The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-07-08
FUNNY BUSINESS
IN A MATRIMONIAL COMEDY ENDS IN
COURT.
A Mock Marriage Taken Advantage o
by Legal Husband Who Wants
to BE Free-Legal Husband
Draws n Blank.

NEW YORK, July S--A horrible anxiety
respecting her name has since 1888 filed the
mind OF young woman who, in her maiden
hood. was known definitely as Flora A.
Hasting' She desired to be known as Mrs.
Flora Reyes, the wife OF Winfield Scott
Reyes of San Francisco, but he rejected her
and insisted that she was the wife of ]. O. B.
Kelly. Mr. Kelly comp eted her discontinue
by insisting that he was her husband, and
had been such without her knowledge from
1875 Laying the names Of both Reyes and
Kelly aside for the nonce, she brought in
her maiden name a suit in this city to have
her maiden status decided by the supreme
court She made j. o. B. Kelly the defend
ant in the action and asked the court to de-
clare null and void the marriage rela-
ton which, according to Kelly, ex-
isted between them Kelly was
served with the papers in the action,
but he failed to appear at the trial before
Referee Abram King Flora A Hastings
was the daughter of wealthy Roman
Catholic family of San Francisco From
1879 to 1876 she attended school at the Notre
Dame Academy, Baltimore There she be-
came acquainted with j. o. b. Kelly, whose
family resided at Chaly beate Springs, Va.
In 1876. when II years old, she and
her brother, young Kelly, and two OF
the latter's sisters, together with the
Rev. William Walsh, friend Of the Kelly
family, left the springs for the north.
When they reached Allegheny station, il
was suggested that they marry in fun, and
Fether Walsh was called upon while wait
ing for the train to marry the youngsters
He asked each one if they wanted tC
marry the other, and, being answered in
the affirmative, replied, "All right
| Yes" Miss Hastings wanted to know
II 1t was real marriage
to which Father Walsh replied, Non
| sense" Flora went to Baltimore, finished
| her education, returned to San Francisco
| and in 1878 was married to Winfield Scott
Reyes by Bishop Allsmany. In 1882 she
| became a mother, and in 1888 Reyes began
an action in the superior court of San Fran
| cisco for the annulment of his marriage
| with her ON the ground that she was the rea
| wife of J. o. B. Kelly. He also asked tha
their child, a girl, be legitimized and be
| given into his custody.
| Prior to this event Mrs Reyes had beer
startled by rumors that j. O. B. Kelly con
II
since they parted in Virginia and had heart
nothing from him. To her horror sh,
learned from him that he considered her hi
wife She then took up her residence in thi
city. But Kelly followed her to New York
and here she served him with tn
papers in her suit Referee Kim
decided that the marriage for fun wa
no marriage at all, because gone through
In violation of the statute of Virginia
1t was not a marriage under the common
law, because they had not lived as man AM
wife. Beyond this it lacked ceremonial
character, and all the circumstances indi
Gated that Flora, young Kelly, and Fathe
Walsh all regarded it as unmarked by seri
GUS intention. Judge Andrews, to whom
the report of the referee was presented, ha
confirmed it, and the plaintiffs name
once more Flora A. Reyes, wife of Winfield
Scott Keyss and well equipped for the de
Tense of her title to that name and place.