The Adair County news., 1913-08-06
ARUINED ROMANCE
Genevieve Wards Story of Her
"eGG1g Tragedy.
PARTED AT THE CHURCH DOOE

After a Dramatic Ceremony Following
! Complication That Became an In
! ternationaI Affair and Was Ended b.
J Our Government and the Gar.
! In Mrs. Tweedie's Thirteen Years
of a Busy Womans Life" are some
stories of Genevieye Ward. the famous
actress.
! One morning in March, 1908, came a
knock on Mrs. Tweedies door, and In
walked Miss Ward.
: "Out for my constitutional, my DEAR"
she exclaimed. 80 thought 1 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"
"Y0u are a marvelr' exclaimed our
author. Seven miles and over seventy.
saw your 'Volumnia' was a great sue
cess the other day when you played IL
with Benson
/ Yes she said. land the next day l
started ar Rome. l got telegram say
ing one Of three old cousins, with whom
1 was staying in Rome a few weeks
previously. had died suddenly, so four
hours after receiving the message set
out"
"Were you very tiredT
! mo. not at all. l knitted nearly all
! the way and talked to my fellow pas.
sengers and when 1 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.
trated with grief and had done nothing
while awaiting my arrival. 1 stayed Il
fortnight with them. settled them up
and arrived back a few days ago"
Here is the pathetic story of Miss
Wards marriage tragedy as she told it
to Mrs. Tweedie:
81 was travelling with my mother and
brother on the Riviera in 1885 when
we met a Russian, Count de Guerbel
lie was very tall, very handsome, very
fascinating, very rich and twenty-eiSht-
l was seventeen. He fell in love with
me, and 1t was settled l should be mar.
ried at 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.
at was arranged. therefore. that ]
sho;lld go 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 Gake place If
the Greek rhurch. and 50 time passed
on.
He must have beer Il thoroughly
bad man, because he did his best at
that time to persuade me to run away
with him. always reminding NE that !
was his legal wife. 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 he 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 on;
wedding ut Nice, and we stayed at the
embassy in st. Petersburg. The
counts brother was charming to me.
He told us my husband was a villain
and had better leave him alone. That
was impossible, however. l 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 mattsr.
and it was arranged by the Americ an
government and the car that we
should be officially married at War
saw. The count refused to come. The
car therefore sent sealed orders for
his appearance. Wearing 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.
ut was a horrible crisis, for | knew
my father was armed with a loaded
revolver and if De Guerbel refused to
give me the last legal right, which was
morally already mine. its contents
would put an end TO the Adventures
life. There we stood, husband and
wife, knowing the service was Il mere
form, but the marriage was lawfully
effected. He had completed his part
of the bargain, and we had learned his
villainy. At the door of the church we
parted. and I never saw him again.