The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-05-07
WOMAN TRAMPS
$500 NILES
TO WE'D
Then She and Her Fiance Have
Trouble Getting a Mar
riage License.

lotte Palmer. hiked more than $500
miles across Nebraska, Colorado.
Utah, Nevada and California, and
then took sea voyage of 1000
miles. And when she arrived At her
destlnation-Seattle-her ,nuptlals
were nearly prevented because her
prospective husband and herself were
unknown here and no one could he
found for while who could truth
fully swear that they were, of legal
age. .....s
Mrs. Palmer is As years old and
her tiance is Az But Judge Smith
has ruled that hereafter no "profes-
sional witnesses" could attest appli-
cations for marriage license the cou-
pie were refused the necessary IL
cense until they could find some one
in the city who knew them.
Meet Old Friend.
And when the situation seemed the
gloomiest, they CHANGED to meet an
old friend, who was glad to swear
that both were of legal age. Judge
Tallman performed the marriage
ceremony The couple will live in
Vancouver. B. C.
Frank j. Foy is the name OF the
bridegroom. He and Mrs. Palmer
knew each other for years In Boone.
IL. A year ago they decided to mar
ry.
Mr.. Foy came West and made his
home in Vancouver, where he secured
good position. Mrs. Palmer was
to come to Seattle to be married. But
the railroad fare from Iowa to the
north coast is somewhat expensive.
And there was another reason why
Mrs. Palmer should decide to do what
she did-walk to San Francisco.
She had two sons by her former
marriage-Edward Palmer, who is
90 years old, and Ross, who is II.
An accident impaired the younger
boys health. When the doctors had
exhausted their best efforts on him
they told his mother that life in
the open air might help him. This
decided her.
She and her two sons paid their
fare to Omaha, Neb., and from there,
on June %, 1915, they started on
their walk to San Francisco. But
Mrs. Palmer decided she would do
even better than save railroad fare
to the coast. She visited the heads
OF several commercial organizations
In Omaha and prevailed upon them
to pay her IL she and her sons would
advertise them along the route.
And when the trio started out on
their journey they were richer by
s2.750 in cash and stock in Omaha
corporations. In return for this they
painted the name Of the corporations
en- every big rock that they passed
on their route.
Unarmed over Rockies.
When they left Omaha they each
carried rifle and a six-shooter. The
journey to Salt Lake City was made
without any unsual experiences. At
their hotel in Salt Lake when they
had recounted the experience Of the
first lap OF their journey, the guests
made them a wager of $3.50 that they
dare not make the trip to San Fran
cisco without carrying their firearms.
They promptly accepted the wager
and set out across the desert with
nothing but their packs containing
food and bedding and their water
canteens.
THE coyotes got on our nerves"
said Mrs. Palmer. They seemed to
know we were unarmed, and would
follow US for miles. In the morning
when we would break camp we would
find they had made path in a circle
about US while we slept. Once, while
We slept. they sneaked up in the
night and stole some of our bacon.
After that we always slept with II
under our heads
THE most nerve racking exper-
fence was when we We're hiking down
a thickly wooded canyon in the Sier-
ra Nevada mountains. The trees were
so thick overhead that 1t was dark
and gloomy along the trail. For
hours l had the premonition that
something was following us. The
boys laughed at me, but finally, when
We came to clear place on the trail,
we stopped at the other edge of the
woods and hid ourselves.
Gains Health by Journey.
presently, mountain lion, an
exceptionally big fellow, came to
the edge of the clearing and stopped,
But he never offered to harm US, al
though we slept but little that night
because of our nervousness.
The trio reached San Francisco on
October ~, last. The pedometeI
which Mrs. Palmer carried registered
more than $500 miles. but she ex-
plains that they took many side
trips.
In San Francisco they spent siz
months resting and recuperating, as
they felt that the trip was such a
financial success that they could al
ford 1t. Mrs. Palmer says that ROSS
the boy who was i'll. now weighs
thirty-six pounds more than when
they started on the trip, while she
VINO weighed 201 pounds when they
left Omaha, now weighs 80 pounds
Mrs. Palmer reached Seattle a rev
days ago by boat from San Francis
CO and was met by Mr.. Foy. In get
ting married they encountered the
difficulty of obtaining license.
| But it would be poor compliment
to my qualities Of determination II
after hiking $500 miles through q
semi-wilderness l should be baffied
by legal technicality." says Mrs
Palmer, now Mrs. Foy.
!, 4. a n :. = . = 4 =. :.