The San Francisco call., 1910-07-02
bride, > AFTER
LONG SILENCE,
SEEKS REVENGE
Woman, for Fifteen Months,
Keeps From Parents Secret
of Her Plight
Supposed Betrayer Has Wife
and Five Children i'm Home
in Kansas Town

| To be the innocent victim in a mock
of Kansas City; to be deserted by her
lover in the midst of what she thought
was a honeymoon; to hide her mortif-
cation from her own relatives for Is
months while she worked in San Fran
cisco, and then finally to uncover the
man at his fireside in Paola, Kan, with
his wife and five cHildren-that, con-
cisely, is the pitiful story disclosed to
| the police authorities by Miss Lena
Rotemeyer daughter of a we'll known
Kansas City family, at present en-
ployed as a stenographer in the local
office of the Underwood typewriter com
pany.
| AS result of the disclosure extra.
| dition will be asked of John Fairfax
Allen, the son of Judge j. A Allen of
| Kansas City, one of the most prom
inent and oldest legal practitioners in
that state. Owing to the fact that the
grand jury is now taking a vacation of
one month a complaint will be sworn
| to this morning by Attorney Samuel T.
Bush. counsel for the girl, and the first
step to right the wrong done his client
will have been taken, this after Is
months of silence, in which she has
suffered privations and mental tortures
untold. Until yesterday the young
woman had allowed her family to be-
lieve she was happily situated with her
husband in this city. while she earned
a bare livelihood as book keeper,
stenographer and office assistant
Arrest to Follow
kilograms and letters almost with
out number have been exchanged be-
tween this city and the Kansas author
| titles. with the result that every detail
of the story as unfolded to Attorney
chief of police. Bush i'll charge Allen
with two charges of felony, and then
is expected a bitter struggle against
extradition. AS soon as the complaint
| is issued by the district attorneys
| Office this morning Bush will wire in
structions to the Kansas and Paola au-.
thorities to make an immediate arrest.
cording to Miss Rotemeyer and her
attorney, deceive her with a mock
marriage, but for a year before the
supposed wedding he regularly called
! upon her and was almost constantly in
her company in Kansas. After he left
her penniless in this city he wrote to
her, addressing her as my beloved
WIFE" MY devoted wife" and MY
faithful wife" signing himself your
| devoted Jack
Months ago the letters ceased to
come. Her own pleading letters re-
NAMED unanswered. While she was
pleading with him to break the silence
she was regularly in correspondence
with her parents, telling them of the
new life in the west and of her do
mestic happiness.
Strangers at Wedding
According to the informa tion now
in the hands of the authorities, Miss
Rotemeyer believed she was married
to Allen in the Kansas City union depot
on the night of November "a, 1908. He
| urged the unusual ceremony upon her
on the ground that he had to leave
| of a pistol duel in which he had
! wounded his aggressor. She consented
to this and was introduced to a sup
posed justice of the peace and two
witnesses none of whom she ever saw
| before. A marriage license was shown
| her and within a Brief minute the
couple were supposedly joined. Imme-
| diately following the fake ceremony
they took the train beside which they
stood for Los Angeles. From the
| southern city they journeyed to San
Francisco. For six weeks the couple
resided here and were visited by a
sister of Miss Rotemeyer, who resides
in Los Angeles.
Then Allen announced that he had to
return to Kansas to attend to business
and asked his bride" to remain be-
hind. Days and weeks passed His
letters grew less frequent. All con-
| tanned excuses for his extended absence
Finally her small fund of money was
exhausted ana her half dozen last let
| ters were unanswered.
Consults Attorney
Since that time the young woman,
who is "a years of age, has had to
| go out among strangers to earn what
ever she could to keep body AMI soul
together. What little hope remained
with her was ultimately shattered,
her confidence in the man she had
| trusted was blown to the four winds,
and then, crushed and dispirited, she
consulted Attorney Bush.