The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-03-19
NEVER SAW HER HUSBAND.
Strange Story of Courtship and Marriage
Told In 8 Lawsuit.

TOl0 In 8 Lawsuit.
Alawsuit over a valuable piece of land in
the city of Superior, Wis, brings out a
strange story of courtship and marriage.
In 1881 Miss Edith Foote was a telegraph
operator in the Office of the Western Union
company at Bismarck, n. D., arH Melville
Sherman occupied a like position with the
same company at Helena, Mon. They
had worked together on the same circuit
for several months and had fT-med an in
innate friendship, which developed n
love. They had c~orrespon.a,d regularly by
mail and by wire up to the Sne of their
engagement, but had not gazed upon each
others faces, except Photographic ike
nesses. They were to be married in the
fall of 1881, the wedding day had been set
and both parties had arranged for vaca-
lions in order that they might spend their
honeymoon in the east.
One day, several weeks previous to the
time set for the wedding, young Sherman
sscalled up his betrothed at Bismarck
and impaired to her the unexpected in
te%lligence. that he had received q tele-
gram from the superintendent transferring
him to an office in San Francisco and
must leave for that city by the early train
next morning. OF course this meant that
the wedding must be postponed, for the
lovers were 500 miles apart and could not
meet before the time set for Sherman's de-
p%arture, and there was no telling when
they would meet again owing to the in
ability of the Western Union to furnish re-
lief for them at that busy time.
The situation was fully discussed by the
young lovers over the wire. They were
loath to be separated by the distance be-
tween Bismarck and San Francisco with
out first being united in marriage, and be-
sides Miss Foote entertained certain super
stitious notions about bad luck resulting
from a postponed wedding. But what was
to be done? The question was q puzzler,
but love finds a way at all times. In this
case the way was paved by an old friend OF
Miss Foote, Mr.. Burke, who was also a
telegrapher, but retired from the business.
Mr.. Burke came to the front with a sug
gestion which the young people accepted
as a joke at first, but which they finally
adopted as the only resort in the matter.
Burke proposed that they be married by
wire and offered to perform the ceremony
himself. He was a justice of the peace and
therefore vested with the necessary author
ity for marrying people, but the lovers
questioned his right to perform the cere-
mony in the manner proposed. A lawyer
was consulted by the prospective groom
and an opinion obtained which dispelled
all doubts as to the legality Of such a mar
riage. So it was decided that the marriage
take place that day. In order to be on the
safe side a license to wed was taken out in
Montana by the groom and another in
Dakota territory by the bride. Then at the
appointed hour Sherman stood at the key
with W witnesses in his office at Helena
and Miss Foote stood at the other end OF
the wire with the Justice and two or three
of her intimate friends.
The justice called up Helena and asked,
ssWho is at the key?" The answer came
"Melville Sherman" Then Miss Foote
signif1ed her presence and readiness to be
married, and the Justice went on with the
ceremony, which consisted of b usual
short service as prescribed by law. 1t wax
all done by dots and dashes, even to the
kissing and h~andshaking flor which teleg-
| raphers have a code of their OWN In the
plain hearing of many operators along the
| line between Bismarck and Helena. -Four
persons subscribed as having been wit
nesses to the ceremony-two at Helena
| and two at Bismarok-and Mrs. Sherman
was presented with the marriage certif-
cate by Justice Burke.
Next morning after the marriage BY
wire Sherman boarded the train for San
Francisco and, according to the complaint,
has been employed as a telegraph operator
ever since at various points. Though they
! correspondent regularly for three or foul
years Mrs. Sherman never saw Der husband,
She alleges that the land in question once
stood in the name of her husband, wht
disposed Of the same by deed without hel
signature, converting the entire proceeds
to his own use, notwithstanding the avs
Of Wisconsin allow the wife a third inter
est In the properly of her husband.