Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1913-05-02
ARUINED ROMANCE
Geneyieve Wards Story Of Her
Wedding Tragedy.

denevleVe Waf0'S Story Of Her
Wedding Tragedy.
PARTED AT THE CHURCH DOOR
After a Dramatic Ceremony Following
a Complication That Became an In
| ternationai Affair and Was. Ended by
Our Government and the Gear.
| In Mrs. Tweedie's Thirteen Years
Of a 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. II
..Out for my constitutional. my dear"
she exclaimed. 80 thought would
just look you up. l.have walked six
miles this morning. and after q 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 fnarvelr' 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. land the next day !
started for Rome. l got telegram say
| ing one Of three old cousins, with whom
| | was staying in Rome few weeks
previously. had died suddenly, so four
hours after receiving the message set
out" ~
Were you very tired?"
mo, 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
trated with grief and had done nothing
while awaiting my arrival. stayed
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 1t
to Mrs. Tweedie: ~ -
II 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.
l was seventeen. He fell in love with
sme. and it was settled | should be mar
ried at the consulate at Nice. which l
was. But the Russian law required
that the marriage should be repeated
Il 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 l
should go to Paris with my mother,
the count going on in advance to ar
range everything, and we would be re-
married there iii the Greek church.
When we arrived in Paris it was Lent,
when no marriage can take place III
the Greek church. and SO time passed
Ii on. $50 q
He must have been a 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 i trick of this handsome.
fascinating rascal He promised me
that if would 60 to him he would
take me to Russia at once, and there
we should lie remarked according to
1.-THE rules of the Greek church. BEING
positively frightened by his persist
ence, l told my mntler. At the same
time rumors of De GuerIel's amours
and debts reached her, ears. and she
wrote to cousin of ours. then Anieri.
can minister III St. l'etersburg.s for cen
frmation Of these reports.
.sMy 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 OUT
wedding ut Nice. and we stayed at the
embassy in st. Petersburg The
counts brother was charming to me.
He told us my husband swas Il villain
and hndkbetter 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. IS
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
car therefore sent sealed orders for
his appearance. Wearing Il black dress
and feeling apprehensiye and misera-
fbly 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 a horrible crisis, for knew
my father was armed Will, Il loaded
! Irevolver. and IL De t;uerl.el refused to
igive me the last legal right. which was
: morally already mine. its contents
would put an end to tile ndventurer's
life. There we stood. husband and
. wife. knowing the service was mere
form, but the marriage was lawfully
effected. He had completed his part
IOf the hnrCAin and we Ind learned hia