wire. and asked his pei
mission to have a wedding. Col. Fannn
readily consented, and in few minutes til
Rev. Mr.. Barrows Presbyterian clergy
mann was summoned. All the arrangement
were completed, Cook county license pre-
cured, the ring purchased, and in Mr. Far
ning's own room, with Mr. and Mrs. Upmar
Mr. and Mrs. Tanning, and Mrs. Odell q
witnesses, the young lady from st. John an
the young gentleman from Fort Worth wer
made one and the sequel to the romano
ended. The proprietor of the hotel gave til
party a:quiet little dinner, and Mr. Alling
ham took his wife to Fort Worth and Mr.
OGen returned alone to st. John