Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-11-03
ROMANCE and MARRIAGE.
MRS. ROBERT T. sADLER, OF CEN
TRALlA, BECOMES THE WIFE
OF JOHN W. WILLS.
Aged Mr.. Sadler Cries as he Walks the
Streets Of Centralis, Then Leaves
His Pretty Home No One
Knows Where o Divorce
Was Granted.
From the St. Louis post-pispatch.

From the st. Louis Post-Dispatch
Miss Katie Sadler, a young lady
from Centralia, Mo-, employed as tel
egraph operator in st. Louis, learned
with much surprise Saturday morning
of the marriage of her mother, Mrs.
Robert T. Sadler, OF Centralia, to MIR.
John W. Wills, of Maryville, No. The
wedding occurred at Gallatin, Mo-,
Oct. Is, and has likewise proved q
great surprise to the many business
acquaintance of the groom in st.
Louis.
At Centralia, which has been for
years the home of the principals in
this wedding, and their families, the
announcement of the union at Gallatin
has created a surprise, for the story
behind it has been without parallel in
Northeast Missouri In years.
News of the wedding reached Gem
tralia through thoroughly reliable
sources. A copy of q Gallatin paper
with the announcement OF the wedding
at the Gallatin Methodist parsonage
has been received at Centralia, and
George II. Hulen, q former resident
OF Ceptralia, has written q letter tell
ing of the wedding to O. H. Early, as
sistaut Cashier of the Bank of Contra
liza.
To the people of C~entralia the news
OF the wedding comes as a startling
elimination of a series Of happenings
which have been rampant in the little
city for more than two years. 1t all
began with gossip.
Among the prominent families OF
Centralia were those of RobertT 7. Sad
Ter, an old and retired Wabash con-
ductor, and John W. Wills, q hardware
and farm implement merchant.
Wills and Sadler were among the
leading citizens of the place. Each
had a fine home, a wife and grown
children and money. Mrs. Sadler was
the leading matron of the city. She
lie about As years of age, quite attract
i've and was prominently connected
with everything the ladies of Centralia
did.
Gossip began with the rumor that
Mr.. Wills had become infatuated with
her and that they we're In the habit OF
making little trips out of town togeth-
er. Finally there was circulated q
story that they had gone to Hot
Springs and stayed q week, and this
story became so generally known in
Centralia that it reached the ears OF
Mr.. Sadler, who was fully 20 years the
senior of his wife.
Both he and Wills were Masons and
at the next meeting of the lodge Sad
Ter arose and demanded that Willis,
who, he said, had caused gossip, ruin
ing the good name of the Sadler fami-
ly, be dismissed from the lodge. The
old gentleman found that Wills had
anticipated him by withdrawing just q
week before.
Within a few days Editor A. Rode
myre, of the Centrafia Guard, pub
lished the news of what happened in
the lodge room. The next day Wills
met the editor IN drug store ana held
a pistol against his head while Rode.
myre wrote and signed a ~retraction
of the statements made. Rodemyre
had Willis arrested and in the trial, in
which Wills was found guilty and
fined, the whole story concerning Will
and Mrs. Sadie came out.
After the trial Wills left for Oklaho-
ma, leaving his wife behind. he re-
turned at intervals, and it became
rumored that he had secured in Okla.
homa a divorce from his wife. Mrs
Wills asked her brother to learn II
this was true, and he found the d.
vorce upon the records in Oklahoma
Upon learning this Mrs. Wills left hel
home and went to Macon to live witt
her son, John Willie, a young man o.
% years.
VlllS CtkltlhhUo w A1NSk
deal and spent a portion Of his time a'
Centralia. He was seen there last
Sunday. Mrs. Sadler was also on
Sunday. She was riding on the street,
with her aged husband, who hat
steadfastly refused to believe thu
things he had heard Of her, and the,
went together to a florists snd pur
chased house plants to beautify tneil
pretty home.
Monday it became noised arounf
Centralia that Wills and Mrs. Sadie
had disappeared, and later in the
week came the news Of their wedding
at Gallatin. A friend of Mr.. Sadlel
went to bis home and told the old gen
tlemau OF the news. He doubted
until there was no longer room fol
doubt and then he collapsed with grief
Friday he was seen upon the wall
in front of his home weeping alous
and wringing his hands. He is ben
with age and white haired.
Unable to face the humiliation at
taching to the family name and hom'
his daughters, three grown ladies
have left him and gone he knows no
where, leaving the old father alone Il
his home. The deep sympathy of th,
people Of Centralia 10 extended to him
In q letter written from Gallatin +
Centralia by . gentleman interested 1
the affair 1t is stated that Mrs. Sadlel
when the license for her wedding wit
Wills was issued, stated that che ha'
; been divorced from her husband for
year.
No one in C~entralia, not even tn
. husband, knows aught Of the divorc
|. or when or whore It was secured.
This week Wills had his househol
goods shipped from Centralia to Mary
vile, and it Is supposed the newi
married pair have gone there to hv'
Wills wealth 10 estimated ct $1,000