The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-11-28
house? I have never invited him


! taken i'll that day and wanted some
| wine, andI telephoned to Bolts and Mr.
Bott answered the telephone and said
/ there was no one to deliver 1t: there was
| no one there he could send it by and
| asked if he could deliver it himself
| and ne delivered it himself, and told
Q. Mr.. Sells, from the time you were
married In January, 1875 until Novern-
ber, 1899, what were your feelings
toward Mrs sells9 A. Well, was
@. And so far as you could judge
! from her deneanor towards you, what
| were her feelings toward you? A.
believed that my love was fully recipro-
| Gated.
In 1868 Lewis and Peter Travelled by
wagon and sold goods through Illinois
and Wisconsin Peter quit the business
and came to Columbus, where he and
| Allen opened an auction store. This con-
/ tinued until the spring of 1872 when the
| four Sells brothers-Allen, Lewis, Eph-
rain and Peter-started on the road
| with their wagon show. The wagon show
1 became a railroad organization In 1873,
and throughout his connection with it
Peter acted in the capacity of general
/ agent in advance of the show, attending
/ to the routing, railroad contracts, adver-
/ tising, etc.
| In the summer of 1876 he met his wife
4 He had been laid over at the town of
/ Medina, Knox county, Missouri, by
| heavy rains, and stopped at the hotel
| operated by J. C. Luker, father of his
| future wife. He saw Miss Luker as she
passed through the Office and was snit-
! ten He did not get acquainted with her
at this time, though he managed to get
matters on a speaking basis. After lie
I went on the road again, he wrote to her
and asked that ne be permitted to cor
respond with her, with the permission of
her parents This was granted, and the
/ correspondence kept up until their mar
/ riage, which occurred on January q,
( 1878 Previous to the marriage he had
/ paid her two visits of about a week each.
! The arrangements for the wedding were
made by letter, and it took place in the
| parlors of the hotel operated by her
/ father, in the town of Canton, Mo.
The newly married pair came at once
/ to Columbus, where Mrs Sells was in
\ troduced to her relatives by marriage,
and arrangements were made to permit
i her to make her home with her hus-
bands parents. In 1879 the plans of the
show manager were changed. and instead
I of continuing as a wagon show it be-
/ came a railroad organization. 1t had
been Peters intention to take his wife
with him in the buggy in which he trav-
eled ahead OF the show, but when the
/ change was made he tried to get her to
stay at home
She Insisted on travelling with the
! show, and pointed out that the wives Of
/ her husbands brothers were permitted
! to go with II. Peter consented, and on
arriving in the town of East Liberty,
! Pa. to join the show, month after it
/ had been on the road, he was surprised
rade, clad in a scarlet riding habit.
After the parade he insisted that she
4 discontinue in the parade, and she con-
+ sented. She said that her habit had
1 been made in Colum bus, in anticipation
/ of riding in the parade. She never again
+ took part in any exhibitions. Nor, in fact
/ did she ever again travel with the show,
4 as Peter always kept her with him They
4 stopped at hotels when on the road, I'M
4 til the spring of 1879, when Florence was
/ born, on April 13. Later in the year Mrs
Cy]IT--
falo. During the remainder Of their
married life. after Florence was old
I enough to go to school, Mrs. Sells lived
/ in this city, part of the time at hotels
/ and the remainder in their own home
| During the four or five first years of
I Florence's life, Mrs. Sells Travelled with
Peter in the No l advance car The car
4 was specially built for the purpose of
accommodating Mrs. Sells, and was pro-
vided with luxurious private state
room.
What kind of a show was it at this
time2" asked Mr.. Booth.
We'll replied the plaintiff, "ft was
very good show, as shows went at that
time. I am hardly a fair man to ask
that question, for wrote all the bills
| Mr.. Sells told Of the manner of life
which existed until the show went to
Australia They visited many cities on
/ business for the show, Mrs. Sells ac-
companying him at the company's ex-
pense. Always stopped at the best no
tells. She always accompanied him vol
UNFAIRLY, and did not object to the bust
ness in which he was engaged. In the
fall of 1891 they went to Australia, in
advance OF the show. Mrs Sells went
voluntarily, and wanted to go. At the
close of the trip Peter wanted to go to
India to buy 4 stock of animals a Rajah
had for sale, but Mrs. Sells objected to
the trip, and he gave it up the night be-
fore the steamer sailed.
Sells knew Ned" or E. H Raymollr.
He was stock agent of the Michigan Cen
tral railroad. He called at the home on
any acquaintance with Mrs. sells He
explained the call by saying that Mrs.
Ill, asked him to call and get acquainted.
Mrs Sells. He seemed to be a man of
SO years, and dressed WELL not fashily.
a gentleman.
The next time Peter met Ned was in
charm and ring, and talked with Mr. Sells
about Masonic matters. They visited a
While they met in San francisco Ray
mour was accompanied by two ladies' who
in-law- Peter iRdorsed a $400 draft for
The next meeting was in the Park hotel
in Columbus. Mrs. Sells was present. A
year passed before Raymour reappeared.
This time Ned was armed with a picture
calling.
close Raymour remained for a social chat,
and was authorized to buy in Canada a
hSdeSL nun 10 a cape recently PA1-
chased by Mrs. Sells.
Later Mr.. Sells received two letters from
Raymour dealing with the Cerneau branch
Of Masonry. Sells never corresponded with
Raymour on any other subject
A month later Raymour brought the
beaver nuff ordered by Mr. Sells for his
wife. Sells paid him SIS for it. He never
knew that Raymour and Mrs. Sells had
corresponded.
Sells testified that he does not know DR..
E L. Potter and did not know that his
wife knew the dentist
(CJ
met Bott and "a Mr.. Gleason of Colum-
bus. at West Baden Springs.
The acquaintance with Bott seems to
have commenced at the West Baden wells,
where all parties drank the waters. All
stonnaa at the sane hotel Later Sells