The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-11-02
SHE Is WHITE, He IS CoLoRED
james A. Guitar. CT Wilmington, Marriesa
Rich White. Woman In New Yosk-She
Was q Former Belle Of Brooklyn aud Her
Relations AID Society are Shocked

New York and Brooklyn are agog
over TIE marriage OF James A. Guitar.
colored, Of Wilmington, and Mrs. Min
ME G. Provost, of Brooklyn. Guitar is
the son of James K. Guitar. a we'll
known and respectable colored mar of
Wilmington. The New York World, of
Wednesday. has a column and a half
article on the marriage. and prints
cuts Of the groom and his white wife.
The New York Journal, of Wednesday,
also contains a long article on the
marriage. The following is what The
Journal says:
For drinking Manhattan cocktails in
public with his lawful welded wife,
James A. Guitar lost his job as riding
instructor in a fashionable Brooklyn
cyclery.
Mr. Guitar is a robust colored a
with large and sinewy hands and feet.
His wife is. a Caucasian. petite of fig
ure, educated, well bred, refined and
the possessor of much ney-mo
than 500, COG. So what does James Cut
lar care for his late job at the Brook
| Ign cyclery.
The couple are now living in luxuri-
Gus retirement somewhere in the
~neighborhood of Far Rockaway, for
Mrs. Guitars friends and relatives have
stricken her from their lists.
She is the daughter of the late. George
| w. Demond, aged 80, and the widow of
John S. Provost, who was a member
Of one of the oldest and wealthiest
families in Brooklyn.
In the summer Of 1895 Mr.. Provost
shot himself accidentally, it is claim
ed, and in November of last yea the
widow married the negro riding in
structor. The wedding took place in
this city, and so cleverly did the couple
conceal their relations hat the mesal-
lance was not discovered until a few
lays ago, when fashionable society
was greatly shocked over the news.
Mrs. Guitars Immediate relatives, the
Demonds, recently moved to Platts-
burg, N. Y, where, it is said, they nav
home Of the Provosts, No. 146 Hewes
street, Williamsburg, is also barred
against her.
THE SPECKLED BEAUTY.
1t adds to the pain of Mrs. Guitars
former associates to learn hat her
husband is a freckled negro. He was
Familiarity known at the cyclery and in
Gwinnett street as the "Speck1ed Beau
ty," though Mr.. Guitar is by no mean
q loI liz ID y " years Olu
of gigantic build, loose jointed and un-
calmly, but an expert rider of the
wheel. His complexion is light, and
the freckles, which are. of a deep
black, can be seen at quite a distance.
Since his arrival from the south sew
eral years ago Guitar has been steadi-
ly employed in the bicycle academies
OF Brooklyn except during the winter,
when he took odd jobs at carpenter
work. 1t was while thus engaged at
the home of the Widow Provost that
the flame of love flared up in the
bosoms of both. Mr.. Guitar also at
tended to the furnace and gave the
widow Instructions on the wheel until
she became an expert and went out on
the cycle path with her husband.
Later in the season Mr.. Guitar en-
barked in a saloon venture, backed.
| presumably, by his wife, but he fell
into disgrace. He vas robbed of sew
eral hundred dollars by a pair Of COL
ored soubrettes. At least, that vas his
story, but at any rate, Mr.. Guitar ap-
piled, last April, for a position at the
~Schwalbach cyclery, No. All F1atbush
avenue, and was put at work. The wife,
| who was then living in Williamsburg,
brought her wheel over to the Flat
bush avenue academy, and during the
lunch hour, when James could get
away, the couple took a spin together.
During one Of these excursions the en-
ployer of Mr.. Guitar saw his colored
man drinking with a white woman on
the veranda of a o house.
DISCHARGED MR.. GUITAR.
The next day MI. Schwalbach dis
charged Guitar and requested the wO-
man to remOve her wheel from his es-
tablishment. At that time Schwalbach
did not know of the relation. He only
heard of it yesterday.
In whatever way the news got
abroad, the selection of the negro for
a second husband caused an Immense
amount of gossip. Guitar may possess
qualities of mind and heart of which
the gossips know nothing, but still they
talked.
At the Provost home no statement
could be obtained. The people Of the
house refused to talk beyond saying
that al effort would be made to obtain
possession of Mrs. Guitars 9-year-old
boy. The Provosts did not know the
address of the couple, as the woman
disappeared when the expose came.
Several persons who claim to know her
say they " seen her recently driving
on Bedford avenue with her colored
husband.
Minnie c. Demond, now Mrs. James
Guitar, enjoyed in youth every advant-
age that wealth could offer, and she
still possesses a snug fortune, in addi-
ton to James. Her father vas a pros
0SAAAS AAAA o1Au lLC I'LL
occupied a handsome mansion in Bed
ford venue The daughter was a
member of the leading social set and a
regular attendant at church, being
deeply interested in mission work.
Shortly after making her debut in So
ciety Miss Demond met Mr.. Provost.
He was a son of the late John G. Pro-
vost, who settled in Brooklyn when
the city was but a village. The elder
Provost left a large fortune, the sons
share of which reverted to the widow.
HER FIRST WEDDING.
The Provost Demond wedding was a
notable social event, to which every
one of prominence in the Eastern dis
trict was invited. A year later they
went abroad and travelled extensively
on the continent. After their return
from Europe the ProvOstS went to
live in a Hewes street apartment house..
They subsequently removed to No. 80
Lee avenue where their home life was