The Washington bee., 1902-04-12
REAL LIFE ROMANCE
THE m the Stage, Would Be Classed
as MelOdTama.
.-,r shows, However, That Truth Al
avs Is stranger Than Fiction
The story of Poor Hans
KeSsner's WOOinE.

r.rsfdering the loyemaking and ro-
--..-...su of real life, there is no such
-F..ras melodrama on the stage. Few
.--. scenes. with real water, in the
.rb.-. eoula be staged with the
...-vrhar is chronicled almost every
a.. IN The news reports Of the country.
Tr. Galleries. even, would protest
er.rsr the fairy story" element that
IS ll them.
IMAGINE the love affair of Hans Kess-
-.r and Miss Dora Hanson put upon
+f. sage as an example OF the legit-
imare.
Two wears ago hessner was a farm
hand. working near Plattsmouth. Neb.
The Hanson family were neighbors of
E--.nrr's employers. and Dora Han
r-- r a.forlte daughter, was the belle
,+-ae nrlghborhood. \ dozen young
r.r af THE place had sought to marry
her but she had refused them all. Ger
,.rF when ua-n kessner chanced to
meet her while assisting with the
Hanson harvest he had no hope of
ginning her affections. Perhaps il was
I..urrrr forgetfuIneSs Of himself that
first drew her to him. At any rate,
a woman cannot smile upon any man
as Miss Hanson began to smile upon
the simplr-hearted Hans without
awakening hopes.
Suddenly the whole neighborhood
WA. thm'rr>truck with the announce
ment of the engagement of Dora Han
son and Pans Ees>ner. The announce
m-rt was a double humiliation t o the
v.mgmrn who had been refused. No
one knows where it began, but in a
few aay, q plot was hatched against
the match An idle vagabond in the
r-.ghhur-ng village was drawn into it,
ana for the promise of 500 in ease he
prevented the wedding he agreed to
stop il at any cost.
This wa, TWO years ago. When the
day of the wedding arrived this tool
of the p.5ttrrs posted himself near the
Hanson barn. near which Kessner
would have 20 pass, and as the bride
groom came up the man stepped out,
accused kesSner Of owing him $500,
and threatened to expose him to the
Els0ns if it was not paid on the
spot
A@sner denied the charge strenuous
lr but the accuser became more and
more impudent, until finally, angered
beyond measure, Kessner seized an old
pick handle and struck the fellow over
The head. The man dropped in his
tracks as if shot. For an instant Kess-
ner bent over him. and. seeing no sign
Of life in the man, he turned and fed
into the gathering dusk.
lonfederates Of the man were near,
and they took mp the senseless body,
carrying it into the house. where the
Prospective bride waited They told
herihat kessner. drunk and brutal, had
assaulted "a friend and. leaving him for
dead. had escaped, The man was
nar,ed back TO consciousness, and in
Gay OF tw" was himself again. He
l"ntd in the Scandalous stories that
were circulated everywhere. and finally
nearly everybody had forgotten him,
save the girl. who remained true.
Two weeks ago Hans Kessner. hand
some well dressed and prosperous. ap-
lr4rrd at the Hanson homestead. In
m"mont Dora Hanson was in his
arms Loyal always. she could take
The explanation for granted. These
hhanatIons were so much stronger
IMAM fiction that their truth was on the
face of them.
Nr>sner, believing that he had killed
man. had fled to Germany. He went
10 hamburg and engaged in business,
F'"~Frrcd and obcUt the Ist of Jan
-4IN. when he received a letter from
an no.o friend in Missouri. he was worth
more than 100000 This letter. in
answer 10 one that Kessner had writ
..- explained that the supposed vic
'-" Was only stunned. that he had re-
'..rEed fully, and that the whole story
" 'Ae deep plot was out. Kessner pre-
t'''l al once 10 sail for America. and
AIN arrival at the Hanson homestead
'a> me climax of the romance. The
wedding was performed in the Hanson
ta'I"r by the same minister who had
~ summoned two years before, and
e Young couple already are settled
~ lNrlT new home in Hamburo Ger
many