The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1913-03-28
ARU|NED ROMANCE
Genevieve Wards Story of Her
Wedding Tragedy.
PARTED AT THE CHURCH DOOR
after a Dramatic Ceremony Following
a Complication That Became an In
ternstionaI Affair and Was Ended by
Our Government and tho Cxsr.

ternstonaI AHan ana was Cnood ot
Our Government and tho Cxsr.
In Mrs. >Tweedie's Thirteen Years
Of Busy WOman's Life" are some
stories OF Genevieve Ward. the famous
actress.
One morning In March, 1908. came a
knock on Mrs. Tweedie's door, and In
walked Miss Ward.
"Out for my constitutional. my dear"
she exclaimed. 80 thought | would
Just look you up. have walked six
miles this morning, and after a little
rest and chat with you ] shall walk an
other mile home and enjoy my lunch
con all the better for It,"
"You are marvelp' exclaimed our
author Seven miles and over seventy.
| saw your 'volumnia' was great sue
cess the other day when you played It
with Benson"
YES" she said. "and the next day !
started for Rome. / got telegram say
Ing one OF three old cousins, with whom
was staying In Rome a few weeks
previously. had died suddenly. 80 four
hours after receiving the message set
out"
Were you very tiredr'
mo. not mt all | knitted nearly all
tho way and talked to my fellow pas
sengers and when / arrived, instead OF
resting, went mt once TO see to some
business, for these two old sisters, one
OF whom is blind, were absolutely pros
trated with grief and had done nothing
while awaiting my arrival. ! stayed a
fortnight with them, settled them up
and arrived back n few days ago"
Here IL the pathetic story Of Miss
Wards marriage tragedy as she told 1t
to Mrs Tweedie:
"I was travelling with my mother and
brother on the Riviera I'm 1883 when
we met Russian. Count de GuerDeL
He was very tall. very handsome, very
fascinating, very rich and twenty-eight-
| was seventeen. He fell In love with
me. and it wns settled | should be mar
ried at the consulate mt Nice, which
was. But the Russian law required
that the marriage should be repeated
I'm the Russian church TO make the
ceremony binding: otherwise l was his
legal wife. but he was not my legal
husband.
''It was arranged. therefore, that
should 20 TO Paris with my mother.
the count going on In advance to ar
range everything. and we would be re-
married there In the Greek church
When we arrived In Paris IL was Lent,
when no marriage can take place in
the Greek church. and 30 time passed
on
"IIe must have been thoroughly
bad man. because he did his best at
that time to persuade me TO run away
with him. always reminding me that
was his legal wife. The whole thing
was merely trick OF this handsome
fascinating rascal He promised me
that II would go TO him he would
take me to Russia Mt once, and there
we should be remarked according To
the rules OF the Greek church. Being
positively frightened by his persist
ence, | told my mother. At the same
time rumors OF De Guerbefs amours
and debts reached her ears, and she
wrote TO cousin OF ours. then Ameri
ran minister I'm st. Petersburg, for con
firmation of these reports.
MY cousin replied, Come at once.
We went. |. OF course. under my name
Of Countess de Guerbel, which ! had
naturally assumed from the day OF our
wedding at Nice. and wo stayed ut the
embassy I'm st. Petersburg. The
counts brother was charming TO me
He told us my husband was villain
and had better leave him alone. That
was impossible. however. | was mar
ried To him. but he was not married To
me. and such "A state OF affairs could
not remain.
1t became an international matter,
and II was arranged by the American
government and the czar that we
should be officially married at War
saw. The count refused TO come The
czar therefore sent sealed orders for
his appearance. Wearing "A black dress
and feeling apprehensive and misera-
bly, sad. | went To the church. and at
the altar rails, supported by my father
and mother and the counts brother.
met my husband.
1T was horrible crisis, for l knew
my father was armed with a loaded
revolver. and II De Guerbel refused To
give me the last legal right, which was
morally already mine, Its conteuts
would put an end 10 the adventurer's
hfe There we stood. husband and
wife. knowing the service was mere
form, but the marriage was lawfully
effected He had completed his part
pf the bargain. and we had learned his
villainy. At the door OF the church we
parted, and ! never saw him again"