Morris tribune., 1898-04-20
NEVER SAW HER HUSBAND.
Strange Story OF Courtship and Marriage
Told In q lawsuit.

Strange Story OF Courtship and Marriage
Told In "a lawsuit.
A lawsuit over a valuable piece of land in
tho city of Superior, Wis, brings out a
strange story of courtship and marriage.
In 1881 Miss Edith Footo was telegraph
operator In the Office of the Western Union
company st Bismarck, N. D., and Melville
Sherman occupied like position with the
same company at Helena, Mon. They
had worked together on the Same circuit
for several months and had formed an in
innate friendship, which Develop | into
love. They had correspondent regularly by
mail and by wire up to the time of their
engagement, but had not gazed upon each
others faces, except Photographic like
nesses They were TO be married in the
fall of 1881, tho wedding day had been set
and both parties had arranged for vaoa-
tions in order that they might spend their
honeymoon in the cast.
One day, several weeks previous to the
time set for tho wedding, young Sherman
"oallcd ups his hetrothed at Bismarck
and impaired to her the unexpected in
telligence that he had received q tele-
gram from the suuerintendcnt transferring
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 tho time set for sherman de-
parture, 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.
f,rIlr Il hHyt hfO
young lovers. over the wire. They. were
Ioath 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 postponed wedding. But what was
to be done? The question was puzzler,
but love finds 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 sug
gestion which the young people accepted
as 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. Hewas 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 mar
riage. So it was decided that the marriage
take place that day. In order to be on the
safe side 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 two 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,
"Who is at the key?" The answer came
"Melville Sherman" Then Miss Foote
signified her presence and readiness to be
married, and the justice went on with the
ceremony, which consisted of the usual
short service as prescribed by law. 1t was
all done by dots and dashes, even to the
kissing and handshaking (for which teleg-
raphers have q 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 Bismarck-and Mrs. Sherman
was presented with the marriage eertii-
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 telegraph operator
ever since at various points. Though they
correspondent regularly for three or four
years Mrs. Sherman never saw her husband.
She alleges that the land in question once
stood in the name Of her husband, who
disposed of the same by deed without her
signature, converting the entire proceeds
to his own use, notwithstanding the laws
of Wisconsin allow the wife third inter
est in the property of her husband.