The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-12-19
Twenty Eight Year Old
Bride That Expected-to
Be Now In Tears
AGED SWAIN YIELDS
TO FAMILY'S PLEAS
Publication Of 100000 Set
Element Apparently An
gered Him, Too

possessions are youth and beauty
was ION again, off again. yesterday.
According to the family of the
wealthy octogenarian, it is going tt
stay "off." And that is probably so
because the Irish lass admitted tear,
fully herself ''there'll be no wedding
at least for the present" To which
testimony may be added that of the
authorities at st. Patricks Cathedral
who said yesterday afternoon: 'The
: wedding has been postponed indef-
nitely.''
But that probably won't be the end
of the affair, because there arrived in
town yesterday James S. O'Brien OF
Newport, r. l.. an outstanding brother
of the de-who-expected-to -be, and
he said he came here for the specific
purpose Of showing anybody and
everybody that the family bearing his
good old name was not to be trif1ed
with.
O'Brien Blood Is Stirred.
Neither he nor his sister would say
anything last night about a breach of
promise suit, but they made it quite
plain that an O'Brien couldn't be led
almost to the altar rail and then dis
missed by a mere phone call, which
was the case here. No, sir! The
Mannings will hear more of this.
/ The wedding was to have been cell.
ebrated this morning by Cardinal
Farley in the Archepiscopal residence.
! in Madison avenue. All arrangements.
had been completed. Even the invita-
lions to small group Of guests had
been sent. And then-the phone CALL
about thus: Sunday morning, having
declared at Saturday night talk with
his six grownup children that he was
determined to wed the girl of his
choice, despite their disparity in years,
Mr.. Manning started from his home at
No. 81 Riverside Drive with two Of
them, Miss Mary and DR.. John, and
then net Miss O'Brien, and the four
went to the Cardinals house.< J
1 Cardinal Farley-who was instru-
mental in having the, aged millionaire
| made Papal knight-saw no objec-
ton to the marriage, SO after a pleas
ant little chat with the prospective
bride and bridegroom His Eminence
arranged to perform the ceremony to-
day. Delmonicos was directed to pre-
pare an elaborate wedding breakfast. /;
Family Pleaded In Relays.
A few guests were told to be ready,
including Justice Daniel 3. Cohalan.
who is said to be a distant relative Of
the bride-that-was-to-be be; the Rev Fa-
Their M. c. Gleason. chaplain of the
Newport Navy Yard; the Misses Amy
and Gladys OConnorl of No 52S Riv-
erside Drive, with whom Miss O'Brien
is staying, and their Brother, David
OConnor of Dublin. Il
Everything looked lovely and Miss
O'Brien went to her home to put the
final touches upon her rousseau
But right here something slipped.
Somebody-it cannot be said whether
it was Miss O'Brien or friend. or
Mr.. Manning or an intimate-let
loose the fact that before the cere-
mony the aged millionaire intended to
make a cash settlement of 100000
upon Miss O'Brien.
And thereupon things commenced
to happen. All the children of the
ancient bridegroom expectant gath
cred at his home Sunday evening
They pleaded, argued, contended and
did everything possible in the way
of trying to make their father change
his mind. They talked to him In
group, in pairs and singly. They went
at him in relays, protesting that he
was too old to marry. There was a
very late and contentious session at
the Manning home. But at the end
of it the patriarch was still determin-
ed to wed as he chose.
Tilted by Phone After Reading
He was so tired that he did not
rise until nearly 10y o'clock yesterday
morning-and he was too tired to go
do fn h
his intention was not to be altered,
he vowed He would marry Miss
O'Brien Tuesday morning as sure as
he lived to that day.
But his children then laid before
him an argument that proved-some-
what expectedly-strong enough to
turn the tide their way. They laid
before him the newspapers, which
announced in their headlines $780,
600 to Fiancee" and Manning Will
,, Give 100000" and Half Million to
Bride To Be" and so on.
That settled it. The octogenarian
didn't want that part of the affair
known, it seemed, and apparently he
placed the blame for the publication
upon Miss O'Brien. So he gave in to
his children.
They took him out for an automo-
pile rlOo up the Qr1Vo ana back, ana
upon his return he called up Miss
| O'Brien and told her the wedding
was off. Then he called up the archi-
episcopal residence. Cardinal Farley
was out at the moment, but Mr.
Manning told Mgr. Lavelle, the rector
of the Cathedral, to cancel the nuptial
| arrangements!
In an interview soon afterward Mr.
| Manning said:
Eyes, the wedding is not to be.
There was too much publicity about
it, too much notoriety.+ 1t wasn't
anybody's business but my own. but
everybody talked against my marri-
age, and the newspapers took it up
and the whole city knew about it.
'I'm sorry about it. Miss O'Brien
is lovely girl. But too many per-
sons mixed up in what should have
| been our own affair.""
Was to Have Made Settlement.
When asked about the 100000 set
| Element, Mr.. Manning said II was
| to have made a settlement, but L
| won't say how much it was
1t was the first day in thirty years
| that he had not gone down town to
his brokerage Office in Wall Street,
| he lamented. And he felt SO poorly,