The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1892-03-02


deavor 70 guide my son. But as father living
under the divine institution of the family; as 3
citizen living under the divine order OF society,
protest against your act. As servant OF
God TO which ministry are ordained, l call God
TO witness between you and me. OF whatever
evils resulting from this deplorable MARRIAGE
my son may be the author, the guilt be on
your head. JAMES G. BLAINE.
When 1 wrote this letter believed that
Miss Nevins had no other responsibility
in the marriage than in consenting to nv
sons appeal, and was blameworthv for
this alone. Since then / am prepared to
say that the marriage was arranged by her
far more than by my son; that she did
everything to promote 1T, suggested every
arrangement, anticipated and provided
for every emergency and that, in fact. but
for her present active, untiring agency,
the marriage would never have taken
place. In this she showed knowledge and
forethought not to be expected in woman
OF twenty-one years.
ziaris Arranged the Marriage.
Within ten days after her arrival in
Augusta, within one week of the day she
first met my son, she was adjuring him
thus for several successive days:
Write nothing until see YOU. Let me know
at once about the law of marriagel. I can't
wait to hear 1t makes me i'll.
Can you come to me a moment I am alone.
Do not send up your card.
Did you see the laws? Do not keep up the
suspense.
The Bar Harbor house is perfect; the dear
old place here better.
Don't ask any questions that may lead people
TO suspect anything.
Remember that we are in the mouths of every
man, woman and child of Augusta. Every word
sneak ia rpnpofpd and r7ls F,verv
look of yours, every flush of your face is talked
OF. Look into the laws only tomorrow. gnd
perhaps one question at the NIX [where he OBJ
talned money for his marriage journey on my
account by inducing the cashierto advance him
funds on his memorandum. thing he had
never learned before he met Miss Nevinsl.
OH do be careful. | feel such dreadful
things are said of as. You do not know how
Sfie the world is. Do look up tie lars. Let the
rest keep. Did you look into the laws of Mas
sachusetts and New York? l am sure not.
Answer this tonight. / have at last thought of
one man on earth whom we can both trust for
q witness. lie is O man l can telegraph for TO
come to Boston If we fnd it necessary. lie is
a man and he edores every member of my fam
lily. / have known him since / was a child.
He would 60 any place with us and none
know, He never would breathe It as long as
he lived. il you say so | will give him 8 gentle
hint that will need his services for
gency-but not tell him for what. So writs me
NJ once WHAT the NEW lOTk law was anu LDe
forfeit. Answer at once.
When they reached New York after
they had fed from Augusta, she cautioned
my son not to forget the twenty
dollar gold piece in little box
for Ducey," and to look in the
pocket of your gray clothes for the ring"
In short, she took charge of every matter
and directed all the proceedings in the
last minute. 1t was thus that bov Of
seventeen years and ten months, in some
respects inexperienced even for his age
was tempted from his school books and
his tutor and blindiy led to the altar by g
young woman OF full twenty-one years
with entire secrecy contrived by herself
and with all the instrumentalities IF her
device complete and exact. When my
eldest son, Walker. wrote to New York, as
I have related in the Ducey letter, his OBJ
iect was to see whether this marriage of
my youngest son might be invalid or could
not he annulled, by reason of his youth.
He was met with the assertion that it was
too late for any proceedings to set aside
the marriage, because after the marriage
the bride, instead of returning to her
mother, mad taken passage to Boston with
the groom on one OF the night steamers
OF Long Island sound. She returned from
DOoIOA W -NOM 4 jim IA4C AOllO Noy ah0
he came on to Augusta. This fact was
learned for the first time by Walker.
Was Not the Mothers Fault.
purpose next to show by somewhat
minute statement of facts and dates the
falsity of the assertion that Mrs. Blaine
broke up the marriage relations of my son
and his wife. She did not see her daugh-
ter-in-law until May 4. 1887, eight months
after the marriage, when, being in New
York, the latter called upon her twice dur
ing her two days stay. The next time
she saw her was month later when about
to sail for Europe on June s. She was e
single dav in New York and saw the young
woman in taking leave. At the end of
fourteen months we returned from Europe
and stopped two or three days in New
York. We found that in our absence my
son had not only spent his entire allow
ance, but that he was deeply in debt. IL
was then arranged that both my son and
his wife should come down to Augusta and
have their future determined at family
council. They arrived IN Augusta on Sat-
urday, Aug. Is. Mrs. Blaine was absent
from home on a visit and returned Mon
udH dlbSAuOOhs b4O -obt DO 1Aob Blu c1H
James wife for the first time in Augusta on
the evening of Aug. 20.
Within two or three days / learned the
details of the dismal failure of this New
York life, and after full consultation with
Mrs. Blaine and with her free approval,
said they should come to live at Augusta
and occupy our old home. | had a sum-
mer house at Bar HarbOr and l intended
to spend all my winters in Washington,
and the house would be vacant if they did
not occupy it. The house being large
proposed to pay for fuel and light and the
wages of q man servant; and l would
furnish them with horse and carriage.
l also assured them in addition the sum OF
| s.. 500 year until my son should be able
! to earn an income of that amount.
] made the proposition while we
were sitting on the lawn with nay sons
/ wife but few feet distant. My son went
/ Immediately over to her, and know that
/ he told her in detail just what my offer
was. Her reply was that she would not
| stay in Augusta on any consideration. lie
| was very much disconnected by her decis-
| ion and for the first time informed bis
mother and myself OF his discomfort and
unhappiness, fact which was not known,
| but which was not received with surprise.
We then learned that during our absence
| in Europe he had become gradually es-
! tranged from his wife, and her refusal to
accept the residence in Augusta was
merely the last OF long series OF disa-