National Republican., 1883-11-22
BARNARD--BURR AFFAIR.
Miss Burr Claims to be a Lawfully Welded
Wife.
Mrs. Isnrnard's Story OF Her Formo,
Husbnnd--Thc Marriage Certificate.

In the matter Of the Burr. Barnard affair."
which has created so much excitement, Miss
Burr claims, since her return, that she is the
lawful wife of Barnard, whom she married
shortly after they left this city, and alleges
that the mother of his children, whom ho de-
serted, was never legally married to him, as
she had husband living when he welded
her.
Mrs. Barnard was seen by a REPUBLICAN
reporter last night in reference to the matter.
She said
"In 1853, at the age of 10, was married
near Seaford, Del, to Joseph Tindale, who
deserted me about three months after mar
riage and about one month subsequent TO his
desertion | learned, in what appeared to me
to be an authentic manner. that Tindale had
been drowned between Newcastle and Will
mington, Del; but hoping that IL might be
untrue removed from Seaford to Newcastle
for the purpose of making every effort to OBJ
tain undoubted information as to his fate,
and most diligent inquiry more strongly con-
vinced me that the report was true. Having
made many friends in Newcastle 1 deter
mined to make it my home, and
after / had been living there for
about three years / made tho
acquaintance of Mr.. Barnard. who paid me
great attention for four years, when he asked
my hand in marriage ] accepted the offer,
marriage, and Of the facts relative to the dis
appearance of my husband and his reported
death, and, as he still persisted in his wish to
make me his wife, we went to Philadelphia
and were married in the rectory of st. Luke's
p. E. church, as is shown in this certificate of
marriage. The following is copy of this
certificate:
"Ths is to certify that on Monday, the sixteen h
day of January, in the year of our Lord one thou.
sand eight hundred and sixty, married John
according to the usage of the Protestant Episcopal
church in the United StaIes of America.
Given under my hand and seal the day and
"(signedl NJ. A. DEwoLFE HOWE. [seall
1--WE returned to Newcastle, and about
three months afterward l heard that Tin
dale had made his appearance, and few days
atterward saw him on the street. and pointed
him out to Barnard. No conversation took
place between Barnard and Tin
dale, nor did l have anything to say
| TO Tindale. Barnard's Enoch Arden story
about his offering to surrender me to Tin
dale as having the best right to me is made
of whole cloth. Nothing of the kind ever
took place. Inquiry made at this time de-
veloped the fact that at the time of marrying
me Tindale had wife formerly Miss
| Davis then living, and for all that know
to the contrary she is still living, although l
have never heard of either of them from that
time until now. For the past .twenty-four
| years Barnard and myself have lived
| together as man and wife as happily as could
| possibly be, and we would now be living
so had it not been for the tempter, in the
person of Miss Blanche Burr, entering our
peaceful and happy family circle and making
total wreck of it. On the very morning of
his departure Mr.. Barnard, after bidding his
! children farewell, embraced me, holding me
locked in his arms for at least five minutes
Five or six letters were received from him
while in st. Jo in all of which he denied
any knowledge whatever of Miss Burr, but in
q letter to his daughter Lizzie, dated st.
10, Oct. 12, 1883, he says: Dear daughter,
think well of me, no matter what
others may say. Blanche is with me, and
hope you will forgive me when you know all,
but cannot tell you. So may God bless you
by forever In another portion of the same
letter he writes: Now by time you receive
| this will be in some other place, where my
4 friends and enemies will not be able to find
me; for l will cover up my tracks behind me,
for l cannot stand to be threatened with
being arrested for bigamy, and all that sort
of thing" What steps / shall take in
upon, but / shall certainly spare
no effort to have my fair name and my
children's set right before the world. l
should have stated that on the morning of
Barnard's departure he threw into the
kitchen fire number of papers, remarking
to the servant, Dead men tell no tales /
have since become convinced that in search
ing for my marriage certificate he had found
the letter which had received and always
kept it, informing me of the death of my first
husband, together with other papers relating
to the same, as 1 have not been able to find
them since he left, although l saw them o
| short time before"