The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1913-06-19
ARUINED ROMANCE
Geneyieye Wards Story OF Her
Wedding Tragedy.
PARTED AT THE CHURCH DOOR


After 3 Dramatic Ceremony Following
Complication That Became an In
ternstionsI Affair and Wss Ended by
Our Government and the Gar
In Mrs. Tweedle's Thirteen Years
Of a Busy Woman's Life" are some
stories OF Geneyieve Ward. the famous
! actress
one morning 10 March, 1908, came
knock on Mrs. Tweedie's door, and In
walked Miss Ward
"Out for my constitutional, my dear"
she exclaimed. 80 thought | would
lust look you up. | have walked six
miles this morning, and after a little
rest aud chat with you | shall walk an
other mile home and enjoy my lunch
con all the better for 1t"
"You are p9rvelT exclaimed our
author. Seven miles and over seventy.
saw your 'volumnia was a great sue.
cess the other day when you played 1t
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 10 Rome a few weeks
previously, had died suddenly, so four
hours after receiving the message ] set
out"
Were you very tiredT
mo. not at ell. 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
trated With grief and had done nothing
while awaiting my arrival. ! stayed
fortnight 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 Tweedle:
81 was travelling with my mother and
brother on the Riviera In 1855 when
we met Russian, Count de Guerbel
He was very tall, very handsome, very
fascinating, very rich and twenty-eight
was seventeen. He fell In love with
me, aud It was settled should be mar
rled 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 bis
legal wife, but be was not my legal
husband.
"It was arranged. therefore, that !
should 60 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 1t was Lent,
when no marriage can take place In
he Greek church, and so time passed
IN
HE must have been a thoroughly |
,ad man, because he did his best at
hat time to persuade me to run away |
With him, always reminding me that |
was his legal wife The whole thing |
vas merely a trick of this handsome,
rascal. He promised me
hat II | would go to him he would
AXE me to Russia at once, and there
we should be remarked according to |
he rules of the Greek church. Being |
positively frightened by his persist |
ance, 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-
6rmation of these reports.
my cousin replied, Come at once
We went, l, Of course, under my name
of Countess de Guerbel, which had
naturally assumed from the day Of our
wedding at 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 was mar.
ried to him, but he was not married to
me, and such state Of affairs could
not remain
ut became an international matter,
and It 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 black dress
and feeling apprehenslye 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 knew
my father was armed with loaded
revolver, and II De Guerbel refused to
give me the last legal right, which was
morally already mine, its contents
would put an end to the adyenturer's
life, There we stood, husband and
wife, knowing the service was a mere
form. but the marriage was lawfully
effected He had completed his part
OF the bargain, and We had learned bis
yillalny. At the door OF the church we
parted, and | never saw him again.