Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-28
A TEXAS ROMANCE,
An Illustration of Incident Where Truth
il Stranger Than Fiction"

An Illustration Of an Incident Where Truth
is Stranger Than Felton,
From tine Fort Worth Gazette.
The details of one of the most singular trades
ever consummated in this part of the country
have just come to light through the fling for
record of deed of o tract of land in the west
ern part of the country. The deed is from
Chris Christensen to Nils Jensen, and conveys
eighty acres Of farm land to the latter, but the
remarkable part Of the deed is the considera-
ton given for the land
1t reads as follows:
For and in consideration of one woman, to
wit, the wife of Nils Jensen" The queer docu-
ment caused an investigation to be made and
the following romantic story was learned by
the curious newspaper man who went to the
farm of Christensen:
Nine years ago Christensen left Sweden for
this country to make his fortune. and when he
started he left i'll the old country a young
woman who WAS to become his wife as soon as
he became able to send after her.
This girl Nina Petersen, was the daugh-
ter of poor drunken shoemaker. who led
his family dogs life and was continually on
| the verge Of starvation.
After Christensen left Nina expected to hear
from him constantly, but no letter ever reached
her. and. as she had no idea to what part of the
United States he went. she could not write to
! him. Among the Young men of the town was
Jensen, who also looked with loving ewes upon
Nina, but she would have nothing to do with
him, for her heart was true to Chris Az year
after year went by with no word from her
| absent lover tine maid came to the conclusion
that he was recreant, and this idea was fostered
| as much rs possible by Jensen, who was at last
successful in getting Minas consent to marry
him.
The drunken father also insisted that the
wedding should come of and. more to get away
| from such an unhappy home than through love
| for Jensen, Nina consented and they were
married This was five years ago. After two
| years of hard times in the old country Jensen
| determined to try his fortune in America, and
with his wife and one child he started for the
new world.
| After wandering about for some time they
| landed in Nebraska with no money. Jensen
obtained work on farms in different parts OF
the state. but was unable to get ahead finan-
cially.
The man and wife drifted over the state,
doing work at such places as they could get
| employment, until at last they reached this
| city, and about u month ago they heard that
! a man and woman were wanted to work on q
farm in the western part Of the country.
Jensen applied for the place, and chance
would have 1t the man and woman were en-
ployed on the farm Of Christensen, but the
| people were changed that no recognition
| was had.
| Something familiar i. the woman's appear
ance led Christensen to make inquiries and he
| discovered that il was his long-lost love. He
| said nothing to either Jensen or his wife. but
| q few shrowd questions showed him that Jensen
knew more about the reason for his letters ne yer
reaching Nina shan the husband was willing to
| acknowledge.
One evening he began telling story to his
hired man and wife and recounted the story of
his life from beginning to the present. lie told
how Jensen had taken the letters from the post
office and destroyed them, and when he got
J through the latter was 80 overcome with what
| he though: Christensen's knowledge that
he confessed his intamy. The three talked
| long into the night about the matter and before
the morning came 1t was decided that J>nsen
| would give NJ the woman, who openly saia that
she did not love him, and he agreed to get di-
vorce and give his wife and child if Christensen
would give him start in the world. Nina was
willing and anxious and the result was that the
deed to the eighty acres of land was passed and
the woman ia now living as the wife OF Chris
| Jensen. divorce was procured and the mar
| riage followed on the same evening. Jensen
| lives at the farm until he can build house, and
the whole lot seem happy over the new turn of
affairs.