Morris tribune., 1883-12-01
LOVE BY TELEGRAPH
Story of a .Courtship Over 2,2oo
Miles of Wire,
which Winds Up, as All Such stories
should, with u Wedding
Cupid at the Keys"

CHICAGO, Nov. 90 MINING A. j. Odell
was the daughter of manufacturer of paper
boxes of ST. John, n. B., who dying left his
wife and Minnie almost penniless and in
order to aid her mother in the struggle for
maintenance tie young lady undertook to
learn telegraphv. She mastered the art and
in a year she became proficient operator,
and was engaged by the Western Union COM
pany at St. John. She remained in
the company's employ with satisfaction
for year without anything hap
pening 10 change the current of
her easy and uneventful life, until about
eighteen months ago. AT that time man
went into the subotfice where she was Gin
ployed to sends message to Fort Worth, Tex.
The message was very brief, and the lady
took it and transmitted it to its destination.
The operator at Fort Worth who received it
was young man, whose name was Alling-
ham whose father who was Confederate
soldier had been killed during the war, leav-
ing his young son in care OF
his widow and also penniless 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 transmisSion-kuown
probably to graphers-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 Chvalrous southcrner
young dillingham; replied: you send
well" 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 alarmingiy frequent. The
Fort Worth young man called on the young
lady in ST. John before breakfast (by wire).
He called er up at midday to take lunch
with him Coy wire, and in the evening ne sat
on the sofa with her, clasping her fair form
with his sturdy right arm, and pressing her
heaving bosom against his starched shirt
front (by wire). He even went to the theatre
with her (by wire), and finally, and as 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). It 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 receipt by wire As
easily as though it were done in the parlor of
her mothers home, Miss Odell last Septenl-
Der received what she had long ex-
pected and longed for. Over the wire
from young Allingham came the question:
''Will you be mine?' Answer was
returned in the affirmative by wire, and the
happy day was set for Nov &c Mrs Odell
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 was
Chicago, and on the oath Of November a
motherly old lady and bright, vivacious,
little girl with brown eyes and wavy golden
hair appeared at the Briggs house and
John" On the 2hth-the day appointed for
the meeting-a good-looking young man
with sun-browned face and an easy car
riage registered in the running hand of the
! telegraph operator, 'H Fl. Allinghani, Fort
! WORTH" and inquired for Mrs. Oden and
daughter. He was shown to their room, and
the bellboy who led the way tells of the
meeting between the young couple who had
never met, but were soon to be man and wife.
The young lady had been anxious and inn
patient all day, and as the brown-faced
| young man entered Mrs. Odell's door, the
young lady, radiant and loving, ran forward
to meet him.
si"Harry!"
| 'Minnie!'
81 should have known you in minute by
your picture"
"And l you"
''Then," said the boy, ''she jumped in his
arms and he gave her hug like bear, an6
the door closed and had to go down stairs
without seeing the fun" A few hours after,
MI. Tanning, one of the proprietors, was
| summoned TO the room. Mrs. Odell
told him the romantic story of the
couples love while the said couple
sat billing and cooing and sampling each
others lips mot by wire), and asked his per-
mission to have a wedding. Col. Tanning
readily consented, and in a few minutes the
Rev. Mr.. Barrows, Presbyterian clergy.
man, was summoned. All the arrangements
were completed, Cook county license pro-
cured, the ring purchased and in Mr.. Fan
ning's own room, with Mr.. and Mrs. Upman,
Mr.. and Mrs. Tanning, and Mrs. Odell as
witnesses, the young lady from st. John and
the young gentleman from Fort Worth were
made one, and the sequel to the romance
ended. The proprietor of the hotel gave the
party quiet little dinner, and Mr.. Alling-
ham took his wife to Fort Worth and Mrs
OGell returned alone to St John.