St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-03-06

OOiut SHdUOW OF coming trouble Iel
upon Florence. 1t may be that she had
an inkling of the inquiry going on and
was afraid to face the approaching
storm. At any rate she told Ezra that
she wanted to visit her parents in the
East. He was loath to let her go, but
finally consented. They parted, the
young man says, with interchanges Of
love and confidence on July %, 1891,
Florence taking the baby with her.
From that day to this young Foot has
not seen his wife or ''baby" and has
| only indirect Information as to her
whereabouts. He has no desire to see
her again. The story unearthed by his
| father appears sufficient Justification
Tor his change of feeling. Florence
| never had child. Her dearly beloved
baby. the pet of the father and the joy
OF the fond grandparents, was procured
from a New York midwife for the pur
pose of inducing young Foot to marry
her. Her maternal Solicitude. her
womanly anxiety to be spared the shame
and modification, were cunning tricks
to work upon the sentiment of her low
er. The infant, so like its dear papa,
belongs to Mrs. Theresa Campbell, OF
New York, who had placed it in the care
of the midwife and who had to in
woke the aid of benevolent society to
ferrit out its whereabouts. His name is
Willie Campbell and not Robert Foot.
No wonder Ezra was chagrined when
he heard these facts, ard registered
VOW that the woman who SO cruelty de-
ceived him and trifled with the dearest
feelings of his heart should call him
husband no longer.
The Suit for Divorce.
But his wrongs and grief found no
public vent until Jan. 20, when he filed
bill for divorce in the district court of
this county. The complaint made quite
a sensation. No one had suspected that
there was skeleton in the Foot house
hold. On the contrary, it was believed
that Ezra and his wife were the happieSt
and best matched couple in the
state. Sympathy at present seems
to be with the defendant. 1t
is urged that the young wife had
been faithful and true since mar
riage, and that loving husband might
find it IN his heart to forgive Il woman
who had schemed even in this fashion
TO secure his happiness and her own.
But, of course, the people who take this
view never suffered the keen pangS Of
wasted love for a bogus offspring. Some
have been cruel enough to suggest that
the young man stoutly denies this.
TO the GLOBE representative, who
saw him in st. Paul today, Foot said:
There is not the slightest truth in the
statement that wish to marry some one
else. That is a lie manufactured out of
whole cloth by the stupid gossips of Red
Wing. Those tattlinG people never
liked me. l have been wild, admit,
but Eve been charged with great deal
more than Pm guilty of. l may teach
those gossips much-needed lesson
some day."
The young man was greatly annoyed
by the notoriety the matter has inflicted
upon himself and family. II married
the woman in good faith," he said, ire
lying upon her assertion that the child
was mine. Under no other circum-
stances would l have welded her.
tried 10 be good husband to her, and
believe | succeeded, but knowledge of
that terrible fraud has crushed all re-
spect and affection, and can only hold
her in contempt. l have documents to
prove all the charges in the complaint.
Persons whom do not know have vol
unfairly supplied evidence to prove the
vile character of the woman today and
long before l knew her. am sorry for
this exposure on account of my parents,
whom l want to save from annoyance,
We are thoroughly prepared to prove
the case. My father is not the man to
back me for minute if | were in the
wrong in any way. He investigated the
matter before knew anything about it,
and thoroughly assured himself of the
facts and is heart and soul with me in
this affair.""
The WOman's Antecedents.
Foot showed the writer letter from
Fl. B. Gibbud, of the Rescue Mission,
Mulberry street, New York, relating to
the past career of his wife, In 1883,
four years before the young man be-
came acquainted with Florence in Phil
adelphia, Mr.. GiSbud was engaged in
mission work in the dance halls and sa-
looms of the metropolis. There was
home for fallen women in connection
with the mission, and to this home came
girl who went by the name of Matte
Lawrence, who was an inmate of
house OF ill-repute. She told the mis-
Sionary her real name was Miami Blood:
that her home was in Philadelphia, and
her father was detective there. She
was about five feet high, of plump build
and good looking, and always full of
laughter. In due time she was baptized
as Florence Miami Blood. Mr.. Gibbud
related that he had seen notice of the
curious divorce suit in the Eastern
papers, and volunteered this Informal
ton in regard to the former character
of Foot's wife. Ezra has also letter
from her father expressing sorrow over
the girls conduct and disclaiming any
previous knowledge of the affair. From
other quarters he haG information that
she carried on life of shame on her re-
turn East, and has been living with
printer in New York for some time. 1t
is also avowed that the woman is a con-
frmed opium fiend.
"a great many people," said Foot, in
further eXtenuation of the deception
practiced upon him, '.seem still to be-
lieve the child is mine. Well. there is
no doubt it has resemblance to me.
She was certainly lucky in getting hold
of baby like that. But, as | said be-
fore. we have ample evidence to prove
my charges, and don't think the wom-
an will attempt to answer them. |
think am entitled to divorce on the
ground urged-that was inveigled into
the marriage by fraudulent representa-
tons as 10 the paternity of the child"
Foot does not look like a man who
would seek seek divorce on flimsy
grounds. He candidly confesSes that
the discovery that the baby was bogus,
so far as the alleged parentage is con-
cerned, was great shock to him. There
seems little doubt that the young man
was Mofuliy deceived. Mrs. Foot has
been silent since the complaint was
filed. Whether this silence means ac-
quiescense in the imputations on her
character remains to be seen. Her side
of the story might put an entirely diff
farant nnmnlpYi0n on the cnrinnS affair