New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1891-01-28
HAS A TINGE or ROMANCE.
A lie sueur Attorney Writes About an
Item that Appeared in the Review.
EDITOR New ULM REVIEW:

L s
EDITOR NEW ULM REVIEW:
| am informed by Miss. Hilma
Sundell of Gibbon, Mimi, that there
was an article lately published in your
esteemed paper referring to romantic
episode in her life in regard to one
John W. Reed and certain alleged
proposed runaway marriage between
these two persons. Miss Sundell is not
pleased with the article and claims that
1t mlsrepresents the facts, not blaming
you however, and has asked me to
state to you my version of the matter
IN order that the same agency that dis
semlnated the erroneous report may
give circulation to what she holds to be
the true one. did not see the article
in your paper but have no hesitation
IN stating all know of the matter, nv
experience and knowledge arising from
the TACT that l was Mr.. Reeds attor.
ney In the matter and conducted the
habeas corpus proceedings for him.
Mr.. Reed was married to sister of
Miss Sundell and his wife died last Sep.
TENDER, leaving an infant child. Reed
says that, on her death bed, his wife
made him promise to marry Miss Hill
ma, If she should be willing, in order
that the child might have tender care,
and that his wife assured him she be-
lieved Miss Hilma was very well dis.
posed towards him. Reed claims that
Miss Sundell is not very happy at home
and would be well pleased to get away.
He opened correspondence with her
and says that he wrote her Ten letters
but that her people SO kept the letters
from her that she only received three
OF them. She wrote four letters to him
in reply. He construed her letters to
| the effect that she was willing and anx-
lous to marry him and would do so at
the very earliest opportunity, but that
she could not get away from home as
her parents did not want her to marry
Reed, or to have anything to do with
| him. have read all the letters and I
could see nothing in them that should
have given Reed the idea for one mo-
ment that Miss SundelI had ever even
though ut of marriage in connection with
him, for throughout the whole of the
letters the one idea that Miss Sundeu
| seemed to have was to get the child
Vhat she might take it home and care
tprIit. Her tone in the letters toward
Heed was kind and friendly, but onlv
thattand merely what a woman might
betexpected to write to the husband Of
| her deceased sister. She used no en-
| dearing terms in any of her letters.
About the first of December Reed hired
an agent to 60 to Miss Sundell's home
and to try and induce her to tly with
him to meet and marry Reed. He vent
| tosthe house and saw her and her moth
er and could not get much speech with
her from the fact that her mother kept
close ct hand
Reed and Miss Sundell give different
reports AS to what TOOK place there,
Reed stating what the agent told him
and Miss S. giving her own version.
Reed says that the agent told him he
found Miss Sundell wild with anxiety
to get away from home and marry
Reed and ready to take any means to
| get away, but that she was so closely
watched day and night that it was i'm.
possible for her to stir from the house;
that at night she was compelled to sleep
with her mother and the door of the
room was kept locked, with the kew
under her mothers pillow. Miss Sun
dell says that the agent told her that
Reed was waiting for her at New Ulm
with the child and that she could 90
there and get the child and take it
home with her and that the subject of
marriage with Reed was not mentioned;
thar she told him that her parents
would not let her go. Then he asked
her to meet him after dark half. of a
mile from the house but, she refused
20 do this and he then went away. He
came on the osteusible errand of hiring
her to teach school. s---
On receiving the report from his
agent, Reed was immediately fixed with
a determination to get his lady anyway,
in spite of all opposition from her pa
rents. He believed that she was eieh-
teen years old and so entitled to decide
for herself as to whom she wonld marry.
and he sued out writ of habeas cor
pus, directed to the parents, command
ing them to bring Miss Sundell before
Court Commissioners E. j. Aver of Hen
derson GO give answer as to what right
they had to restrain her of her liberty.
This was great cost and expense to
him and it would take more than one
hundred dollars to cover the amount
he sacrificed for his belief that Miss
Sundell loved and was willing to marry
him. He must have been honest ID the
belief and the story his agent told him
| was sufficient to give him reasan in full
foI his belief, and, believing as he did.
who could blame him. for his manfuI
effort to wrest the lady from those who.
he believed. were keeping her priso-
ner. Daniel Sundell, the father. re-
| SnOnded RI the writ ond hror,.bt HH...