Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-03-16
DOWNFALL OF A DEACON.

4
He Loved and EIoped With Brother
Deacon's Daughter-He Had Peculiar
Ideas OF Marriage and Divore and was
Filled Up TO the Neck With Biblical
Quotations
PITTsBURG, PA. March 1.-two
deacons and young female clerk OF
Baptist church figured in a case tried
before Judge White in Criminal Court
The deacons are farmers from Rich
mohd, O., and for years were neighbors
and close friends. The clerk OF the
church is daughter Of one Of them
and the other got into trouble by fall
ing in love with her and forgetting his
wife.
The defendant in the case was Albert
Talbot, man of So years, with a wife
and a half dozen of children, and the
prosecutor, N NJ. Lee, father OF Mary
Z. Lee, 17-year-old girl. Lee was rep
resented by Attorney William Nj. Ran
dolph. The Talbots and Lees live on
adjoining farms, and were leaders In the
New Richmond Baptist church. They
were friends before Mary was born and
it is said during all these years never
even quarreled about the dividing
fence between their farms. They were
devout church members and when Mary
became old enough they put her In
an official position in the church. Then
Talbot began to feel the sweet pangs OF
love reawakeping In his breast. He
tried to make himself believe that it
was a holy, Christian love, but the more
he saw of Mary the less he wanted TO
see of Mrs. Talbot.
With Mrs. Talbot and the little Tai
bots he took dinner at Lees last
Thanksgiving day in obedience to
time-honored custom born Of their
friendship, and whether it was the tur-
KEY, the cranberres or something else
he couldn't keep his love secret any
longer and be followed Mary to the
woodshed TO tell her of 1t. To be loved
was new experience for Mary and she
rather liked II. Talbot was frequent
caller and they met often after that.
ELOPED TO CINCINNATI.
Last December Talbot told Mary the
love he lore her made inroads on his
aupetite and she admitted she was pin
ing for him. he proposed that they
elope 10 Cincinnati, get married, and
then he would attend the fOrmality Of
getting a divorce from Mrs. Talbot
She consented, and he gave her enough
money to take her to Cincinnati. He
followed her the next day and they
stayed in Cincinnati a couple OF days
and then came TO Pittsburg.
They went to housekeeping on Ivy
street, and Talbot got employment. in
Mashey's restaurant. The girl was so
happy that she didn't insist on mar
riage and everything moved along
smoothly. She wrote letter TO her
father, and in her simple way asked
forgiveness for running away from
home. She said il her parents loved
her they should also love Talbot, for he
had been so kind 10 her.
Lee didn't love Talbot. The letter
was the first knowledge he had gotten
of his daughters whereabouts since she !
had left home, and he took the first !
train for Pittsburg. He had Talbot ar
rested and retained Attorney Randolph |
to prosecute him. When the case was
called Talbot wouldn't plead guilty, but
admitted the truth of the charge.
When he took the stand TO testify he
said he had been an intimate friend OF
Lee for years and thought more of him
than he did brother. For this reason
when he asked Mary to elope with him
he told her to consider the matter well
before deciding.
THE LAW WAS IN THE WAY.
He assured the Court that his inten-
tions were honorable, because he had
fully determined TO marry the girl and
then get divorce from his wife. He
would have done so, he said, had not the
officers to whom he applied for Ii
cense objected TO Mary on account Of
her age and insisted that he get the
divorce first, Just as if he wouldn't keep
his word about it.
He reminded the court that he was a
Christian man and church deacon and
he quoted from the Scriptures TO show
that he had been guilty Of no wrong.
The Jury found his guilty without leav-
ing the box, and when Judge White
was about 10 sentence him he said:
"Now remember, Judge, the Bible
saws let him who's without sin cast the
first stone"
lie was sentenced to six months i'm
prisonment in the work house, and as
deputy sheriff was leading him away he
grasped the hand of the girls father
and said:
"Good-by, Brother Lee; give my re-
CARDS to Mrs Lee and the family, and
remember me to Mrs. Talbot and the
children"
'I'll say good-by," said Mr.. Lee, "but
7 don't want yCu to call me brother"
Talbot was taken away, aud seemed
to part reluctantly with his old friend.
Lee took his daughter home, and now
it is likely that Talbot will be the de-
PENDANT instead of the plaintiff in a d.
vorce suit.