The Jersey City news., 1891-02-27
ROMANCE OR FAKE.
A Queer Story Of Homicide
and Marriage Which
Cannot Be Verified,

A newspaper despatch from st. Paul
tells the following wild story of a mar
riage said 20 have taken place In Jersey
City,
Mr.. and Mrs. James Henderson, who
were married in Jersey City last week,
and left tonight for their home in Mon
tana, after spending day in st Paul,
are happy couple with an extraordinary
history. About ten years ago, George
Harkness, the son OF a Boston tailor,
eloped with a beautiful young lady who
was the adopted daughter Of Samuel
Ward, a merchant OF Dover, N H., and
the two went to Jersey City, where the
young wife was left In charge of an aunt,
while Harkness went westward to make
his fortune. Two Years later Mrs. Hark-
ness Joined her HUSBAND at Garfield. a
new town In the Ohio oil fields. One
morning a teamster driving down a street
past an unfinished building, saw lying on
the porch OF the building in the gray
morning light, what appeared to be the
body of a murdered man. A Coroner's 8
inquest showed that the necS of the man
was broken. Foul play was suspected.
but there was no evidence duplicating
any particular person, and the jury rem
dered verdict of accidental deaJn.
No one knew where the mau came from.
He had no friends TO claim the body, but
papers found In his possession identified
him as George Harkness. Several weeks
after her return to Jersey City Mrs. Hark-
ness received from an anonymous source
letter containing 500. The letter stated
that the writer had been Indirectly re-
sponsible for the death OF her husband,
aud that as long as he lived she should
not want. Every month after that time
she received an anonymous letter con-
tanning from $50 to 500. The letters were
mailed first from Garfield; then they
came from Bradford. Pa; then from
Pittsburg; then from Chicago, and then.
for three years. they came from Montana.
A bout six months ago the writer OF the
anonymous letters requested an inter-
view, which was accorded. The unknown
protector proved to be handsome man
of about thirty-eight, who gave his name
as James Henderson. To the widow of
George Harkness he explained the mys-
terry of her husbands death. He stated
that Hardness was in a gambling room
ON the second floor of the building where
he had been killed sitting in an open
window. During the evening fight en-
sued between Henderson and a stranger
and In the melee Henderson threw the
stranger back against the wall, knocking <
Hardness out of she window, the fail
breaking his neck. Henderson said that
he was in good circumstances, and that
he had tried to attone for the accidental
killing of Hardness by keeping his widow
from want. The rest of the story can be
told in line. Mr. James Henderson aud
Mrs. George Hardness were married last
week
The Sunday edition of THE JERSEY
CITY NEws had three weeks ago a sum-
mary of the news as 1t was then current
in the newspapers of other cities. 1t was
found impossible 10 find in this city the
least trace of the persons allued 10. Yes
terday the records Of the County Board
of Health office were searched for an en-
try of the alleged marriage. None could
be found. AS the thirty days allowed for
fling the return have not yet elapsed,
however, lit is barely possible thestory may
be true.