The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-03-13
A FAMILY WRECKED.
| What Unrequited Love Has Done for a
Pennsylvania Family.
Erie pa Special.

hrie NFa.l special
Tomorrow the doors of the State
Lunatic Asylum will open to admit
a young lady whose intellect has been
dethroned by the perlidy of a recreant BRIDE
groom, highly connected young man named
d. Dullea, who basely fled on the morning
of the wedding day. The parties live at Har-
Dor Creek, a country village about eight
miles from Erie and the name of the de-
mented girl is Anna Peterson, daughter of
highly respected residents of that place
Miss Peterson is nineteen years old. and far
s,s.oye the average girl. About year ago
Dullea, young man of considerable prop
erty, paid her marked attentions, and in due
time gained her consent to wed him. The day
was set for the wedding and the little village
was "all tore up" over the event Friends
and relatives all over the State were invited
to be present at the ceremony. No one was
more Jealous in making preparations than
the bridegroom. The morning came and
Anna Peterson bedecked herself in gay bridal
robes. Trains brought hosts OF loving friends
who, as the hour drew nigh, assemb ed in the
parlors where the minister was in waiting to
perform the ceremony. The bridesmaids
were attired as elegantly as the young bride,
and the parlorS were profusely decorated
with floral and other ornamental designs.
The marriage was to be solemniZed at noon
and at 1850 the bridegroom had not arrived.
No alarm was experienced, as it was known
that he had couple of miles to drive. and some
allowance was made for him out of consdera-
ton for the ordeal in store. few minutes
before noon stranger rang the bell and
handed in u letter addressed to the bride, and
in the well-known handwriting OF Dullea
The bride was upstairs waiting for her lover
to lead her to the officiating clergyman, but
her XinnS afraid tO ,riu How
the letter. Fifteen minutes had passed, and
then Miss Peterson began to wonder what
kept Dullea. Not without forebodings of
evil did her father present her with the letter
She took it hastily from his hand, tore it
open, hurriedly glanced at its contents, and
then, with heart-piercing shrek, dropped
TO the floorin Swoon. The fatal letter was
picked up and was read to the wedding
guests. 1t was a curt, heartless epistle,
and in it Dullea said he was going
to travel abroad. Restoratives were
applied and the deserted bride was re-
vived. When she came out of the faint
she astonished her friends by quietly
readjusting her wreath of orange blossoms,
and taking the hand of an aged neighbor she
addressed hun by her false lovers name and
announced herself ready to repeat the words
that should make her his fond loving wife.
Then it flashed upon the minds of all pres
ent that the shock had deprived her of rea-
son. They led her away, like poor Ophelia,
smiling and chatting in an artless, innocent
way that was heartrending to witness. The
house of rejoicing was changed to house of
sorrow. The guests departed and Mr. and
Mrs. Peterson were left alone with their de-
mented child. During the night violent
paroxysms attacked her, and these were
by periods Of insensibility. To
add to the infamy of the affair the unhappy
parnts discovered that Dullea had been a
greater villain than even his base desertion
proclaimed him to be. A secret that had
been kept from her mother was disclosed by
the mind-dseased daughter and now it
would not surprise the people of Harbor
Creek if the minds of the parents sink under
the weight of sorrow and shame that has
fallen upon them.