Omaha daily bee., 1883-03-15
MASHED By MONEY.
A FiOkla Woman Violates Her
Vows and Destroys Her
Home.
A Social Scandal that Has Set
Niagara Falls Society
on Edge.
snecial 10 The Cleveland Lead.r.

Special to the Cleveland Lead.r.
BUFFALO, N. Y, March 1~0.-Social
circles in the romantic village Of
Niagara Falls are just now agitated
over q sensation Of considerable mag.
nitude, In which are involved some
people who with their relations are
known all over the country. 1t ap.
pears that about ten years ago Miss
Celine Taylor, a daughter Of Mrs. d.
r Jerrold, the wife of n of the pro-
prietors OF the Cataract House, fell In
love with Samuel Mason, q young mar
who managed an "Indian Store" in
Prospect Park, who was afterwards
clerk and Is now In the Niagara
Falls custom house. Miss Taylor was
about twenty years old, q beautiful
brunette, whose every wish had been
grati6ed, and who had been thorough.
ly petted, until she was q spoiled child,
by her step-father and her mother.
Sam was q tall, good.looking, man.
ly fellow, who had innumerable
He was o poor boy, and
worked himself up In the world by en-.
ergy and attention to business. He
earned enough money to support q
wife In comfortable circumstances, but
he could not maintain . woman In the
ease and luxury to which Celine had
always been accustomed. Her friends
told her 40, but their words of advice
served only to increase the feeling of
mutual entertainment which had sprung
up between them, and the couple were
soon after married. Everything passed
of pleasantly for . time. Then Mrs.
Mason found that her husband was
really unable to give her sufficient
funds TO enable her to dress as we'll as
she had been used to apparel herself.
Being naturally sensitive this had q
very unhappy effect on her, which was
enhanced BY the fact that her relatives
were all able TO put on a. much style
% In former. times. This was espe.
oially the case with her Sster, who
was the wife of Peter A.. Potter, one
of the old Porter family, an ,wner of
Goat Island and preuident Of t,e vii.
lafe. Mrs. Porter had unlimited
means to crafty her tsAe,
and, % wan only natural under tn
circumstances, she dressed In accord
with her husbands wealth. Mrs.
Mason was unable to keep up with the
fashionable society In which she
moved, and although Sam struggled
hard to do everything for her, she lost
her love for him. This change was
not at first noticed by others, for the
union had been cemented by the add.
ton to the family Of three bright chill.
dren, the eldest of which IL q boy
seven years of age. Wirhin q few
years George w. James, . Buffalo
druggist, went to Niagara Falls and
established o drug store opposite the
International hotel. He dressed
finely, had q auave, i~usinuating man
ner, and bore the reputation Of being
q gladys man." He paid consldera.
BILE attention to Mrs. Mason, and was
finally told by friends that 1t was ex-
citing talk. 1t ID reported that he
showed the door to well.me ming
townsman, and emphatically expressed
his intention to do what he wanted to
Without any regard to what people
thought or said. The relations con-
tinued until recently, When James ct.
tsntions TO Mrs. Mason became 90
marked that the husband took his
three children home to his mother and
abandoned the hayward woman. He
left her all the furniture and house.
hold effects. with which she furnished
. suite of rooms on Main street where
ahe IL now residing.
Mason was head over heels In bebt,
% . result Of his wife's extrayagance,
He is generally popular, being thu
chief Of the Niagara Falls five depart
msnt, and much sympathy Ia expresa
cd for him by residents Of the place
he 10 remarkably temperate In hi
habits, and for q number Of years hs'
not INDUCED In any excesses. Mason
sister 10 the wife OF Charley Backus
the minstrel man, and all Of his CON
neotiona are prominent. At the I'D
vice Of friends MI. Mason sough
legal counsel with Mr.. Davis, the ne,
county Judge Of Niagara county
through whom an application for
divorce has been made to the Suprem
court. An effort will be made to hav
. referee appointed, and try the Cas-
without any publicity, which 60 ia
has been avoided by all Of tn
parties interested. A Leader GORE,
pondsnt was told that Mrs. MI
son had not yet put In any de-
Tense, and that abe would offer n
obstacle to the speedy deoision of th
case without the necessity for . publ
trial. The developments which sue
an event would bring to light O.
readily be imagined when I state tn
the details given In this dispatch hA,
been shorn Of everything tending +
wards sensationalism. There ID r
port current that - 500 ~ the deor,
Il granted Mrs. Mason and jam,
will get married and seek . new hon
Ia the west. This ID strengthened
the fact that James has already MAJ
arrangements for selling out his drl
store. The people at the Falls are
q less to understand why Mrs. Mast
took . fancy to the druggist, who
much infevior to her husband In eve
. respect, except possibly the size
his purse.