Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-08-14
A TALE OF WOE.

MOthef-1n.LaW Claims That AAer |
Daughter was Dragged Into . MAR
riage A Brother OF the Husband
Tells His side OF the story - A
Peculiar Memory - The Course of
True Love.
The sensational accounts that appeared
n the afternoon papers yesterday concern
ng Clara Fales, a Newark girl, who it was |
claimed was drugged into marriage with
Frank E. Stevens, . brakeman on the Con-
solidated road July 8, received an emphatic
from the story that is given
by the other side. Frank Stevens was
out of town last evening but his brother
Charles was seen, at whose house the
young lady visited and where the drugging
was done if anywhere. He told story
substantially as follows: That the report
given to the papers by Mrs. Fales was
untrue and the drugging story especially
absurd. The girl came to his house to
make his wife visit for few days, and
during the stay violent attachment grew
up between his brother Frank and the
girl SO much SO that marriage was talked
of. There was no influence brought to
bear by the brother Charles to bring
about the union and he even talked
against it to the young lady.
He told her that she ought not to do it
without her mothers knowledge, and that
as she was minor no license could be OBJ
tanned here in New Haven without the
mothers consent. To this the girl re-
piled: 81 will say that I am 81 years of
age and live in Boston, or will 60 to New
York and be married" This was said in
the presence OF witnesses. The couple
were duly married by Rev. Mr.. Meserve,
and was witnessed by Mr.. and Mrs. Charles
Stevens. A license had been procured by
Frank, his brother accompanying him to
the registrars, and the only thing falsely
sworn to was the girls age, which she had
proposed herself.
They lived with the brother at 88 De-
Witt street for about one week apparently
happy, and had begun to look up home
for themselves During this time Dr.
Bush was called in to attend her for a
slight ailment and saw no traces that
would indicate that the girl was in a
drugged condition. And this is what
many other people who saw her frequently
will testify. The bride Of week thought
it would be good plan, SO she claimed to
go down home and conciliate her mother
by breaking the news gently, as there was a
fine piano and some other things which had
While gone she wrote Frank several let
ters of wifely character and SO signed.
The husband has never seen the mother of
| the girl and only went down to Newark
| npon the.receipt of a telegram from his
| wife and SO signed asking him to come. He
went, but not like Caesar, to conquer. The
fond wife, who had but short time be-
fore left him SO reluctantly, now met him
with sort of inexplainable coldness-
| formed him that she could live with
him no more. No definite reason
was given or could be assigned
The brothers think the trouble must have
been started by that bete-noir of connubia
bliss, namely, mother-in-law. They
can't quite understand how she should fee
that her daughter had married beneath
her in the social scale, as she supports her
self by acting in the capacity of q janitol
in bank building and also receives pen
sion as a soldiers daughter. She has al
times found it rather hard to provide fol
herself and children. The husband will
go down to Newark to-day. to further in
quire into matters, and will have state
ment to make later.
Yesterday Mrs. Fales was in town and
besides retaining Attorney Callahan to in
stitute proceedings for divorce, she had
the papers listen to her extraordinary tall
of woe She insisted that her daughtel
could never have taken such a step as t.
marry brakeman in her right senses, and
hence claims that she must have beer
drugged, and also said that her daughte
stated she had been oblivious to all sur
roundings for the entire period of sever
days, during which the ceremony had beel
performed.
Miss Fales, or Mrs. Stevens, as the cas-
may be, is a very handsome young girl
highly accomplished, and is the leading
soprano in the First Baptist church a
Newark. This case is but another exam
pie that goes to prove the old adage, 9Th
course of true love never runs smoothly,
and what the result will be time only ca
tell, but the story at least is remarkable.