The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-09-03
IR|EF. and DEGRTER
William Merriam's Sweet
heart Makes Him Return
TO TAKE HIS PUNISHMENT
She Will Marry Him When
He Is a Free Man Again.

New York, Sept L-wllliam 8. Mer-
Ram, a deserter writing to the World
says:
This is the story of my surrender. I
have been engaged since May 30, 1885, 70
a true and loving girl.
For her gave everything up.
For love of her surrender myself.
want to take my punishment like (a
man.
When have my liberty again I'll mar
ry her.
Through all my trouble she has been
stanch and loyal.
If she had not made me give myself
I'D I'd have married her then and there,
but-there could be no peace for a de-
serter. Both my home and my wife
would suffer.
am glad am here, for her sake, what
ever happens.
am patiently wafting-no matter what
nv punishment may be. So Is she.
In prison in Fort Hamilton. N. T.. Will
lam Merriam is confined under charges
OF desertion and theft
He enlisted in the United States cavalry
service under Major Craiagie in Philadel-
phia, May IS.
On July II, ne deserted.
The fine aeroism Of his f1ancee condemn
ed him to the exoiation of his crime.
Nevertheless her loyal. faithful woman's
heart remains true to her troth.
She promised before her dover gave
himself I'D that she would become his
wife as soon as he had paid the penalty
of his crime against his country.
William s. Merriam is a native Of Hart
ford, Conn.
He is the son of a prominent merchant.
The famaily ave always been members
of the Protestant EPISCOPAL church.
When Merriam was fifteen he was grad
uated from the grammara school in Hart
ford.
Immediately he took a course in book
keeping in a business college.
At eighteen he succeeded In obtaining
a place as assistant bookkeeper in dry
goods house. Four years later, still In the
employe Of the samae firm, he was pro-
NOTED to the position of head-bookkeeper
"a good indication Of the reliance his
his employers placed in him.
Well educated, burt not a bookworm,
with a good address. his fine. manly pres
ence impresses persons favorably.
Strangers In Hartford often wondered
where the young fellow had learned his
ease of manner
He was quite an athelete in an anna
teur way, winning the championship at
tournament lin Hartford for high jump
ing in 1895.
william Merriam Is now a superb speci-
men Of manhood, six feet high, weighing
1877. not stout, but muscular, magnificently
set up, and is as well groomed as ali
athletes should be.
When ne smiles there is CLINT of sun
shine in his eyes that look squarely into
your own.
He has bronzed curly hair and blonde
mustache neatly cropped and its ends
curled with the moety Of a man VINO
takes a proper pride in his looks.
His fresh, healthy complexion gives him
an air of youthfulness even less than
would be expected of his twenty-seven
years.
From his early childhood he bowed his
tory, enjoyed reading Of the great con-
ficts of nations and worshipped Napoleon
as favaorite hero.
When the Sptnish-American war broke
out he was anxious to enlist. He was a
careful newspaper reader and he absorb
ed greedily all the details of the great
fights of the war.
Finally on the Is of last May he Joined
the army.
Only the earnest persuasion of his
mother had kept him from enlisting
year anad a half ago.
Early in May he gave up his position as
confidential bookkeeper. Shortly after he
left Hartford for Philadelphia On the IS
of last May he enlisted in the United
States cavalry at Philadelphia under the
recruiting officer, Major Craigle.
Three years ago William Merriam met
Grace Morissey. a slender. childish girl.
was spending his holidays there, and she
was accompanied by her parents.
They danced together. They played
lawn tennis and took long rides on a
tandem wheel. How often Cupid rides
TANDEM.
They were young. He waas handsome,
She was sweetly pretty. At the expirs-
ton of few happy weeks William Mer-
Ram returned 90 Hartford.
His little sweetheart came home with
her mother and father.
She was still wearing short gowns. a
schoolgirl with a loose braid OF hair
hanging down her back.
The young lovers did not forget. but
continued to see each other at intervals.
But these intervals were so long-a year
apart. So they wrote-such childish. sim
pie letters to each other as young lovers
always write
Letters that told of shy uninteresting
things, but with world of hearts love
interviewer. Between the lines ran the
old story of loves young dream.
Unconscious OF the dawning love these
children played with the life problem that