The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-11-23
TRAIL
1t Had Swift Ending for To-
peka Girl and Boy.
Took Grandpa's AutO-Victim
of Coal Oil at Junction City.

| The path of true love does not run
smoothly, even when it is Travelled in
an automobile. This is an old adage,
, and is especially apt if the automo-
bile is stolen; also if the tank is full
of coal oil instead of gasoline. The
truth of this thing has been demon
strated, to little Alma We'll and Ray
mond Taylor, who recently eloped in
borrowed car. They decided to taste
the sweets of honeymoon trail, and
found, perhaps. that the sweets were
bitter They were brought home, it
seems, in another machine, and the
youthful bridegroom packed off to
boarding school. His parents, it is re-
ported, are trying to annul the mar
riage, which was performed before a
probate judge. The. story of the run
away has been little exploited; it has,
in fact, been shrouded in the garment
of mystery.
Alma, who lived with her mother,
worked in the suit department at War
rem NJ. Crosby's. She was pretty girl
and liked a good time; perhaps she was
tired of selling suits; to choose frocks
for somebody else when you want
going-away gown yousef is not any
fun at all. Doubtless she would rather
have sold rosy ribbons and violet silks.
She is. to all accounts, about 16. An
unmarried East Indian girl at 16 is an
old maid. An unmarried American girl
at the same age is minor. This is un-
and decided to get married, anyway.
Raymond Taylor, who lives at 1916
Western avenue and attends the High
school. is a minor, too. But he was
fond of Alma, and thought she would
be happier mending suits for him than
selling suits to unappreciative custom
ers
So they decided to run away. Ray
mond's grandpa, L. r. Taylor, lives in
North Topeka and owns a machine. He
left it in front of the Methodist church
one Sunday evening. Raymond called
car; they went for a ride in it; in fact,
they eloped.
Jump in said Raymond: this is
grandpa's car and Wen have our
do"
So they rode away and were married;
Just where can't be ascertained, for
the license hasn't been located. Grand
pa couldn't pursue them in his automo- |
bile for the very good reason that his |
automobile couldn't be found. He /
didn't connect the disappearance of
the car with the disappearance of the |
boy and reported the loss of the for |
mer to the police station. The officers |
followed its trail and found it aban-
doned in an alley at Junction City.
How it happened to be there is a
story by itself. Alma and Raymond
joy-rode happily along till their gaso-
line gave out. Then they stopped to re-
pIenish the tank Perhaps the man
that tipped the oil into the can wasn't
partial to sweethearts;- perhaps he
hadn't sufficient gray-matter to be en-
ployed in a first-class garage. At any
rate he didn't fill the box with gaso-
line; he filed it with coal oil. So Mr..
and Mrs. Raymond Taylor abandoned
the car in an alley.
It's not known where the pair is
staying. "I can't say whether or not
they'll come back to Topeka said
Mrs. Taylor, senior, over the phone
She apparently regards her sons mar
rage as a school boy prank.
The clerks in the suit department at
Warren MS seem to consider AIma's