The San Francisco call., 1903-12-15

A sensational scene, marking the
abrupt termination of the honeymoon
that followed the secret marriage in
Oakland at an unusual hour Saturday
morning of E. K. Clarke and Mrs.
Rosalind Bower, who turns out to be
the Sweet Pea Girr' of Durrant trial
fame, was enacted at the Lick House
yesterday afternoon. During the tenn
porary absence of his BRIDE Clarke.
who is a well-known club man and
son of a wealthy widow of San Jose,
suddenly found himself surrounded by
relatives, friends and detectives, who
hustled him out Of his apartments at
the hotel. Later they returned for the
husbands belongings, but this time en-
countered the bride, who, learning of
their plans to separate her from Clarke,
defiantly declined to permit his prop
erty to be removed. Again the friends
departed but soon returned this time
with the husband. Confronted by the
latter, the wife urgently appealed to
Clarke to assert himself and shake off
the influences which she charged were
being exerted over him. Finding that
he was Indifferent to her pleadings md
was about to desert her, the woman be-
came hysterical and while her sobS
re-echoed through the rooms, Clarke,
with stolid features and without the
slightest word of farewell, left her.
RELATIVES TO THE RESCUE.
Attorneys representing the husband
and the wife had meanwhile arrived on
the scene and after a hurried confer
ence it was agreed that Clarke's lug
gage should leave the hotel. 1t was
quickly assorted from that of the wife
and ten minutes later had been removed
to the corridor, whence it was later
taken to an uptown hotel.
This is all the result of mans fool
ish act while under the influence of
drink" was the explanation made by
one Of Clarke's relatives as soon as the
party had reached the lower floor of the
hotel Clarke has been drunk for over
a week and married this woman while
he was stupefied with drink admins
tered to him during a period of several
days. He returned to this city from
trip abroad week ago Sunday and be-
gan drinking freely. He then met this
woman. who now claims recognition as
his wife.
fact which we did not learn Of until
we read an account of the wedding in
Sundays Call. A search was imme-
diately made for Clarke and we final
" located him at the hotel this fore
noon. He was recovering from his
spree and the fact that he had mar
ried this woman was slowly dawning
upon his befuddled mind. No one re-
gretted more than he his foolish act
and he appealed to his relatives to
help him get out Of his scrape. He
readily agreed to leave the woman,
and did so. An attempt to secure his
baggage was met by the stubborn re-
sistance of the woman. but the object
of our visit to his apartments has been
finally accomplished and all that is
now necessary to clear Clarke of this
terrible mess is TO bring suit for an
annulment of the marriage, in the
proceedings of which we will be able
to prove that he was drunk when the
ceremony was performed and that this
woman was we'll aware of the fact"
WILL FIGHT DIVORCE SUIT.
But if Clarke's relatives are sincere in
their belief that mere formal proceed
ing is necessary to free him from the
woman who is now his wife, they have
reckoned without consideration of the
fact that she has a lawyer who is pre-
pared to protect her interests as far as
the law will allow.
Clarke's marriage shortly after mid
night Saturday in Oakland was a great
surprise to his many friends in this
city, and especially among the members
of the Bohemian and Cosmos clubs
with whom he is in the habit of asso-
ciating daily. The story in Sundays
Call related how he and his bride went
to Oakland late in the afternoon, and
finally, after the midnight bells had
tolled, had secured. through the assist
ance of Deputy County Clerk Ray Ba-
ker, a marriage license Then they
FASTENED to the home Of Rev. Mr. Van
de Mark, who performed the marriage
ceremony, the two witnesses to the af-
fair being Baker and an employe of a