Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1905-01-26

terest in it. met Mr.. Duke by appoint
ment a number of times, and he made in
quiries about me and my business at
fairs. One day, to my great surprise, he
said to me:
Wanted Woman, Not Lands.
Little girl, don't want your tobacco
stock, and | don't want your lands, nor
do | want to consider any of your bust
ness propositions. But I do want you
81 was dumbfounded at what he said,
and explained to him that such a step
would cause no end of comment on the
part of his friends. told him that his
family would probably raise objections
to his marriage, but he said he didn't
care what the family thought and that he
was old enough to know his own affairs.
"a few days later ! met Mr.. Duke
again and consented to marry him. | knew
that when u engagement was an
nounced there would be a great deal of
publicity about it, and l decided to go to
some obscure hotel. Mr.. Duke and l dis
cussed our business projects every day,
and he agreed to take charge of all my
interests in Texas, and also got a finan-
cial interest in my lands in that state.
He readily consented to put up the capt.
tai for the development of a large tract of
land on which | had an option. In the
meantime, to show good faith, Mr.. Duke
had a certified check made out and de-
posted it with his lawyer. He also en-
tered into negotiations for 500, 900 for the
purchase of the land.
when Mr.. Duke and / were discussing
our coming marriage one day | asked
him if his brothers and sons were likely
to raise any objections to it. He said:
The family home is mine, and my rela-
tives will respect you, or have to get out
of it,"
Mrs. Duke also had much to say about
the plans she and her husband had
formed for building a church in Durham,
N. c., and improving the condition Of the
poor people of the great tobacco city.
Denies Drinking Stories.
81 want to deny emphatically," she
said, "all the reports about Mr.. Duke and
me indulging to excess in drinking, and
that we were often in an intoxicated con-
dition together. 1t is all a wicked false
hood, and intended by the members of
the Duke family who have been persecut-
ing me ever since my marriage to Mr..
Duke to destroy my good name. l con-
sented to an early marriage at the urgent
plea of Mr.. Duke. The following day
we went on with our business arrange
ments, but Mr.. Duke contracted a severe
cold and his condition became SO serious
that I thought it safest to have the doctor
give all Of his time to him."
ga Beautiful" Marriage.
Mrs. Agnes Desplaines. who has fig
ured as Mrs. Dukes closest friend, has
called the Duke marriage a beautiful
one. She declares that Miss Webb is a
very capable business woman, and that
when Mr.. Duke came to see her 1T was O
case of love at first sight, for they soon
stopped talking about tobacco" Ac-
cording to Mrs. Desplaines, the clever
Miss Webb was all business, but the sec
ond time Mr.. Duke called On her he in
sisted upon marrying her.
Finally" said Mrs. Desplaines, "he
refused to talk business. Then Miss
| Webb saw 1t was no use to refuse, and,
as she really loved him, she at last con-
scented to marry him. She was afraid his
family would object, but Mr.. Duke waved
her objections aside and declared he
would never be satisfied until he got her.
1t was a hasty 'courtship and a hasty
marriage. Only three days elapsed be-
tween the first visit and the second when
he proposed marriage. II any woman
could make q mai happy she Is the one.
Now they have torn him away from her
in the very midst of their honeymoon. II