The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-02-18


A. -. cANNoN's MARRIAGE
he Aged HAN Needed . sympasAissr
IN His Troubles
The depositors In A. NJ. Cannon's broken
Spokane bank are not very well pleased
With the following article. which appeared
In she New York Recorder of January S:
There is . romance in this marriage.
Anthony N. Cannon is one OF the wealth.
Test men III Spokane-Dun's Mercantile
Agency rated him at s.. 10000 two years
ago--and candidate for the United States
senate. Inc bride is = granddaughter of
the late William Noble Davis. of New
York, who was senior partner in the firm
OF Davis & Brooks, shipping brokers, one
OF the strongest houses IN the East Indian
trade generation ago. Her granduncie.
Augustus Davis, was author Of the Major
Jack Downing Papers. . series of political
satires that attracted great attention in
the days when Andrew Jackson WAS presi-
dent Of the United States Her father,
Charles Augustus Davis. second, went into
business in Chicago before the great IRE,
but died whiIe still very young man.
she IL related to the Van Renssslaers. tbs
De Peysters and other old Knickerbocker
families.
mr.. Cannon and Mrs. Ward first met In
Spokane about two years ago. Mr.. Cam
mons tirst wife was then alive. and Mrx
Ward had only recently secured divorce
from her first husband, Frederick Z. Ward.
who had dissipated the snug fortune Of
$50, 900 bequeathsd to her by her grand
father Davis. The courts had awarded her
the custody Of her children and the asphalt
business In which Mr.. Ward had been en-
gagged, but which had been established
with his wife's money. This business she
Carried on quite successfully in partner
ship with O. B. Garrett, now city treasurer
OF Helena. and that was what took her to
Spokane.
The first Mrs. Cannon died about ok
months ago, mourned by all who knew
her. On top of this affection came the
failure OF the Spokane Falls bank. . pri-
vate institution Of which Mr. Cannon was
proprietor, and tor ali the debts of which
he was personally responsible. The fall
ure was due somewhat to questionable
judgment on ths part of B. ii. Bennett.
its cashier. who married one OF Mr.. Cam
mons stepdaughters, and Was established
in business by Mr.. Cannon, for the null
ionaire has no children Of his own.
"The hard times made IL very difficult
for Mr.. Cannon 10 put his affairs into
proper shape, rich as he was. and his
health finally succumbed to the strain OF
work. He began to feel that life would
bC q 0SCiE3o qQIAEA uuiS33 LAC CQ4l0 uuu
somebody 20 sympathizs with him ain
cereiy. Mrs. Ward had meanwhile re-
turned to Helena, but he thought Of her
moro and more as the only person in the
world who could cheer him in his tire
some tasks. So he went to Helena and
asked Mrs. Ward to marry him. She de-
INJURED for while, rejecting upon what
people would say about avoiding between
Q man less than ak months widowed and
m IN N a vnNonffU 1ivn~ral M " "a
pleaded that he was weak aud d!sheart-
ened and that she was the only woman in
the world who could help him continue
his useful career. She therefore con-
scented, and the marriage was soiemnized
in private, G. X. Barber and the Rev. Mr..
Webb, Protestant Episcopal clergyman,
being the only witnesses.
Fearing that his creditors and other
business associates might think him men,
tally deranged II they heard that he had
married woman much younger than
himself 20 soon after the demise Of his
first wife, Mr.. Cannon asked his bride to
keep the match q secret for awhile. In
spite OF these precautions, however, the
Helena newspapers guessed at the truth
in wild. uncertain way, and communi-
Gated their guesses to their Spokane con-
temporaries. In a twinkling the people Of
both towns were treated to sensational
stories of . muIti-millionaire iured into
matrimony by q wild adventures. Mr..
Cannon knew nothing of them for nearly
q fortnight, because he was taken danger
ously iii soon after the wedding, and left
Helena for New York Is soon a. he was
able to travel. Mrs. Cannon came 90 New
York, too. but not with her husband,
for, loyal to his wish to keep their
marriage secret, she Travelled in company
with her little daughter, whom sho wished
To MACE in an Eastern school.
Frederick L. Ward, the first husband of
the woman, 10 in Spokane. He IL WELL
made, vell-dressed, red-faeed man with
the Recorder story, and the other day he
made this statement to Chronicle re-
porter:
cit sounds like q woman's gable, not
like an interview with an intelligent busi-
ness man. am exceedingly sorry that
anything should appear in print about the
trouble between Mrs Ward and myself,
and, although have been asked about il
many times. have refused TO tell the cir
stances. I would not think such a foolish
article as the one in the Recorder would
come from her under the circumstances.
II wish now only to deny the story in
regard to my squandering her private for
tune of So, 000
O fortune. IL Is q matter of record that
the entire Davis estate only amounted TO
So. 600 and she only had o quarter interest.
Several of as bought another quarter and
since our divorce she has received 81 600 or
s.. 600 from the estate. The amount that
we received from the estate while I lived
with her did not amount 20 $500. We
were divorced year ago last October.
IL advised her In letter from Montreal
80. ff.G al md Told hNw n
/ vas trying to build myself up in new
country. Bat she came, and the result Is
not very pleasant, ~ we have children
which must grow up. When l left her |
left her everything had. The statement
that she vas interested IN the asphalt
pavement business Is not true. She did
not oxn dollar IN IL ut that time. but her
sister had advanced some money. We
were married az YorkyIile, H., and d.
yorced at Helena
Mrs. Ward was never in New York be-
fore. The only time she vas ever East
Was when xe went on our wedding trip.
and then we visited the different seaside
resorts. bat we did not 20 to New YORK 1
had Just made some money IN the mining
business and We took long trip.
There Was only few months OF our
n arried life that some % Der family we're
not living with ma. ba: wish 10 say that
her sister, Mrs. Garrett. Is ray OF sun
SHINE in snybody's home. There will
n-asshIv come q tine shcn viii want TO
Tell something os how suffered, AID the
reason Why I have suffered, bot rot a.
this time"
Mr.. Cannon sends the following letter to
the Spokane R<rieT from New York:
yielding to the advice of friends whose
Judgment cannot dispute. ! submit the