St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-18

and resigned his place, informing Mr.,
Leatham that he was going TO accom-
pany his uncle to Canada. Soon after
ward he left the neighborhood. a fact of
which Miss Leatham was duly informed.
A STRANGE WEDDING.
The day after the capture of Melton,
Mr.. Leatham announced to his daughter
that he had in his custody the man who
had ruined her; that his name, he had
discovered, was Melton, and that he
supposed he belonged to North York
shire family of that name, which was
highly respectable.
More than that" he said, IL have
procured special license and the
curate is here at this moment to marry
you"
Maria's establishment was naturally
very great, but she was afraid to say
anything. She knew that Topping had
deserted her in her extremity and that
soon her disgrace would be known to
the world. Her fathers statement was,
of course, a perfect mystery to her, but
she made up her mind in an instant to
do just as lie desired.
And SO, meeting for the first time, the
woman, glad TO cover her shame and the
man glad to meet such happy deliver
ance from arrest and the gallowS and to
fall upon comparatively easy lot, as he
believed, the two were united i'll M ar
riage.
NOT so BAD AFTER ALL.
After this Mr.. Lea tn am took little
notice of either of them. They had their
own apartments, and attendants to wait
upon them, and Mr.. Leatham made his
daughter liberal allowance. How the
newly welded couple settled it between
them may never be known: but they
certainly lived amicably together, and
the husband, who had considerable tact,
managed to assume the bearing OF
gentleman with some degree of success.
1t so happened that in his earlier
years he had been cOnverSant with
farming, and as soon as he became
somewhat familiar with his new cir
cumStanceS he interested himself on the
home farm, and finally took entire man.
agement of it. After the birth of the
first child three others followed. Mr..
Leatham had become reconciled to
things as they were, and at last his re-
latiOnS with his SOn-in-law were almost
cordial
In the meantime all but the eldest
child had died, and in 1876 the mother
followed them. The eldest son was
then known as George Melton, and
thirty-tive years of age. He had been
married for ten years and had children.
Mr.. Leatham died month later, and
George Melton succeeded as matter of
course 10 the estates, Mrs. Melton hay
ing courtesy title in them.
TROUBLE COMES AT LAST.
All these years Mr.. Melton had con-
Quoted himself with marked propriety,
and had won the respect and esteem of
the neighboring gentry. Nothing had
ever occurred to bring to light his early
career, and after the first year or so no
one manifested much curiosity as to his
antecedentS.
Soon sfter Mr.. Leatham's death, how
ever, trouble came. The gentleman'S
nephew, Thomas Wiltshire, laid claim
to the property, alleging that the eldest
son of Mrs. Melton was born out of we'd
lock. and could not therefore inherit.
On the trial of the action it was proved
that the child was born week or more
after the marriage, but very uneX-
pectedly fact came to light which
proved fatal to George MeltOn'S title.
While Mr.. Melton was attending the
trial i'll London he was identified on the
street by his former associate, Jones,
though so many years had elapsed since
they parted on the night of the at
tempted burglary. Melton endeavored
to deny the identity, but Jones was per-
SiStent, and learning the nature of the
trial III progress, and that it involved
the very property which was the scene
of their unlawful acts Oh the night of
Oct. 19, 1870 he threatened Melton with
exposure unless he paid him a sum of
money. Melton absolutely refused to
pay anything, and persisted in denying
that he was Kendrick. Then Jones
produced the woman to whom Ken
drick had been married in 1906 at
Maryleb0ne church, London, and by
whom he had had two children. This
made his marriage to Miss Leatham a
nullity.
SITCHADE GRANGE VACATED.
Other evidence of his identity rapidly
accum ulated. 1t was shown that for
two years. just previous to his lawless
deeds i'll the North, in. 1910, he was con-
fined in Dutch prison, and that he
had been branded on the shoulder, the
mark of which still existed.
The story of his robbery of the SER
vant-man and his assuming the same
name as that Oh the stolen linen also
came out, and finally George Melton,
rather than expose himself to further
disgrace and c0ntumely, retired from
the legal contest and yielded up the
estate. Then, i'm 1917, as already stated.
CltCllduc VII dllSt clldilStu HdlluS.
Melton, OF kendrick, always anticipat-
ing and dreading some exposure. had
managed to save several thousand
pounds. That he was not thoroughly
bad man is manifest from the circum-
stance that he took up his abode with
George Melton and his family, and
mainly supported them, Mrs. Melton
ha ing small income of her own. Mrs.
kendrick, well stricken in years and
amply provided for by her children,
never moleSted her husbond.