The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1918-04-13
cOLLEENS WIN
AMERICAN TARS
Every State in the Union to Boast
of Irish Brides After
the War.
CUPID BUSY AT NAVAL BASE
Brigid o'Rourke, Descendant of King,
WEEDS Rancher From Colorado
Record for Love at First Sight
Goes to Seaman.

Base American Flotilla in British
Waters.-Every part of the United
States has supplied hero in love ro-
mances that have eliminated in happy
marriages between American bluejack-
cts and blue-eyed Irish maidens since
the arrival of the American destroyer
forces in the south of Ireland.
After the war, every part of the
United States from Maine to Califor-
MIA and from the great lakes to Flor
ida will boast of an Irish bride who
was wooed and won in. her native land
by an American sailor.
All of the brides are looking forward
to that happy day when they will see
what their husbands so proudly pro-
claim as Goods country" Already the
American sailor has supplied his Irish
bride with all necessary documents to
establish her identity as an American,
and some have even had their property
in the United States transferred to
their wives as precaution in case
they lose their lives for their country.
Rancher WEEDS Irish Maid.
There is the marriage of former
rancbman, Bert Adams, to Brigid
O'ROurke, whose family descends from
an Irish king of that name. Adams,
who is boilermaker on one of the de-
stroyers, halls from Hugo, Colo. He
is now arranging to have his ranch in
Colorado decided to his wife as a pre-
caution in the event of his being tor
pedoed. His wife's relatives live in
Bruce, County Limerick, and there is
plenty Of anecdote connected with the
family's relation to- the O'Rourkes of
kingly fame.
II don't know anything about ranch
ing" Mrs. Adams told the Associated
Press correspondent, "but 1 am pre-
pairing myself for the fair land Bert
has told me so much about by studying
history of Colorado"
Then there is the case of Mary
Ridge, head waitress at the leading ho-
tel here, who lost her heart to Hafland
G. Richie, a machfnist's mate, first
class, of Ailston, Mass. She was one
of the most popular girls in town. The
dining room over which she presided
is out of bounds to enlisted men, bur
Richie contrived to see her while she
was off duty. They knew each other
for four months before Mr.. Richie led
her to the altar of the village church.
But the record for love at first sight
among the Americans belongs to a
young seaman, Paul ValachOvic by
name, who used to work in the ma
chine shop of the General Electric COM
pany at Schenectady, N. Y. He fen in
love the first day he stepped ashore
here. from the destroyer. Ada Jones,
Cork girl, was the object of Cupid's
dart. After the war Valachovic is GO
ing to take her back with him to that
thriving city in New York.
A few of the Americans first met
their wives on visits to England.
Charles Harmon Cobia of Charleston,
S. c. fell in love on the beautiful Cor
nish riviera with Ada Gilbert, widow
of twenty-four, whose home was in
Plymouth. Another English bride is
Nora Elizabeth Kilt, who was married
to Joseph W. Highfield of Des Moines,
Iowa.
Cupid Busy at Naval Base.
But the majority of the Americans
married Irish girls who lived in the vi
cinity of the American naval base and
whom they met at the dance hall or
roller skating rink. Thus Doris Fran
els Phillips is now Mrs. Leo Vincent
Flavell of Hanover, Mass, and Mary
Ellen Sullivan has become the wife of
Thomas A. Balschi of Mount Carmel.
Pa. After the war Mary O'Keefe, who
became the wife of Edward G. Turner,
expects to desert the trying climate OF
southern Ireland for that of sur ny San
Jose, Cal, which is her husbands
home. William Spaulding of DeLand
Fla, has married Ester Allen, while
Oral e. Cox of lola, Kan, won the
hand of Phyllis Rose Rogers.
Among others of the American sail
ors who have taken to themselves a
wife over here are Benjamin J. Moore
of Dallas, Tex; Ebert r. Buckingham
of Pensacola, Fla; Harry e. Holder OF
Denver, Colo, and Michael J. Della
Roco of Schenectady, N. Y. And the
/ list gives promise of growing steadily