The Adair County news. [volume] (Columbia, Ky.) 1897-1987, 1913-06-25
ARU|NED ROMANCE
Genevieve Wards Story of Her
Wedding Tragedy.
PARTED AT THE CHURCH DOOR
After a Dramatic Ceremony Following
Complication That Became an In
ternationaI Affair and Was Ended by
Our Government and the Gar.

ternational Affair and Was Ended by
Our Government and the Gar.
In Mrs. Tweedie's Thirteen Years
Of Busy Womans Life are some
stories of Genevieve Ward. the famous
| actress.
One morning in March, 1908, came
knock Oh Mrs. Tweedie's door. and in
walked Miss Ward.
"Out for my constitutional, my DEAR"
| she exclaimed. 80 | thought | would
| just look you up. l 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 a marvelr' exclaimed our
| author Seven miles and over seventy.
| I saw your 'VOlumnia' was a great sue
cess the other day when you played it
| with Benson"
| Yes she said. land the next day l
| started for Rome. l got telegram say
| ing one of three old cousins. with whom
| was staying in Rome a few weeks
previously. had died suddenly. so four
hours after receiving the message l set
| out
Were you very tired?"
| NO. not at all. knitted nearly all
the way and talked to my fellow pas
sengers and when | arrived. instead of
resting, went at once to see to some
| business. for these two old sisters. one
| of whom is blind, were absolutely pros
| 4 81 with grief and had done nothing
! while awaiting my arrival | stayed
| forth. ght with them. settled them up
| and arrived back few days ago"
Here is the pathetic story of Miss
| Wards marriage tragedy as she told it
| to Mrs Tweedie:
~ was travelling with my mother and
brother on the Riviera in 1896 when
| we net Il Russian, Count de Guerbel.
| lie vas very tall. very handsome, very
| fasci ating. very rich and twenty-eight.
wa seventeen. He fell in love with
! me. and it was settled | should be mar
ried q. the consulate at Nice, which |
was. But the Russian law required
| that the marriage should be repeated
| in the Russian church to make the
| ceremony binding; otherwise | was his
| legal Wife but he was not my legal
| husband
1T was arranged. therefore. that |
| should 90 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 it was Lent
when no marriage can take place in
the Greek church. and so time passed
on.
He 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 vito The whole thing
was merely a trick of this handsome.
| fascinating rascal He promised me
that if | would go to him he would
| take me to Russia at 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 Guerbers amOurs
and debts reached her ears, and she
wrote to cousin of ours. then Ameri'
can minister in 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 ut Nice. and We stayed ut the
embassy in st. Petersburg. The
counts brother was charming to me-
He told US my husband was a villain
and l had better leave him alone. That
was impossible. however. | was mar
ried to him. but he was not married to
me. aud such state of affairs could
not remain.
1T became an international matter
and it was arranged by the American
government and the car that we
should be officially married at War
saw. The count refused to come. The
| cZar therefore sent sealed orders for
his appearance Wearing black dress
and feeling apprehensive and misera
bly, sad went to the church. and Al
the altar rails, supported by my father
\ and mother and the counts brother,
met my husband.
ut was horrible crisis, for l knew
my father was armed with q loaded
revolver. and if De Guerbel refused t.
give me the last legal right. which was
morally already mine, its contents
would put an end to the adventureri
life There we stood, husband ant
wife, knowing the service was a mer'
form, but the marriage was lawful!
effected. He had completed his par
of the bargain. and we had learned hi
villainy. At the door of the church w
parted. and never saw him again"