The Daily Texarkanian., 1895-01-10
A ROMANCE OF THE WAR,
How John Roberts Met and Won Ills
Wife.

ion and quiet, are John Roberts anc
his wife. There is nothing strange
about the quiet and lonely life these
old people are leading, but there is
romance connected with their
lives which dates back to the war
of the rebellion, AS the story goes,
in the year 1861, a young Illinois
volunteer came to Lexington, Mo-,
with Marshall's calvary regiment,
A few days thereafter he was cap
tured by General Price-the entire
command OF Mulligan was captured
but almost as speedily paroled, If
he regarded his parole, then and
there administered, it is probable
that he did more than 80 out Of
every hundred of Mulligan's men
did,
Two years after Lexington, in
1863, the young Illinois soldier was
wounded and captured in a skirmish
in Arkansas, Taken to the house
of neighborlng planter he was
cared for, nursed, cured and pro.
nounced by the Confederate surgeon
as eft for prison" But in war, as
in everything else, the thing called
fate, fortune or destiny, must have
had its way, Wounded in the same
fight as was the Illenois soldier, and
nursed in the same house, was the
son of the Arkansas planter who
had proved himself so hosptable
The gray and blue uniforms were
hung up in the same room together
and from one bed Of suffering to
another the soldiers talked and
grew intimate,
The Illinois soldier had a sister as
many Of the soldiers had, no donbt,
and what was more, he had her
photograph with him, This he
showed one day to the Arkansan
and the Arkansans tate was sealed
He went into raptures over 1t,
dreamed Of the fair original, no
doubt, and begged so hard for II
that the brother was forced to
yield it up.
When the Federal had entirely
recovered, and was beginning to
think Of getting ready for his prison
life in Texas, a parole was sent him
sigued by ., G, Shelby, Major Gen
eral commanding" How it was OBJ
tanned It is not necessary to tell
All Of Shelby's military career was
crowned with just such acts Of gen
erosity
The Arkansan brought it; gave
the lllinoisan money a horse, and,
as The Lieutenant of the escort,
saw him safely through the lines
What messages he sent to his Sis
ter, and what burning words Of
love, no one knows, but from that
time to the close Of the war, they
did not meet,
In the autumn Of 1868, the father
of the Illinois soldier, himself a
widower removed to Kansas City
with his son and daughter still un.
married Shortly afterwards the
son went out West to see what ener-
gy and a little money might do in
the way Of cattle a speculation.
What was his surprise and pleasure
to see, almost the first man he met
the iden tical young Arkansan whose
father had been 40 kind to him,
and who had been his comrade in
sickness and 4 friend in health, The
greetings were eager and genuine,
After they were over the Arkansan
inquired after the girl whose image
had been with him SO many years,
and was rejoiccd greatly to know
that she was still unmarried and
fancy free,
After selling his cattle for he
was there with quite a comfortable
droye-the two eS.soldiers came
back together to Kansas City,
Once face to face with his loved
one the battle was begun the
hardest Of the soldiersl life, perhaps,
but the sweetest. In the end he
triumphed The day was namedj
the father was willing, the brother
was more than satisfied, the Arkan'
san happy as a king, and as trlum'
phant departed to his southern
home to close up his business, dis.
pose Of his property and return to
the land of his sweetheart
This was in 1868, Ia November
1860, 20 years ago, he returned to
Kansas City aud met his bride,
They are old people now and have
sons aud daughters grown to man.
hood and womanhood They re-
side on their farm in Miami county,
and are surrounded with everything
that tends TO make life happy and