The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1907-02-01
A JOURNEY
FOR NOTHING
Woman Travelled 600 Miles
to Get Married
FOUND MAN JAGGED
He Had Courted Her by Letter and
When She Didn't Arrive in Bellows
Falls Per Schedule He Got Full and
Was Rejected Two Days Later.


Bellows Falls was treated to a bit OF
real romance last week of an unusual
sort. Warren g. Pierce of Lebanon, y.
II arrived in that town about Wednes'
day to meet a woman whom he had
never seen, but with whom he had been
corresponding for eight months, ex'
pecting to marry her. She didn Z show
up until Friday and then found her
husband TO be badly under the influence
of liquor and refused to marry him.
Mrs. MAY Cooper of Port Huron, Mich,
who is a widow Of comely appearance
inserted an advertisement in paper to
the effect that she wanted to correspond
with a respectable man with matrlmony
as an object. "Prof Pierce, as he was
called because he gave concerts, etc,
with a phonograph, heard of the adVer'
tisement and decided to answer 1t. lie
had become entangled in similar atialr
90 years ago and when he went to an
appointed place to meet the girl, she
failed to show up.
However. 90 years had healed the
wounds in his heart caused by that ar
fair, and as he was somewhat lonely
himself he decided to answer it. y cor
respondence resulted, pictures and glfts
were exchanged and a few weeks ago he
wrote her to come east to marry him
and that they would meet in Bellows
Falls. Both would wear a red ribbon to
identify each other. The date Of meet
ing was set for January -.
Last Thursday came and no Mrs.
Cooper. About Friday noon, when she
hadn t shown up, he began TO drown ais
sorrows with copious draughts of Bel
lows Falls booze. His friends were anN-
ious TO show their sympathy and the
drinks were on them several times
around so that late in the afternoon he
was scarcely in condition befitting a
bridegroom of the morrow, And to
make matters worse Mrs. Cooper APP
peared on the clock train. No one
was there to meet her. No blushlng
professor or bright bow of red. She
went to the station to collect herself
and decide what TO do, when one who
knew of the affair happened to see her
and recognize her. She told him whom
she expected to meet and pretty soon
an ambassador from the professor ar
rived on the scene to conduct her to the
Central house where he was stopping.
The news soon spread that "she -
had arrived and a big crowd gathered
about the hotel anxious to see the meet
ing. 1t was case of love at hrst
sight for the professor, but not so with
Mrs. Cooper 4 shudder of disgust and
disappointment went over her as she
bcheld the drunken creature whom she
had travelled so far TO marry, and
whom she expected TO see a decent and
respectable person. The interview was
short and she retired early
The next morning second interview
was arranged and although the pro,
fessor was nearly sober and beseeched
and pleaded her to marry him, saying
that he would never touch another drop,
she refused and said she wouldn Z mar.
~ him any way. He was heart broken
but to no effect. He left town for Lee
banon on the o'clock train Saturday
and she left for Montreal on the sleep,
er.
Mrs. Cooper is tailoress by trade but
says she will not 60 back to Michigan.
She has money enough to support her
self and is going to take little vaca-
ton. She was decent respectable ap.
pearing woman and the sympathies of
the community were with her. She came
east in good faith and the incidents that
followed were great disappointment
to her
1t is learned from Lebanon that the
professor is one of the characters there.
it is said that he is illiterate and worth
less and that he had to get some one to
write his letters to Mrs. Cooper for him.
A great many consider him weak mind
ed, and he was easily influenced by
several residents of this place whose
actions in the case are to be regretted.
The case attracted widespread inter
est and was on everybody's tongue for
several days. 1t would have been more
romantic to have them married, but
it would have been terrible thing for
both concerned. The professor says he
is going to leave Lebanon as soon as
possible.