The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-02-21
The Minister Walked the STRAIGHT,
Narrow Path Till He
Met Her.
But Then He Switched OR Into the
Primrose Path OF Dal.
lance.
And Fell Away from His Work In the
Church and His Fs~mily--Eiope-
mont Followed.

RoYA1ToN, Feb. 20.-Rev. j. j. Wagner
former Methodist minister at Royaltou
whe has eloped with MIS-. II. M. White
formerly In the millinery business here
oame 10 Royalton . year ago last October
from Yorktown, N. d.. whore he had
preached for a year. He came to YORKTOWN
from Tennessee. in which state he had been
a member of the M. IL. conference and
preached for SIX years. The presiding
elder for this district sent to the NORTH
Dakota conference for \ man m Mr..
Wagner was sent to fill the Royalton pull
pit. He At once took charge of tho WORK
here and to sll appearances was a gentle
man and a Christian. Soon after his arri.
val he sent for his family. consisting OF
wife, two grown daughters and Two sons,
who were in Tennessee. He remained
here a year and was then transferred to
Milaoa.
Soon after the arrival Of the family Mrs.
Wagner and tho children noticed that q
great change had como over tho husband
and father, and remarked upon il. He did
not take es lively an interest in things re-
liRious a. he formerly had done, nor was no
as kind and loving in his family az OF old.
The wife soon discovered the cause for the
change. She found that he paid more at
tention So tho widow, Mrs. White, than he
did to her. The intimacy between them
dsepensd while the breach between himself
ana family widened. He spent most Of his
slime with Mrs. White, who at that time was
living alone. Whenever Mrs. Wagner de-
sired to see her husband she had only to 10
to Mrs. Whites to find him. She rsnon-
pkraAnl Nth him hut he INIT hAr ~ Nth a
gesture of impatience. saying her suspicious
wsre absurd and %eroundless. She spoke to
some of the members OF the church about
his relations with the widow, but found
none to listen to her words Of suspicion.
Last summer the intimacy between them
gan to talk about it. The minister kept his
horses in the widows barn and had also
been given permission TO work her garden
patch, and this brought him to her house
daily and he never lost an opportunity to
40 in and see her. After Mr.. Wagner went
sale and sold II to r. H. Muney and took
her departure for Atwater. this state, where
she has a sister living. The plans for the
elopement were, no doubt, made before tho
couple left Royalton, last fall.
On Jan. IA Mrs. White came to Royal
ton to visit a few days with friends and
attend to some business matters prepara-
tory to moving to Red Wing to live with
her mother. Mrs. Buel, so she said. She
attended church on sunday, and Sunday
evening led the Christian Endeavor mest-
ing. On Tuesday. Jan. II. she loft for 81.
h p1Gl' taking no.ss along aas; all her s %esl0neinss; She She
here. and all these papers she dis
posed OF. Early on the same morn
ing Rev. Waymer left Milaca for
st. Paul. He told his people that he wss
going to Royalton to visit his family and
w n In own Vn AN rrt F~u 80 A.
Milaoa. and that he would not return for
several weeks. An item in the Milaca paper
to the effect that Rev. Wagner was visiting
at Royalton attracted Mrs. Waymer's at.
tention and led to inquiries, and it was
learned that he had gone no one knew
according TO previous arrangements.
On Jan. IL Mrs. Wagner received a letter
from ho: husband, postmarked at st. Paul,
stating that he was going to Florida to at
tend conference and that he expected to
get work there, requesting her to sell all
and stay with their sons till he should send
Tor them. The letter contained a draft for
S25O. AS MIR. Wagner was known to have
only what he collected Mt Milaca. about
500. a portion of which he had previously
sent his wife, it was quite certain that tho
White. $500
Mrs. White has been u resident of this
town about eight years and has ALWAYS
borne a good character. True, some of her
acts have been i%mprudent and have caused
comment, but her friends had implicit con.
lid ence in her. She took a leading part in
church work and for a long time was
teacher of the young mans class in the Sun
day school,. Mrs. White is about 40 years
old and the preacher la over so. Last fall,
her brother. Herbert Buel, WAS killed at
Northtown junction, in a rnilroad wrsok.
and 1t is understood that his sister got his
life insurance, $4,000. She had considera-
bic monev of her own besides,