The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-02-15
He Is Uniting Jackies With the
Pretty Irish Lassies
ROMANCE IN The FLEET
Young Brides From "OId Sod
Will Come To the United
States
From FRIDAYS Daily.

From Fridays Daily.
Base of American Flotilla in BRUSH
Waters, January 25.-[Correspondence
of The Associated Press. Every
part of the United States has sup
piled a hero in love romances that
have eliminated in happy marriages
between American blue jackets and
blue-eyed Irish maidens since the ar
rival of the American destroyer
forces in the south of Ireland. After
the war, every part of the United
States from Maine to California and
the Great Lakes to Florida will boast
of an Irish bride who was wooed and
won in her native land by an Amerl-
can sailor.
All of the brides are looking
forward to that happy day when they
will see what their husbands so
proudly proclaim as Gods country.
Already the American sailor has sup
piled his Irish bride with all neces-
sary documents to establish her iden-
tity as an American and some have
even had their property in the Unit
ed States transferred to their wives
as a precaution in case they lose
their lives for their country.
Bert Adams and His Bride.
There is the marriage of former
rancEman, Bert Adams, to Bridgit
O'Rourke, whose family descends
from an Irish king of that name.
Adams who is boilermaker on one
of the destroyers, halls from Hugo,
RI
have his ranch in Colorado, decided
to his wife as precaution in the
event of his being torpedoed. His
wife's relatives live in Bruce, County
Limerick, and there is plenty OF
anecdote connected with the fami-
ly's relation to the O'Rourke's of
kingly fame 81 don't know anything
about ranching." Mrs. Adams told
The Associated Press correspondent,
"but / am preparing myself for the
fair land Bert has told me SO much
about by studying a history of Colo
rado."
Then there is the case of Mary
Ridge, head waitress at the leading
hotel here, who lost her heart to
Harland G.. Richie, a machinists
She was one of the most popular girls
in town. The dining room over which
she presided is out of bounds to en-
listed men but Richie contrived to
see her when she was off duty. They
knew each other fci- four months be-
fore Mr. Richie led her to the altar
of the village chuch.
Love at FIRST Sight.
But the record for love at first
sight among the Americans belongs
to young seaman, Paul Valachovic
by name, who used to work in the
machine shop of the General Elec-
trio company at Schenectady, N. Y
He fell in love the first day he
stepped ashore here, from his de-
stroyer. Ada Jones, Cork girl, was
the object of Cupids dart. After the
war Valachovic is going to take hel
back with him to that thriving city
in New York. A few of the Americans
first met their wives on visits tC
England, Charles Harmon Cobia OF
Charleston, S. c., fell in love on the
beautiful Cornish riviera with Ada
Gilbert, widow of twenty-fou whose
home was in Plymouth. Another Eng
fish bride is Nora Elizabeth Kilt, who
was married to Joseph W. HighfielG
of Des Moines, la.
Met at Roller Skating Kinks.
But the majority of the Americans
married Irish girls who lived in the
vicinity of the American naval base
and whom they met at the dance hal
or roller skating rink. Thus Doris
Francis Phillips is now Mrs. Lee
Vincent Flavell of Hanover, Mass.
and Mary Ellen Sullivan has becom,
the wife OF Thomas A. Balschi O
Mount Carmel, Pa. After the wa
Mary O'Keefe. who became the wifi
of Edward c. Turner, expects t
desert the trying climate of southern
Ireland, for that of sunny San Jose
Cal, which is her husbands home
William Spaulding of Deland, Fla
has married Ester Allen, while Ora
E. Cox Of lola, Kan, won the hand O
Phyllis Rose Rogers.
Among others of the American
sailors who have taken to themselve
a wife over here are Benjamin. j
Moore of Dallas, Texas; Ebert r
Buckingham of Pensacola, Fla, Harr
E. Holder of Denver, Colo, an
Michael j. Della Rocco of Schnectady
N. Y. And the list gives promise q
growing steadily