Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-02-16
A PRISON ROMANCE
oTTuMwA COURT DECREE
MAKES COURSE OF TRUE
LOVE HARD.
Emil o. Jeanette, Convicted Of Passing
Forged Check at McEIroy Restau.
rant in 1900, WEEDS Mrs. Lucy E..
Perkins After Delay Of Four Years.

The swinging open Of the Ft. Madi-
son prison gates behind which Emil
O, jeanette, a native of Switzerland,
has been held for the past three years
by an unrelenting decree Of the Of
tumwa court has started new chap
ter in the life history and the love
story Of this man and woman, for
merly Mrs. Lucy e. Perkins of Bona
parte. but now Mrs Lucy u. Jeanette,
of Fort Madison.
Emil Q. Jeanette was the proprie-
tor of a bakery in Fort Madison till
abount 1898, when he moved to Bona
parte. where he became acquainted
with Mr.. and Mrs. Ira Perkins.
In several domestic difficulties which
ensued between Mr.. and Mrs. Perkins,
Mr.. jeanette was instrumental in help
Ing the wife. and few. months after,
at Ottumwa, aided her in procuring a
divorce from her husband whosWas an
habitual Grinker and cocaine user.
Became Lovers.
Mr.. jeanette and Mrs. Perkins be-
came great. friends in Ottumwa and
their friendship ripened into love until,
finally, they mutually pledged them
selves to each other
FORCES Check.
Before the marriage ceremony was
performed, however Mr.. Jeanette's
room rent at the McElroy restaurant
where he was stopping became due.
Funds which jeanette later claimed
iroe To hi ,<,t ,,.,tEyA nd
to tide over his depleted financial con-
dition he wrote out a bank check on
the Ottumwa Savings bank, for $22,
signed the name Of C. Nelson and pre-
sented 1t to the late r. N. McElroy,
Mr. McElroy questioned him closely
but in the end cashed the check, CIV
ing Jeanette $3.50 and allowing the
balance on the room rent due.
Mr.. McElroy deposited the check
in the Iowa National bank. 1t went
to the Savings bank, was declared a
forgery, and the hunt for jeanette be-
gan. He was arrested by officer II. G.
Williams and 1t was soon learned that
he had attempted to pass the same
check and others on several Ottumwa
business men.
A True Bill.
The grand jury under the foreman
ship Of A. G. Davis returned true
bill and on November g. 1900. after a
vigorous prosecution by A. w. Enoch,
then county attorney, Judge Eichel-
burger pronouncedlia fourLyear sem
tence upon him. He was taken to
prison lately. and his fiancee be-
gan her long ands unsuccessful con-
quest to win his freedom. Il
All her efforts We're of no avail,
and even after leaving for the far
east, where she could make her home
with relatives, Mrs. Perkins contin-
ually made efforts to the governor Of
Iowa and hired iptercedenee to make
her lovers incarceration as short as
possible.
Divorced Husband Dies.
Ira Perkins, the divorced husband
upon being parted from his wife, went
to the state of washington where he
has since died, and nothing stood in
the way of the expectant couple ex-
cept the irsurnountable decree Of the
courts. as -,
During the holidays Mrs. Perkins
returned to Ft.s Madison from New
Freesport, accompanied by her little
son Roy bright lad of nine years
and she has remained there since that
time awaiting the discharge of Mr.
Jeanette from prison.
Prison Doors Open.
Tuesday afternoon the prison doors
swung open, marriage license was
| procured and at s o'clock the happy
couple were married at the residence
of Rev. "a. II. Jessup. cha plain of thu
! penitentiary. 1t Isl stated that they
! will settle in Fort Madison for time
and will then go to Noraigue, Cantor
Neuchatel Switzerland, where Mr.
Jeanette's parents reside.