The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1909-05-28
WIVES Of RESIDENTS
BECOME BITTER IN FEUD
Husbands Join In Controversy
and Business Of Town
Suffers

Independence, Kas., May 2s.-The
yexatlous problem OF what was be-,
hind the feud that has been agitat.
ng independence for more than ten
,ears depressing the city socially
financially and otherwise, while other
Kansas towns IN the gas belt have
grown into booming, thriving munlc'
palliea, has at last been solved. The
trouble all arose over the gender OF
a French noun while the wives OF two
prominent independence bankers
were doing the continent
Years ago, twelve to be explicit,
Mrs. George 7. Guernsey and Mrs.
Adoph c. Stitch went abfoad for the
summer When they reacaed their
hotel In Paris, II was with a feeling
Of confidence that Mrs. Guernsey
directed the porter 10 carry Ia bag
gage to their rooms
MY dear" Mrs Stitch gently col.
rected. "you should say le baggage,
LIZ, yag EsgHasR, Is is feminine feminine, and bag
gage is masculine Don't you re-
member the ruler
Told 10 "shut Up.r
Now, Mrs Guernsey did not remem-
Ser any such rule and, besides, she
was tired and hungry and perhaps a
little bit peevish And there WAS tho
porter standing there, and goodness
only knows what Ge might have been
thinking SO Mrs. Guernsey said
what was only natural and human
under the circumstances, and that
was that she would be immensely
gratiricd If Mrs, Stitch would mind
her own business.
That was an. The friends turned
their backs on each ether. Mrs,
Guernsey had ia baggage" taken To-
her room and Mrs. Stlch had lie
baggage" taken 10 hers.
The two women returned on DIFF
lorent steamers and tho day they
reached independence, on different
trains, the war began which has di
yldod the town.
Mrs Guernsey dropped ont of every
club of which Mrs. Stitch was q mems
ber and Mrs. Stitch struck from her
Visiting list the name Of every
hostess who entertained Mrs. Guern-
sey The business relations of me
bankers ceased. Mr. Guernsey with
drew from every local enterprise in
which Mr. Stitch was interested and
the latter eountered by Withdrawing
the credit of every business man who
had his name on the Commercial
banks books.
Take Feud Into Politics.
Before independence adopted the
commission form Of government
Stitch was mayor. At he primary
held previous 10 the election this
spring to choose candidate for
mayOr.commissoner he obtained the
Republican nomination for the Of
flee. Guernsey also Is a Republican,
but the nomination Of Stitch suited
him SO little that he brought out r
&, Moses as an independent candidate
against Stitch and defeated the enemy
al the election by the narrow margin
Of ninety votes The day after the
votes were counted Guernsey deco
rated his horse and buggy with flags
and bunting and drove up and down
the street In front of the Stitch bank
With various manifestations Of Joy,
AS one result OF rae election the
Guernsey bank was made the depos'
hcy Of the city funds. Stitch, how.
ever, had learned a lesson and busted
himself preparing a little package for
his victorious foe A bill which was
put through the recent session OF the
| Kansas legislature, requiring banks
In which city funds are deposited TO
| pas interest on the money, Is genef'
ally attributed 10 the forethought Of
the defeated banker
THESE are but a few Of the things
that grew out Of the falling out be-
tween Mrs Guernsey and Mrs. Stlch
business men say that II Il were moi
for the falling cut Of these two wom
ON independence today would be q
clty Of 10000 population instead oI
me.half that number.