The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-11-24
A PRISON ROMANCE.
How Henry C. Risdon
Won His Wife.
Went to Prison to Sing, Lost Her Heart
to Him Now Wanted in Sails
bury For EmbezzIe-
ment.
Especial to News and Observer.)

Especial to News and Observer
Asheville, n. c., Nov. 23.-An in
teresting romance has developed in
delphia this week of Henry c. Ris1on,
of Washington. who is wanted in Sal
isbury for embezzlement charged
against him while resident of Row
an county.
1t is learned that his wife,
who is a plucky little woman, became
attached to RiSdon while he was in
carcerated in Il prison in Atlanta dur
ing the summer of 1908. Mrs. RiSdOn
it is said is a daughter of II. l.. Brown,
formerly superintendent of the Ohio
Boys Reformatory, but had been
spending some time in Atlanta during
which time she visited the prison for
the purpose of singing to the inmates.
1t was by chance that she met Risdon
in the prison but it was case of love
at first sight and the marriage cere-
money was performed within the priS-
on walls.
Risdon is held in Philadel-
phia without bail awaiting requistion
papers from here.
The story told by Mrs. Risdon is
most interesting. NJ an interview
with a representative of the Philadel-
phia Record, she goes into all the ro3
mantle details, saying:
II passed last summer in Atlanta,
Ga. where / was a member of the
choir of the First Presbyterian
church. and frequently / went to the
jail to sing and to conduct Bible
class. When the Bible class was
formed Mr.. Risdon sat next to me, and
after the class we had a little CONVEX
sation. My maids sweetheart was in
the same prison, and the next day she
asked me to write note to him, as
she couldn't write. The man could
not read, so / thought of sending the
note to Mr.. Risdon and having him
read it to the prisoner.
HE did so, and a messenger brought
an answer back and also a verbal re-
quest from Mr. Risdon that | would
write him a note for himself. / had
been attracted by him, so after a lit
tie hesitancy / wrote as he requested.
He sent me three letters that day,
writing that it was the one thing that
broke the hardships of the day for
him. | wrote him 8 again, and the
next day he sent me about ten letters,
and l replied to several of them. The
next day, when he proposed marriage
by mail. ] replied, accepting him.
With both of us it was a clear case of
love at first sight. We were married
in the prison by a justice of the
peace
Mr.. Rsdon's wife had died some
time before in Norfolk. and his house
hold affairs had been in charge of a
woman about 65 years old, whom he
had engaged as housekeeper. She mad
charge of his wife's jewehy and about
$4,000 worth of furniture and had
been promising to get a loan to settle
the account against him, but there
was always some delay, and finally
she moved the furniture away after
he had given her bill of sale so that
she could sell the goods. Now she
wishes more money from him and she
started the present proceedings against
him.
THE present complaint against my
husband is the same upon which ne
was at one time arrested in Washing
ton. Senator Overman, of North Car
DINA, was interested in pressing the
case at first, but when we showed him
the evidence he dropped out of it and
the District Attorney refused to prose-
cute. The proofs which my husband
had at that time, however, are now in
the hands of his old housekeeper, but
we have certified copies and our ona
desire is to lay these before Governor
Pennypacker.
THE charge upon which my hus-
band is held is conspiracy to
defraud to the extent of $1.400. The
original amount involved was about
500 and the rest has been added for
charges. The case is founded upon
the fact that my husband made a
draft upon firm for money due him
and the day after the draft was made
a check came for the amount, so that
il was collected twice.
MY husband did not know that
the draft had been cashed, this nav
ing been done by an assistant in his
office, who then disappeared We nave
during the last two days refused to
settle the case and intend to fight it
out