The Indianapolis journal., 1896-07-26
BLAND's THREAT TO ELoPE.
His Father-in-Law Recalls Peremp-
tory Letter Asking for a Daughter


Kansas City Star
The quaintest figure connected with the
family OF Richard p. Bland is Gen. e. Y
MItcheil. the father of Mrs. Bland. Gem
the senior of his celebrated sOn-in-law.
blun, rough and ready style of man.
largely molded and with an enormous
head covered with white hair which rises
from his bald crown i'm a fringe He has
n cropped white mustache and a white
chin beard His somewhat bulky frame
bangs loosely and comfortably. He looks
Ike the type OF sporting planter of old
DAYS. His military title he gets from
having been adjutant general on the staff
of ex-governor Phelps.
The first time | ever saw Bland" said
General Mitchell the other day, was in a
big land suit, in which / came .up to Leb-
anon to act as attorney. II was the case
OF one Quinn. i'm which Judge Adams of
the federal bench. was a witness. r was
a stranger in the town. and L didn't like
the testimony of Adams. So / assaiked
him vigorously. Bland was the attorney
on the other side. and presently he arose
in his slow, cool way and cut my arraign-
ment all TO pieces. / was impressed with
the man. and before he got through he
made me sorry / had attacked Judge
Adams My interest in Bland dates from
that law suit
Some time after this got letter from
my daughter. Virginia. who away at
school in Caledonia. In IL she asked this
question: L have met Richard p Bland
What do YOU think of him: pap Fearing
Tor he was now a Congressman and she
a school teacher in Caledonia i sat down
and wrote her that 1 knew him and that
he was as cold as wagon tire. You
see she was gay young girl and had
never had beau and / didn't want her
TO get to thinking about him.
Il was living at Springfield then and
Bland had just gone to Congress. / had
considerable influence i'm Wright Ozark
and Douglas counties and holt on Texas,
the hilliest county on earth. and before his
election his friends asked me if / would
use my influence in those counties to elect
of my children was sick at tie time. and
] told them that If IL got we'll l would go
down there and beat Bland. But my
child died had promised the counties to
Ed Seay. brother Oh Ex-Governor Seay.
OF Oklahoma. Bland. however. sneaked in
there. was nominated and elected.
While / was away on the Southern
court circuit trying cases. four letters
came to my Office from Bland. The first
one / opened asked me for the hand OF
my daughter Virginia in marriage I
thought to myself. Great Scott. does this
man want to marry that chid? She was
six. / opened the second letter and it was
more urgent than the first; the third was
peremptory.. and the fourth stated that
he supposed / was opposed to him and
that If / would not consent to the mar
riage he would run away with her and
marry her anyhow.
that a man would write a letter to an
other man demanding his daughter in
marriage. and then. befOre ne got re-
ply, write another letter saying he would
run off with her was too much for me.
IT made me mad clear through. and L sat
down and wrote a letter to him in which
j said: Il have received your letter asking
permission to marry my daughter and
stating that IL / will not give my consent
you will run away with her and marry
her anyhow. 1 suppose you want to make
little romance, SO run away with her
and be damned
ION the way TO the postoffice the grav-
fty OF the situation dawned upon me. Here
was Congressman double the age OF my
daughter proposing an elopementi Well.
I tore that letter uD and wrote another
giving him permission to marry her if he
could get her consent. which / suppose he
did. for the next thing j knew they were
married.