The San Francisco call., 1896-07-24
SEQUEL TO A ROMANCE.
Los Angeles Girl Weds the Man
Who Saves Her From
Drowning.
After a Brief Honeymoon he Borrows
From His Mother.in.Law and
Disappears.

NEW YORK, N. Y, July 23.-Less than
fifteen years old, pretty California girl
wept in the Yorkville court to-day as she
told a story of marriage to a handsome
stranger who had saved her life and de-
serted her in strange city within seven
teen days of making her his wife. Her
implicit faith was more than equaled by
that of her mother, who allowed her to be
married to the hero of her romance in the
hope that she would thus be cured of her
longing for the life of an actress.
The deserted young bride told Magis-
trate Slmms that she was Mrs. Belle joyce
and until July 6 had been Miss Belle
Humphries. Her father is q well-to-do
butcher in Los Angeles, and George ].
Joyce, who married her, had been en-
ployed in another buteher-shop in the
same city.
From the story the girl told while she
wept in court, she had met Joyce only ten
days before their marriage. She had been
bathing near Los Angeles. A current
swept her beyond her depth. Joyce res
cued her. Soon an attachment sprang up
between the two. They became engaged
within a week, and on July 6 we're married
in Bethlehem Church, Los Angeles, by
the Rev. Dana d. Bartlett.
Nothing much was known in Los
Angeles about Joyce. He said he once
had been an actor, and in trying to dis
suade Belle from going on the stage told
her that his experience In the profession
had not been pleasant. The girl believed
him and this argument, added to that of
her mother, soon put out of her mind all
ideas OF being an actress.
On the day of the marriage joyce bor-
rowed $500 from his mother-in-law to paw
the expenses of the wedding tour. The
money received, they set out for New
York ana reached the city on Monday.
They we're directed to hotel in Forty
second street, near the Grand Central
Railroad station, but left it thenext day
and took a furnished room at 80 Bird
avenue.
At this point $50 of the $500 remained.
Joyce went out on Tuesday morning, paid
50 for suit of clothes, bought a silk hat
and pair of tan shoes and returned to
the house. Then he gave his wife rs cents
and left her. She has not seer him since.
de had told her that he was going to
some point near Niagara Falls, where his
grandfather lived. from whom he ex-
pected to get $500 10 pay his mother
| in-law.
The girl-wife remained alone in her
rooms. She was afraid to 60 out and ex-
pected any moment that her husband
would return. She did not wish to be
away when he arrived.
Yesterday she went through his trunk
and found reasons for losing iaith in him.
In fact, it looked to her as though she was
one OF several girls whom he had deserted
in similar manner. The trunk Contained
many letters from girls all over the coun-
try. To several OF them, all written bv
different persons, the name Mrs. joyce
was signed.
This was enough for the young girl. and
she Investigated no further. She went all
through Wednesday night, she said. and
yesterday morning went to the East
Thirty-fifth street police station, from
where Sergeant Bell directed her to the
Yorkville court, and her story was told to
Magistrate Simms. He gave her into the
care of the Gerry Society, with instruc-
tions that her parents should be com
municated with at once. He set her case
down for a hearing on July 30.
The girl says that Joyce is handsome
fellow, % years of age, with aristocratic
features and black mustache.