The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-02-29


ahiIities; as readily influenced to the
right as to the wrong, and because tie
patience of love cam never know weari-
ness. Today, through your agency. this
boy in yeors, in experience, in judgment,
in practical capacity, leaves my home
and my care, burdened with the full re-
sponsibilities of a man, with the welfare
of woman in his keeping.
"'ln defense of this conduct you al
legged to my son Walker the confidence
reposed in you aB u priest by my son.
The confidence of the confessional is al
| ways respected, but by your use of con-
| fidence reposed in you outside the con-
fessional, even by those not of the
Catholic communion. you perforce be-
come an accomplice before the act of
any crime or any imprudence to which
| you may listen. IL is not for me to ad-
| wise minister of your intelligence that
| your position is absolutely untenable
would be dangerous to society," and
| would not be respected by any court OF
| the land. You further allege in your
| justification of your action that if you
had not performed the ceremony some
| one else outside your communion would
have done so. This is common defense
| Of evil doing and is unworthy of a
| priest and a man. You might as well
| justify your murder of e man by chloro-
| form on the ground that otherwise
| some one else would murder him with
| dagger.
go am powerless l cannot question
| the legality of the marriage. shall at
distance, and at every disadvantage,
| endeavor to guide my son. But as
| father living under the institution of
| the family, as citizen living under the
| divine order of society, l protest against
Vpur act As a servant of fso1 IN xybncn
| ministry you are ordained, call God
to witness between you and ME. OF
! whatever evils es1llting from this de-
| plorable marriage my son may be the
author or the vicliln the guilt will be
on your head. JAMES q. BLAINE
''When l wrote tins letter L believed
that Miss Nevins had 40 other response
| bility in the marriage than in consent
ing to my sons appeal. Since then l
| am prepared to say that the marriage
WAS arranged by her far more than by
| my son.
within ten days after her arrival in
| Augusta, within one week from the day
| she first met my son she was atljuring
| him f3r several successive days to write
| nothing until she saw him. She asked
him TO look into the marriage laws of
| Massachusetts, and New York.
when they reached New York after
they had fled from Augusta she eau
| toned my son not to forget the $50
| gold box for Dudey,' and to look into
| the pocket of your gray clothes for the
ring In short shp took charge of every
matter and directed all the proceedings
| to the last minutaG.
ut was thus that q boy of II years
and 10 months, in some respects mex
| perienced even for his age, was tempted
! from his school books and his tutor, and
hipdly led to the altar 10y young wo-
nan Of full 2l years, with entire secrecy
| contrived by herself, and with all the
| instrumentalities Of her device complete
| and exact.
Il purpose next to show the falsity of
The assertion that Mrs. Blaine broke up
the marriage relations of my son and
his wife. She didnot see her daughter
in-law until May, 1887, eight months
after the marriage, when, being III New
| York the latter called on her twice dur
ing her two days stay. The next time
she saw her was a month later. When
about TO sail for Europe on June 8 she
was singe day irFNew York and saw
The young woman on taking leave.
| Within two Oh three days 1 learned
the details Of the dismal failure of their
| New York life, and after full consultu-
| lion with Mrs. BltIine, and with her free
approval, proposed that they should
come to live in Augusta and occupy our
| old home ! assured them in addition
to a house, fuel, light and the wages of
| man servant, the sum of s., 500 year
until my son should be able to earn an
income for them.
My son Immediately told his wife in
detail what my offer was. Her reply
was that she woul Id not stay in Augusta
| on any terms.
I'VE then learned that during our alb
sence in Europe he had become grad
| ually enstranged from her, and her re-
| fusal to accept the residence in Augusta
was merely the last of long series of
disagreements which led finally to
separation. During the two weeks that
my sons wife stayed at Augusta ii be-
came patent to every member of my
family and to every visitor, and to no
| one more than myself, that n separation
was the least disaster to be dreaded.
"rhe immediate occasion of her de-
| parture was my sons going to Bangor
at my request on Friday, Aug. 81, with
some documents for which photographed
| q was occupied with the campaign of
| the state) and he continued with me to
Ellsworth, where had to speak. After
the meeting James returned with me to
Augusta only to learn that his wife had
gone to New Yorl at 3p. m.
| Delore gong his. blame repeatedly
bade her remenller that she would at
any moment receive the child for any
length of tine-fpr one year, or three
years, or ten years, or for life; that he
sheuld recelve-as all who know my
wife will believe the very best care and
attention, that she would put his mother
under no conditions whatever. and
that when ever she wished the child re-
turned he should be sent. Thus my
daughter-in left my home, the only
home which my son could provide tor
ner.
Just forty-four days after this willful
departure she returned to my house, ac-
companied by her mother, Mrs. Neyins,
my grandson and his nurse. Mrs. Blaine,
who was ill., at once arose, dressed and
went down stairs, having previously in
structed her maid to do everything re-
| o1tire1 fnf. tbfir cb1,, fort NAi#hnr ia,i,,