The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-04-23
Farmer Stryker Married DaShlng
Widow MeIlvind.
THEIR ROMANCE SOON ENDED
He Was Ssvsniy and tho First Hours Of
Their Honeymoon Were Marked by
a Violent Quarrel.

Brooklyn, April 23.-The death In
Brooklyn a few days ago of stephen s.
stryker. and the subsequent announce
ment that the wealthy old man had cut
off his young wife with bequest of $40.
brings TO light a strange romance.
It was in the summer of 1897 that Stry-
ker first met Stella Mellvina. She was
tail, Handsome. darK-hafred and dark
eyed, and about thirty-seven years OF
age. She was spending the heated term
at the Balmoral Cottage, on Surf ave-
nue., and chaperoning her pretty and vi
vacious seventeen-year-old daughter
Stella St. Clair Mellvina.
Farmer Stephen s. Stryker at this time
was about seventy years of age. lie
was one of the Strykers OF Gravesend
Bay, and like his forefathers, had gained
wealth as a truck farmer. lie was a
widower, and his chief amusement vas
afternoon and taking in the shows on the
Bowery.
stryker had just sold his farm to John
Duryea for $4,000. and was credited with
being worth at least $4,000 and with
having an income Of $1,000.
IL was during one OF his visits to the
island that the wealthy old farmer was
introduced 10 Stella Mellvina and her
blond daughter by the proprietress OF
the Albatross hotel
The mountaineering between Farmer
| Stryker and the handsome widow ripen-
| ed into love. and one night after a par
! ticularly festive day at the island StryA-
| err suggested that they set married. The
! dark haired Stella consented, cab was
/ called and Stryker and Mrs. Stella Nell
! yina went off I'm search OF a clergyman.
The drove around Kings county the
! greater part of the night, and were not
| successful i'm finding a clergyman until 4
! a. m on Oct s. 1897. Then they were
| married by the Rev. A. T. Stockwell, Of
the Dutch Reformed faith.
After the ceremony they drove over 10
| New York TO a Broadway hotel.
Stryker got rooms that cost him just
| s37 n day, or 1853 a week. lnasmuch as
| he remained at the hotel from Oct 9.
| 1897. until Feb %, 1898, he paid out some
| thing like 5000 for room rent alone.
! The handsome apartments. however did
| not oonduce to martial happiness
| Things went from bad 10 worse with
the newly married couple. and finally, on
| NVashington's birthday the old man said
! ne was going down town TO draw S0oo
| from his banker That was the last the
two stellas saw Of Stryker
4 The neNf thing MIS-. StTNheT hediu MaS
| an invitation from her husband 10 go
| and live with him at his cottage in
! Cravesend. She says when she went there
/ she found the house practically denuded
| OF furniture and was told that her hus-
band had gone to Omaha.
| Then Mrs. Stryker, through the law firm
| OF Friend House e. Grossman, brought
| suit against her husband for a limited
| divorce on the ground of cruelty and
| abandonment. Stryker retaliated with q
| cross suit for abandonment. The case
was tried before a referee Mrs. StrykeI
| was represented by +. w. Russell and
| bernhard Norhaus. while Marcus p
Campbell looked after the farmers side
| OF the case.
The referee found In favor Stephen 8
Stryker, but when the referees report
came before Justice Miles Beach, in the
Supreme court, for confirmation the jus
tice set aside the report on the ground
that IL was against the weight of evi
dence.
A new trial was ordered. but the cas'
| never was retired. Now Striker is dead
and the suit is marked discontinued"
| II was because OF this estrangemen
that Stryker. practically cut Off his wifi
In his will He left the bulk of his es
tate OF perhaps $4,000 to a daughter b!
HIS first wife and To his sister. Mrs. Lott
OF Brooklyn, with whom he lived in lat
years.
Mrs. Striker has refused to accept tn
beuuest OF 80 on the advice Of her law
yers House, Grossman e. Norhaus, an
n contest Of the will is probable.