People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1897-04-22
A Romance DESTROYED,

On the marriage license record 10
the Office Of the probate judge appears
the name of Butler county girl and
young man living at DOster, little
station west Of Caldwell on the St.
Louis & San Francisco road. Across
the margin Of the record is written
the words, "Forsaken in Love" For
years the mystery that surrounded
that short but expressive sentence has
remained in darkness save for the
doubted tradition that son Of a New
York sculptor, full Of hope and with
future full Of bright promises had
followed siren of France from the
music halls of New York to the sunny
chimes OF Southern Kansas in the vain
hopes of marrying the girl he loved.
Romance has it that the parents of
the young sculptor, who were immense
ly wealthy, were opposed to the union
of their son with woman whom
they could not recognize 10 society.
But the young man was madly in
fatuated with the French woman and
he was determined to make her his
wife. They planned to leave New
York and take up their home in a dis.
tant country, where they might settle
down in simple little home and I've
happily, safe from the ScOrntul tauntS
of "a hypccrtical society. They came
west and stopped in Wellington.
They secured a marriage license un-
der assumed names, and went to
Caldwell, where they were to be uni
ted in marriage and afterward reside.
Before the wedding occurred a tele-
gram was received from New York
ordering the arrest Of the runaway
parties. They were placed ia prison
and soon the irate father had arrived
from the east. Finding his son firm
in the determination to marry the
sOrceresS, the old gentleman changed
his tactics and played upon the in.
fidelity of the Partisan woman by
offering her a fabulous sum of money
to reject his son. The old gentle
mans offers we're accepted and the
woman threw the young man over
board and went to Denver, COL, where
she afterwsrd became a rich miners
bride.
The above is the romance that has
been shattered. Here is the true tale
that was revealed today by the dis
cOvery OF some love letters that are
on record. In 1889 a young man
really living at Doster, and a young
lady, really living in Butler county,
were engaged. She wrote him that
she would meet him in Caldwell one
day in December, 1889, for the pur-
pose of uniting with him in marriage.
The young fellow procured his mar
riage license aud waited for the girl.
The girl failed to appear at the time
set for the marriage. In the mean
time. she wrote him a letter jilting
him, stating plainly her reasons. She
was honest about it and returned him
a ring and SIC borrowed money.
The law requires that a marriage
permit be returned to the probate
Judges Office within thirty days of its
issuance. The young man failed to
get married and he did not return his
permit. JEdge Saunders notified him
OF his neglect and the young fellow
thought he had violated a law. In
order to prove his innocence he sent
the judge letters from the girl agree
ing to marry him and afterward refus.
ing to marry him. Claude Saunders
was in the Office at the time and when
he read the revelation he shed tears
OF blood. He dipped his pen in the
blood and with heavy teart he wrote
the terrlble words, "Forsaken in
Love-" across the margin of the rec
ord. He locked the secret in his
breast:aDd until this day it had re-
manned unfathomable.
Thus another court house romance
Is destroyed.