Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-01-28
SECRET MARRIAGE
The Denouement Of Which Was Little
Baby and Desertion by the Husband
Final Retribution.
A Montana Miner, Captured by Variety
Actress, Showers Gold and Gifts Upon
Her, Only to be Refused.

prominent lawyer yesterday to a Glo5e re-
porter, who had called upon him -. bis
Office. "The realm of actual tact is richer
in material for fiction than the deepest re-
cesses of the most fertile imagination. In a
LAWYERS Office one soon finds that out
Clients one after another pour their stories
into the ears of their counsel until his mind
becomes a treasury of personal experiences
strange and numerous enough 10 equip q
dozen noyelisis for life. One in particular
comes to my mind Just now, which will
briefly tell you. In 1875 a woman came 10
see me and told me the following remarkable
| tale:
ain 1861, when / was still in school and
but sixteen years of age, l wac living with
my parents in Massachusetts Town. Board
ing with them was young man with whom
/ associated considerably. One day we were
sleigh-riding in neighboriDg town together,
| when he made q proposition OF marriage,
and urged its immediate acceptance and eL-
ecution. After some hesitation consented,
and we went at once to the nearest minister,
who tied for us the matrimonial knot. No
| one saw Us save the minister and his wife,
| both of whom were over seventy years OF
| age and to whom we were entire strangers.
| We came back then to my parents house,
| but told them not a word OF what had hap
| pened. Ostensibly we lived as before, but
secretly In our new relations OF husband and
| wife, After a few weeks / mustered courage
enough to sound my mother for the purpose
| of ascertainiug how she would receive the
| news of our marriage should we reveal It:
| So strong dislike did she express regarding
my husband when limited at the possibility
| of his becoming such, that my courage van
| ished and gave up all thought Of renewing
| the subject. But the necessity OF promptly
| taking some decisive step was soon made APP
| parent to me.
."At this iuncture my husband, saying
| that he had accomplished his intentions and
satisfied his designs, basely and heartlessly
deserted me, and enlisted in the army. What
was 1 to DO? After much thought decided
that l must get leave of absence from home
| on some pretext or other. So / asked per-
mission Of my parents, when summer ar
rived, 10 spend my vacation at the home OF
| a sehoolmate, in Vermont town. They con-
senied, and l went 10 a town of moderate
| size in Vermont, where l was utterly unac-
| quainted and had no schoolmate whatever.
| Arriving at the station, asked to be driven
| TO the best doctors, and in his Office told
| him of my sad situation and asked him to
| find me 3 quiet place in which to board. He
was very kind, and did for me these things
and more. But l concealed my identity
| from him and every one else. Only the
| family with whom / boarded knew OF my
presence in the town. Finally my child
was born, and adopted by gentleman
| and lady whose kind offices had been Sc
cured by the doctor, but who knew moth
| ing of me. Then l wrote to my parents,
saying that / had been sick, though not
seriously, and had lost good deal Of
| Assh, bat should return to them as soon as
| able 10 travel.
81 did 80 return, and no one has ever sus-
pected the object of my journey. grauu-
| ated from school, and am now employed as
| book-keeper in a store in this city. No one
dreams that am a married woman, and yoa
are the only person TO whom have told any
| portion Of my story since my child was born,
| and the only external reminder that 1 have
| had of my experience occurred one day
when l was startled by the entrance
| into the store where / am employed OF the
| couple who adopted my child, accompanied
| BY the child itself; and l assure you that
| when the little one picked up some tribe
| from the counter aud said to me, Can have
this, lady p il was the most trying moment OF
my life, and only with The greatest e1ertion
| did l retain my self.control."
"But why do you come to me with your
story at this late day~ interrupted /. What
can do for you"
"Simply because" she answered, "my hus.
| DdlQ, from WHOM L nave ncNci ucdio eAASc
| he enlisted in 1861, appeared before me
about week ago and dem anded recognition
| of his relationship. l refused to have any
| thing TO do with him, since which he has
been harrsssing and annoying me in every
possible way, and live in fear that my poor
mother, now an invalid, will in some way
| learn the facts and die 10 consequence OF the
| shock. / come to you, sir, to learn II there
is a way by which to avoid this calamity"
81 considered the mater, and finally ad-
vised her to leave the city on vacation OF
| thirty days, telling no one where she was
| going ept her mother, 10 whom she
should give such reasons for her departure
as would oisarm suspicion. few days
| later che came to my Office about 8 O'Clock
| in the morning and said that she was to
leave for New Hampshire by the IL o'clock
train that day. She went but three days
afterward appeared again in my office, much
| to my surprise. what are you doing here
sgain% asken I"
"She replied: you advised me better
than you knew. left, as said would, by
the IL o'clock train. When it had reached
a certain city, where all trains stop, a
stranger entered the car in which sat; and
asked Id loud voice, IS Miss - in this
carp The name that he mentioned was my
owp. l was much startled, but felt at once
| that my husband had disco gered my depart.
ure and the direction OF my journey and
had followed me- However, not wishing TO
| play the coward after fourteen.years
struggle for independence, resolved 10 face
the music, and responded to the strangers
| question. Follow me- he said somewhat
peremptorily. / obeyed, and he conducted
me TO q buggy drawn by pair Of horses
| foamipg with sweat. We got in and he
drove off at tremendous rate, not saying a
word. Finally he stopped before house,
| which he told me TO enter. Again obeyed,
| and was met at the door and ushered into a
room where lay my dying husband, with a
| lawyer and minister by his bedside. II
took but a few moments to ex-
plain the possibility OF this surprising
situation. Ny husband had come 10 the
| city in which We were, knowing 1t 10 be
a stopping place for all trains, with the view
of boarding every train till he should find
me. The intervals between the train arrivals
he had spent in driving about the city in a
buggy. While thus employing himself he
was thrown out and fatally injured. Taken
| into the nearest house and informed that he
had but short time to live, he hastily sum-
moned lawyer and minister, and dispatched
a stranger in the buggy from which he had
been thrown, with instructions TO find me il
possible. His object in summoning lawyer
was 10 make will bequeathing his estate to
me. 1 declined to accept anything from him
or TO recognize him as my husband. In IF
teen minutes he was corpse. Then / hur.
ried back to Boston; and as result you see
me here. As l said before, you advised noe
better than you knew
"She went away, and from that day TO this,
with the exception OF one occasion when
passed her on the street, have not laid eyes
upon her."
| at lie, indeed, a romance" said the reporter
"Yes," the lawyer answered, land l am
sure of its truth"