The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-08-14
TWICE TOLD TALE
Young Atkinson's Story of
His Love Affair."
WITH FORT SCOTT GIRL
Says He Did Not Ask Miss
Wtihes to Go to Kansas City.


At NoyeS dry goods store, on Eas
Douglas avenue. IS quiet young man
perhaps Is years Old, new clerk in tn'
| store; a stranger IN Wichita. 1; is no'
an uncommon thing for dry goods stores
TO hire new clerks. and 10 get them from
| other towns, and usually in SUCH cases
customers only make mental note OF
the presence of the stranger and temper
arily dispose Of the subject st tne neh'
| family meal with the statement: bia1iA
has a new clerk attached to "nloh Is
III. resolve to query an acquaintance
among the other clerks later 10 nno "u'
! the new mans personal and tamliy ms t0i
and whether or not he is consldereo any
good" among the old force.
Rut the new clerk at Noyes' mas had
different experience. Every day since ne
came TO Wichita people have stepped iii'o
the store to get a look at him, not pcause
he is what the girls would call nice
looking" fellow but because the story oI
his coming had a tinge Of the romantic c.
for which ne says he is not responsible
and also which he says is hardly true
Several have gone up to him and inquired
ygal!antly, us this Mr.. Atkinson?"
V. E. Atkinson of Emporia is the young
dry goods clerk whom Miss Kate Withers
Of Fort Scott met in Kansas City last
week; she said for the purpose of be-
coming his wife. Mr.. Atkinson is the new
clerk at Noyes, but he denies Miss With
ers' version Of the affair, given in last
Sundays Eagle.
The Fort Scott dispatches said that Miss
Withers suddenly disappeared from her
home in Fort Scott a week ago Thursday
and left no information of where she was
going or when she would return. She
was handsome the dispatches said a
graduate of the State normal at Emporia,
a leader in Fort Scott social circles. the
daughter of ]. F. Withers, a prominent
merchant there. She was known to be
engaged TO V. E. Atkinson Of Emporia,
a young man she became acquainted with
while at school. Miss Withers' parents
objected to the match-objected persist
emily and firmly. Miss Withers dtsap-
peared from homo to marry Mr.. Atkinson.
Fort Scott society was all agog.
She went to Kansas City and met Mr..
Atkinson, but they were not married She
said it was because Mr.. Atkinson was
afraid TO get the license for fear her
father would trace them and shatter the
honeymoon with Ia chunk Of state law.
and drive two lives to an eternal waste
Of melancholy and disappointment.
Miss Wtthers came here, ostensibly to
avoid detection and to meet and marry
Mr.. Atkinson later. She was arrested
and sent home before he arrived
rs all this true?" an Eagle representa-
tive asked Mr. Atkinson at Noyes' yes
terday.
"weI, hardly" he said, and smiled good
naturally,
You met Miss withers In Kansas
City?"
Eyes"
"By appointment"
''Well, 1t was this way. I had been visit
ing for some time in Atchison, st. Joe
and Kansas City I was in correspond
ence with the young lady I was thinking
of going to Rochester, n. Y, soon, and
told her so. In answer she sent a postal
card, asking me to wire if I would be in
Kansas City the next day I telegraphed
her that I would be there for a day or
two. She wired back that she would be
in on the 5:35 p. m. Missouri Pacific train
met her at the depot. We went to the
home Of a friend OF mine there and Wis
tied The next day we visited places of
interest in Kansas City. In the after
noon 1 picked up a Kansas City Star
giving sensational account of Miss With
ers' trip from home, and stating that
she had eloped with me. 1 promise you
that nobody was more surprised than I
was. 1 told Miss Withers she had better
go back home. but she wanted to get
married to hush the whole matter. I
didn't. had been in correspondence with
Mr.. Noyes here about working for him.
and told her I might come here. She
came on down here and learned that she
was taken home"
rs Miss Wlthers under age?"
mo; she is % years old. It would have |
have made no difference if her father had
objected. l didn't know however tina, |
ne ever objected. for I never was treated |
any more Hospitality anywhere than at |
Miss Withers' home"
DO You intend to marry Miss Withers7 ?"
l shall ask you to excuse me from max
ng any direct answer to that question"
Mr.. Atkinson has lived in Emporia for
en- years. and was for some years floor |
walker for the Newman dry goods house.
He has dark hair. pleasant ewes. and |
AXIS OF his love affair in a vecy modest
way. He has known Miss Withers four
fears.
AND THERE ARE OTHERS