The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-06-06
A ROMANTIC STORY.
Lucky Find That viii Set Straight
the Rights of Runaway Bride.
From the New York HeraId

the Rights of Runaway Bride.
From the New York Herald.
A short paragraph, which was printed
in the Herald on March II last, has been
the means of restoring to woman her
marriage certificate, which had been lost
for three years.
More than this, it has put into her
hands the long needed proof TO satisfy
the parents of her dead husband, who
nave steadtastly refused to recognize her
or her little son, that she has every right
TO call herself their daughter-in-law, and
to share in their wealth.
This is the paragraph:
Down in the neighborhood Of Broadway and
Elghth street there exists what is known as
the New York Hotel Bible Society. When
the hotel cafe closed for good on the evening
OF March 10, 1898, the head bartender set up
a farewell round Of drinks and in addition
handed each customer present Bible. These
haa oeen collected from the various rooms
ana lear, stamped in gIlt letters, the words
TlVen by the New York Bible society to the
New York Hotel, 1871" The REGIMENTS of
these volumes, who are business men OF the
nelghborhood, promptly organized an infor-
IuSl society. Inc menbers are not exactly
Telglous, out a cardinal principle OF their
dealings with each other is the golden rule
MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE IN A BIBLE.
There were a few of these Bibles which
John Farrell, the manager of the cafe,
ala not give away, simply because there
were not customers enough to take them.
AS they were not catalogued among the
other articles to be sold, he took one or
two OF them to his home. Then he babe
goodby to the hotel after ten years of ser
vice, and after having all his fellow en-
pIoyeS put their autographs on the fly
leaves of another Bible, he took that
home. placed it aside, and promptly for
got all about il.
Having nothing better to do a month or
so afterward he took up this book, and
turning over page, he found a neatly
folded paper, which he soon had spread
out before him on the table.
1t was marriage certificate. showing
that Ralph Preston, of Richmond, Va,
had taken Anna O'Gorman as his wife. AS
well as Mr. Farrell can recollect, it
showed that the late Rev. DIR. Deems,
who was the pastor the Church of the
Strangers, in Mercer street, had per-
formed the ceremony, some time in 1891.
| he wrote to Ralph Preston, of Richmond,
telling him he had discovered the certif-
cate, but he never received any reply to
his letter.
He opened a saloon in Clinton place a
| few months ago. He was behind the bar
last Friday when a cab drove up TO his
| door and from it alighted a good-looking
woman about thirty-fve years old,
uISSSSu III NluoW ; W6euS. one entered
the saloon, inquiring if he was Mr..
Farrell, and then she drew from her
pocket copy of the Herald, in which was
printed the story of the distribution of
The Bibles. AS Farrell tells it this is
what followed:
A STRANGE STORY.
at is that" she said, (Which has
brought me 70 your place all the wa
| from Richmond Before l tell you what
l am seeking l will tell you my story.
| Il fell in love with young man in
/ Richmond in 1891. His folks were
| wealthy, mine were not. They would not
hear of his marriage to me, and he pro
| posed that we run away and be married.
| l agreed, and after a civil marriage in a
| town some miles away from Richmond,
| we came right TO this city and TO the New
! York hotel.
Not fully satisfied with the civil cere-
mony, insisted that a minister join US.
! We found that a minister, think it was
the Rev. DR. Deems, was guest of the
! hotel, and 10 him we went and were mar
ried. We occupied the bridal chamber
OF the hotel for few days, and then we
sailed for Europe.
"There my husband, who was wild
boy, seemed to forget his love for me. He
dissipateds heavily became i'll, and while
| we were temporarily separated he died
return to this country until after my boy
was born. When | did return | went
directly 10 Richmond and to my hus-
bands parents.
TO my CONSERVATION they refused to
/ recognize me, saying their son had never
said he was married to me- Indignant,
said l would produce my marriage GER
titicate, and went to my trunk to get it.
! But l could not find it, and search as l
! could, | could not bring it to light. So
! concluded / had lost it, and was forced to
| bear the calumny and reprOaches which
my failure to produce it brought on me.
! With my son 1 moved into the suburbs of
Richmond, and there l have lived ever
! since, my husbands friends refusing to
| notice me.
CLEw IN THE HERALD.
~ picked up an old copy of the Herald
| a few days ago. and there l read
the paragraph about the distribution
| of the New York hotels Bibles.
! Like a flash it all came back to
me- One night while at the hotel my
| husband went out. / was reading the
! Bible, and put it down to look at my GER
! tificate. l continued reading the Bible
until something else attracted my atten-
| ton, and | put the certificate into the
| book as page mark, closed it, and never
| thought OF it afterward until L read that
! article in the Herald
"Now, I want you to help me find every
person who received one of those Bibles,
and l will visit all, for l must find that
certificates if it takes years"
What were the names on the certif-
! cate?" shouted Farrell, who was so ex-
! cited that he could not restrain himself.
"My husbands name was Ralph Pres
| ton and mine was Anna O'Gor"-
II have it! [ have it!'i yelled Farrell.
cit is at home. Wait here five minutes
and I'll get it for you"
Giving the woman no chance to say a
word, he rushed from the saloon. He was
back in a jiffy, and had placed in the
womans hands the long lost certificate.
J 1t is useless to endeayor to describe her
! joy: but her eyes filled with tears, and as
she left, saying she would start at once
for Richmond, she assured Farrell that
| this must convince her husbands parents,
and if so she would see that he was not
| forgotten.
/