Omaha daily bee., 1892-02-29

"The Guilt be on Your Head"
/ am powerlcss cannot question the
legality of the marriage. / shall at dis
tance and at every disadvantage endeavor TO
guide my son. But as n father, living under
the divine institution of family, us a citizen
living under the divine order OF society, l
protest against your act. As u servant OF
God to whose ministry you are ordained, i
call God to witness between you and me. or
whatever evils resulting from this deplorable
marriage my son may be the author or the
victim. the guilt be on your head.
JAMES @. BLAINE.
When i wrote this letter / believed that
Miss Nevins had no other responsibility in
the marriage than IN consentng TO my sons
appeal, aud was blameworthy for this alone
since then l am prepared TO say that the
marriage was arranged by her far more than
by my son; that she did everything to pro-
mote 1t, suggested every arrangement, an
ticipated and provided for every emergency,
and that IN fact, but for her personal, activS
and untireing agency the marriage would
never have taken place. In this she showed
knowledge and forethought not to be ex-
pected IN woman of 81 years.
The Hand of the woman.
Within ten days after her arrival in Au-
gusta, within one week from the day she first
met my son, she was adiuring him thus for
several successive days: write nothing
until see YOU. Let me know al once about
the law (of marriage). / can't wait to hear.
II makes me ILL.,"
"Can you come to me a moments 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, but l
love the dear old place far 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 in Augusta Every word you speak
is repeated and misconstrued. Every look
OF yours, every flush OF your face, is talked
Of. Look into the laws only tomorrow and
perhaps ono question at the bank (where he
obtained money ror his marriage journey on
my account by inducing the cashier to ad-
vance him funds or his memorandum a
thing he had never learned to do before he
met Miss Nevins.)"
Mindful of the Laws.
"All else can wait. oh, do be careful. l
feel now all sorts of dreadful things ure said
OF US. You don't know how vile the world
is. DO look up the laws. The rest keep
quiet"
"Did you look into the laws of Massa-
chusetts and New YORK l am sure not.
Answer this tonight
~ have at last thought OF the only man on
earth whom we can both trust for witness.
He is man can telegraph for to come to
Boston II we find it necessary lie is q man
and he adorcs every member Of my family.
| have known him since was a
child. He would go any place with us and
none know. lie never would breathe it AS
long as he lived. If you say so, will give
him gentle hint that will need his services
for an emergency, but not toll him for what"
"Do wrlto me at once what the New York
law was and the forfeit Answer at once"
When they reached Now York after they
had lied from Augusta, she cautioned my
son MOTTO forget the $50 gold piece in
little box for Ducey, and look into the pocket
of his gray clothes for the ring" In short,
she took charge of every matter and directed
the proceedings to the last minute
Too Late for Action.
1t was thus that boy of II years and 10
months, in some respects experienced even
for his age, was tempted from his school
books and led to the altar by young woman
OF full 81 years-wth entire secrecy con-
trived by herself and with all the instru-
ments of her device complete and exact.
When my eldest son, Walker, went to
New York, as have related in the Ducey
letter, his object was to see whether the
marriage OF my youngest son might not be
| invalid or could not be annuled by reason of
| his youth. 1t was met with the assertion
| that it was too late for any proceedings to
set aside the marriage, because after the
| her mother, had taken passage for Boston
with the groom on one of the night steamers
| on Long Island Sound.
l 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 daughter.
in-law until May, 1887, eight months after
| the marriage, when being IN New York the
latter called upon her twice during her two
days. stay. The next time she saw her was
month later When about to sail for
| Europe on tho Sth of June she was a single
day in New York and saw the young woman
| on taxing leave.
Facts and Dates.
At the end OF fourteen months we returned
l f..a.S
in New York. We found that in our ab-
| sence our son had not only spent his entire
allowance, Dut that he was deeply in debt
| 1t 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 Satur-
day, the 18th Of August. Mrs. Blalue was
absent from home on visit and returned
Monday afternoon, the goth, so that she
| saw James wife for the first time in
Augusta on the evening of August 20. With
in two or three days L learned the details of
| the dismal failure of their New York life,
| and after full consultation with Mrs. Blaine
| and with her free approval / proposed that
that they should come to live at Augusta and
] occupy their old home / had summer
| house at Bar Harbor, and as L intended to
| spend all my winter in Washington, this
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 a
man servant, and / would furnish them with q
horse and carriage.
| Assures Them an Income.
ais assured them in addition them the
| sum Of $4,000 a year until my son should bi
able to earn an income of that amount
made the proposition while we were sitting
on the lawn, with my sons wife with but q
few feet distant My son went Immediately
over to her and l know that he
told her In detail just what my
offer was. Her reply was that she would moi
stay in Augusta on any consideration. He
was very much Disconnected by her decision
and for the first time informed his mother
and myself of his discomfort and unhappi
ness, q fact which was not before known, bu
which was not received with surprise. W.
then learned that during our absence il
Europe he had become gradually estranget
from her, and her refusal to accept the resi-
dence IN Augusta was merely the last of
long series of disagreements which threat
ened to make their united life impossible anc
which led finally to a separation. Disaster i.
the only legitimate conclusion of such mar
| riage. During the two weeks that NY som.
| wife stayed az Augusta, 1t became patent Il
every member of my family and to every Wis
itor, and TO no one more than myself, that
separation was the least disaster to be
dreaded.
| Mother and Wife.
u