The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1907-09-19
AnUnrevealed Mystery
lOrig!nal.l

| at Fort G. many years ago. a mystery
which has never to this day and doubt
| less never viii! be revealed. Those uu-
der whose notice 1t took place are now
either on the retired list or dead Ye,
here and there doing over a newspa-
per at some army OF navy club white
| headed old man may be found who can
give the circumstances
One day away back in the last cen.
| fury guests were assembling at the
quarters of Colonel Athern, command.
Ing Fort c., to celebrate the wedding
of the colonels niece. Miss Hoxana
Bontieid, with Lieutenant Reginald AL
len. Allen had secured a leave or had
been sent away on some duty-it was
| claimed that he was purposely absent
I'-and was to have returned for n bach
| elor farewell dinner he was to give on
the evening before the wedding. There
were no mails or telegraphs handy at
that time by which he could send any
word, and when he did not appear for
the dinner it was supposed he bad
been unavoidably detained. But when
the garrison clock struck - the next
| day, the hour appointed for the cere-
mony, and he did not appear there was
hum of surprise.
Allen never did appear again at Fort
G. The lady he was to have married
bore the slight put upon her so we'll
never uttering a word of blame, that
she received tho sympathy of every
one. Not person at the fort who
afterward met Lieutenant Allen-he
offered no explanation Of his conduct
but gave him n dead cut. He remained
In the army only year after the day
he was to have been married, when,
n n hi ,cf1P t.,I
appeared among army people, he re-
signed and disappeared
Five years after her disappointment
Miss Bonfield engaged herself to Cap
tain Gregg. The engagement occurred
just before Gregg was ordered to an
other post. Certain young waGs with
more love Of saying mean things than
de1cncy debated among themselves If
Gregg would behave as Allen had be-
haVcd. But Gregg. after being en-
gagged for six months, during all of
which time he was absent from his
finncec, returned in ample time for the
wedding.
There Is no record that any Disagree
ment ever occurred between CAPTAIN
and Mrs. Gregg. During the first few
months of their marriage Gregg APP
nehred as devoted and happy 'hus-
duty he gave evidence of having re-
celved a shock. TO inquiries as to his
health he replied that he was never
better. Nevertheless he had q hunted
look and lost flesh till his uniform
hung about him in deep creases. While
the loving devotion he had shown his
VIE did not continue, he was perfect
~ respectful and attentive to her
What surprised every one was that she
olu NOT treat him or appear to worry
about him as Il sick man. She seemed
rather Indifferent than otherwise. Then
people whispered to one another that
she had never recovered from having
lost her first love.
Gregg finally got n years leave and
went abroad-without his WIFE, At the
end Of the year he returned in fair
condition. but with something Of the
hunted look left.
In six months he was sent to n re-
treat. where he died n few years later.
Mrs. Gregg was now woman Of
twenty-eight. She had no children
| and did not look her age The unfor-
tllnate cndingS of her love affairs had
not seemed to cast any cloud over her
She was not at all depressed She ap.
peareu simply as any other young wo
man whose husband had died and left
her widow. Her widowhood was
short. In eighteen months after Gregg 5
death she became the wife of Ma ior
ThurSton
IHurSton's sister, an army woman.
begged him not to marry Mrs. Gregg
But when the brother asked for rea-
sons he got nothing except what has
been told thus far in this story-that is
that the woman had been treated
shamefully by her first f1ance and that
her husband had died of some brain
or nervous trouble. The major de-
clincd to act the part of the first and
saw no reason why he should fear the
fate of the second. The sister still
proteStcd: but. without n reason, he de
clined to change his course He mar
ried Mrs. Gregg and ten weeks later
committed suicide.
IhurSton is not the first man who
has made mistake by not needing Il
woman's warning because no good or
sutnclent reason accompanied it
Women have been known to be ri,-ht
In condemning a man from the shane
of his nose. However. there was moi
the slightest proof that Mrs ThurSton
had any direct or Indirect influence on
her husbands suicide. What SURPRISED
every one was that this climax To- her
unfortunate matrimonial affairs seemed
TO have no more effect upon hcr tb,,,