The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-11-03
THE GUITAR MARRIAGE.
The Negro who Married White Wife
Had a Negro Wife Already.

1t turns out that the negro Guitar
who married the white woman has ne
gro wife, and there will be trouble for
him. The Brooklyn Eagle, after stating
that he has negro wife, says:
The Guitars live on the second floor
rear of the Vanderhoff apartment house,
which is almost exclusively occupied by
negroes. James A. Guitar was not at
home when an Eagle reporter called
there this morning and his brother aud
sister, who were seen, said that Mrs.
Provost's husband had not been in the
house since the story of his marriage to
the rich widow was published in the
Eagle.
Inquiry for the original Mrs. Guitar
was met with the reply that she is en-
ployed as servant in Greene avenue
house and that she went to work early
every morning.
"She is looking for James," said John
Guitar, land it is possible that she is not
working to-day. She says that she is
James wife and l always supposed that
she was, too, until I read the story about
my brothers marriage to Mrs. Provost.
Now, 1 am half inclined to think that he
was never married to this colored wo-
man. / am sorry that this story has
come out, for it may make trouble for
Jim, but, then, he is brave and doesn't
care. He never met anyone yet that he
was afraid of, and don't think that this
case will phase him at ALL"
"No, Jim doesn't care; but think or
the disgrace of our family" interrupted
Miss Guitar, a good looking young color
ed woman. 81 have only been in the
city a few months and / am beginning
to think that it is an awful bad place.
Why, down in Wilmington, N. c., our
family is one Of the best in the city,
and if my father hears Of this he may
never recover from the shock. OF
course, I don't know nothing about the
case, but if it had ever occurred to me
that Jim wasn't married to the woman
with whom he was living 1 wouldn't have
come here"
'grhat's right" continued Guitars
brother, ''the Guitars are real good peo-
pie in Wilmington. My father knows the
Governor of North Carolina, the Lieuten-
ant Governor, the Mayor and the Sheriff,
too"
According to the neighbors, Mrs.
Provost's husband has made his home
at 10 Lexington avenue and Navy street.
He made money there for awhile and he
was considered an exceptionally prosper
Gus business man until about two years
ago, when he was robbed of $500 while
visiting with some colored women on
Gwinnette street. After that he failed
in business and it was then that he went
to work as an instructor in one Of the
Brooklyn cycle academies.
"Mrs Minnie G. Provost, the Eastern
district woman, who was married to the
negro on November 20, has frequently
been seen in the neighborhood of the
Lexington ayenut apartment house. j.
L. Gatham, grover, at Grand and
Lexington avenues, says that Mrs. Pro-
yost has often stopped her carriage in
front of his store and then sent around
Ito Guitars house for the negro.
81 first noticed her in the neighbor-
hood about year ago." said Mr.. Gath
man to an Eagle reporter this morning.
"At that time she drove quite a swell
turnout and she and Guitar occasionally
went out riding together. On one occa-
sion Mrs. Provost came in here and
bought a bottle of milk, remarking that
her husband would pay for it. Within
day or two Guitar came in and said
he wanted to pay for the milk his wife
bought. / thought he meant the colored
woman at 10 Lexington avenue, as /
supposed she was Guitars wife, and it
was a long time before / could get it
through my head. -s VS. as m ~
Then Guitar told me that he was mar
ried to the white woman. | knew that
the original Mrs. Guitar suspected that
Mrs. Provost was calling at the Lexing-
ton avenue house for on one occasion
Mrs. Provost ran out Of the vestibule
and hurried down the street. A second
later the colored woman ran down the
street. She was bareheaded and said
she was looking for white woman.
another time Mrs. Provost asked one
Of my boys to go and call for Guitar.
He refused to do it, and l don't know
how Mrs. Provost notified Guitar that
she was waiting for him that time.
havn't seen Mrs. Povost for four or five
weeks and now think that she is living
somewhere on Long Island. Guitar was
around here in good looking rig Tues
day afternoon and I saw him talking
with his brother in front of Lexington
avenue fiat. Guitar is a good looking
negro. He dresses well and always
seemed to have plenty of money.
couldn't change a hundred dollar bill
when he was in my store one day and
| he got trusted for box of cigars. ex-
pect that he will pay me some day."
"The couple who live in the vicinity
Of the Vanderhoff apartment house have
often noticed a negro in Guitars fiat.
They say that he has been in the habit
OF standing in front of the mirror for
an hour at time and that he often
walks about the fiat all day attired in
gray colored dressing gown. Miss
Guitars sister told an Eagle reporter
to-day that the neighbors had probably
mistaken her brother John for Mrs.
Provost's husband"