The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-13
ROMANCE IN CANTON TRAGEDY.
New York Beauty Got Divorce to
Wed SaxtOn, the Victim.

From the Philadelphia Record.
New York, Oct 10-While Mrs. McKin-
ley wept at the bier of her only brother,
out in Canton, O.. to-day, another heart
mourned here in New York, anguished and
alone. The bullet that ended the life of
George d. Saxton last Friday ended the
life romance of Mrs. Mary F. Park. Their
wedding day had been set, and Mr.. and
Mrs. Mckinley were to be the guests of
honor at the wedding.
A dozen years ago there was no pref
tier girl in all Canton than Mary Franz.
Slender and petite, with raven hair and
flashing black eyes, half of the young men
Of the town were at her feet. But her
heart was George Saxtons.
How II happened the town gossips do
not know. But Mary Franz did not marry
George SaXton Instead, she married
William +. Park. He was good-looking,
and had a good place as travelling sales
man. Some said it was pique. AT any
rate, the marriage was far from happy,
though little daughter was born,
Some years ago the Parks moved to this
city and they began to move in society.
FoGr years ago husband and wife had
their first falling out.
Mrs. Park brought suit in the Supreme
Court for a divorce on the statutory
ground, naming Il servant girl whom she
knew as Nora as correspondent. By this
time she and her husband had been sep
arated a year. Mrs. Park was forced to
work to support herself and daughter. So
she got a position as cashier in the Hotel
Marie Antoinette. Meanwhile. she lived
with her sister, at No. 235 West Ninety
fifth street
Park hated to give up his beautiful
wife without one last effort. He wrote
her letter after letter, promising to mend
his ways.
But love had grown cold In the mean
while, Mrs. Park had seen George Sax
ton again; they began to correspond
When Mrs. Parks counsel asked for
retaining fee, now that the divorce case
was on the calendar, she told him frank
ly that she had not the money then. But
she whispered that she meant to marry
again; that her new husband, a very Diff
ferent man. would pay whatever the law
yer wanted to charge for his services. She
added that the wedding day had been set
for three months after the signing of the
decree.
50 the case of Park VS.. Park was pushed
to Trial 1t got into court on June 20 last,
before Judge Nash. The husband put in
no defense. The hearing of the evidence
took but twenty minutes. A few days
later Mrs. Park got her decree.
The very next day she received a letter
from Canton. 1t was from Mr.. Saxton.
No engagement was announced, put Mrs.
Park told a few intimate friends. She
was TO be married to Mr.. Saxton, she said
in three months, and then she was to give
up her work and go out TO Canton to live
mistress of a beautiful home of her own
And President and Mrs Mckinley, p"
she cried, far happier than she had been
for years, ''are coming to the wedding"
Mrs Park heard no word of the MUIR
der until she read it here in the papers.
Her had NOT bepU qnnOunp96
So no one thought to telegraph her.
Mrs. Park, when seen to-day at her
desk in the hotel, said: And so they
have found my letters In Mr.. Saxtons
effects? 1t seems hard that they cannot
leave the letters of a dead man alone.
1 have known Mr. Saxton all my life;
he was very dear to me. He has always
been my friend"
''Were you not more than friend-en-
gagged to be married to him?"
He is dead now she said. ''I would
rather not say anything more. What
good would it do? 1t would not bring
him baN to life
"And your divorce? Were you not to
got a dvorce?"
81 could have secured a decree four
years ago, but 1 did not until this year.
But please do not ask me any more-let
the past be buried now. 1 can have moth
ing more to say"
Mrs Park did not know of Mrs. George,
who is accused of killing Saxton, nor Mrs.
Althouse.