Daily Arizona silver belt., 1910-03-13
Crippled German Opposed to Matrimony Marries
 First Sweetheart
HE HAD STEADILY
 REJECTED HYMEN
Not Only Gets Wife, Also Comes Into Snug Legacy
 for His Old Age

IOWA CITY, Iowa, March 12.-After spending twenty years in the Grundy county, Iowa, poorhouse, old Fritz liar dikopf has at last been rescued from a pauper's life and has married the sweetheart of his youth, going to live ! on South Dakota farm and taking with him the fortune, which all the time lay in the bank for him and his bride to claim it. But having no bride, Hardikopf could not claim the money, so he spent score of years in the poor house instead.
 For twenty years old Fritz was at war with the Grundy county commis- sioners, who were "sore' because the county was compelled to support the old fellow, when the latter could, by ful !, filling the obligations imposed by his fathers will, come into possession of $10,OOO in cash, leave the charitable in stitution, and live luxuriously the re- mainder of his life. All this time the kopf to fulfill this obligation, but with county authorities tried to force Hardi- out success. And yet the obligation was a simple one.
 The money was willed to Hardikopf's s wife. And as he was an old bachelor, the only way in which he could "get in line" was to get married.
 Preferred Poorhouse to Marriage
 eff I get married,n said old Fritz, "my wife will put porous plasters on me and make me take a bath. I'd like to have that cash, but I've got to take a woman along. I'll do without the money and stay in the poorhouse.
 Hardikopf would have had no trou- ble finding wife, for when it became known that he would come into posses sion of $10,000 just as soon as he mar ried, every marrying young widow and old maid in seven counties took after him. By the hundreds they appealed to the commissioners. The commission CTS, in turn, appealed to old Fritz. And old Fritz stood firm.
 Six weeks ago old Fritz took sick and was brought to Iowa City hospital for an operation. His story went the rounds of the Iowa country press, and again deluge of marriage propositions flooded the county commissioner of flee.
 These officers were in despair. They had been trying to marry the old Ger man off, without the least success. They had coaxed and they had threatened; they had ordered and they had entreat- ed. Fritz remained bachelor without marital aspirations.
 One morning last week Fritz received a letter. Later in the day, when one of the commissioners dropped in to see him, Fritz fairly paralyzed him by say ing;
 Pm going to get married tomor- TOW. .'
 "What?" stammered the commission CT.
 m going to git married tomor- row,n thundered the Dutchman. Any thing strange about that?'
 Succumbed at Last
 The following day, sitting in an in valid s chair, Fritz Hardkopf was mar ried to Mrs. Wilhelmina Lena Metter, widow of Dr. Ludwig Metter of Phil lip, S. D. Mrs Metter, herself, is fairly wealthy and does not need the $l0,00O which come to her when she said "yes and became Mrs. Fritz Hardikopf. As soon as MT. Hardikopf is able to travel, he will accompany his wife to her South Dakota farm, where he will re- side in future.
 Then the nurses at the hospital pick ed up the story. Fritz HardikOpf had refused to marry and inherit a fortune because Ee was true to the girl to whom he had made love years and years ago. When a young man he had sweet heart-and just one.
 "I'll never marry" Fritz said that day.
 He kept his word--that is, he kept his word until his old sweetheart, now widowed, saw an account of his trou- bles and came to marry him.
 When quite young man, in Germany, Fritz Hardikopf was one of the "'boys" and in later years, when his father died, he thought it best to leave Frtz's share of his property to Fritz $ wife when he secured one. The money was put out at interest, and there it remain ed for thirty-fve years, growing into the tidy sum of $10,000, while Fritz spent twenty years in the poorhOuse, an invalid, rather than marry woman he did not want as the price of securing