Year: 1874

A


SECRET AND FELL HEIR TO


S2,000,000.


In 1855 a gentleman of high birth
and great wealth in England came
to this country to travel for pleasure
and to study the scenery and people
of the New World. A lover of ma
ture in its most varied and pic
turesque character, he spent some
time in central New York, going
about among our beautiful lakes
and tarrying upon their highly
cultivated shores. In these rambles
he came to the quiet village of Dun
dee, where he made his home for
some time with Baptist clergyman
named Currier. While there he fell
into companionship with the daugh-
ter of well-to-do gentleman by the
name of Bliven. The girl was at
that time l6 years of age, handsome,
engaging and sensible. The ac-
euaintance soon ripened into sort
of romantic friendship, and at last
the foreigner, whom we may as well
designate by his proper name and
title-Sir John Gordon Talmadge-
offered his hand to Candace, which
was accepted. The direct narrative
is to the effect that the two were
united by the Rev. Mr.. Currier, who
was pledged to secresy concerning
the marriage for the term OF one
wear. The parents OF Candace were
not informed of the action of their
daughter, nor did the knowledge of
the secret marriage come to any one
of the villagers. Soon after the
wedding, Sir John left his young
bride and returned to his home
across the water, having promised
to record the marriage in due form
as soon as he should arrive, and
having additionally promised that
he would return within the year and
take his wife to England.


The year went past, and Sir John
did not come. Meantime, the Rev.
Mr.. Currier, the only person in
America besides the young wife
who knew of the transaction, died,
and his secret died with him. An
other year passed, and five, then
ten, almost twenty, ands still the
waited-for husband did not return
to make good his promises, nor did
any tidings, we understand, reach
the ears of Candace concerning him.
AT last, in March last, We believe,
through the instrumentality of a
personal advertisement in one of the
l. 81
was broken, and tidings for which
the Dundee bride, now grown to
almost middle age, had so long
waited, were received.


1t appears that the return OF Sir
John to England without his Ameri-
can wife was for the purpose of ar
ranging matters satisfactorily with
his parents, who he knew would be
indisposed to receive his bride if she
we're taken to them without prior
knowledge of their sons step.
shortly after his return home it
happened that while out riding with
his mother one day his horses took
fright, ran away, threw the two out,
killing his mother and very seriously
iniuring Sir John. From this at1llc-
ton, however, he recovered partially,
and in due time set out for America
to reclaim his wife. AS if adverse
fate directed hls every movement,
when he reached Liverpool he was
taken severely i'll, and for long
time he lay vacillating, as it were,
between life and death. Though
recovering, his illness had so preyed
on him that he became demented, in
which condition he lived all these
years, unable to make known the
object for which he was journeying
when sickness overlook him. In the
latter part of last Winter sanity
strangely returned to the afflicted
man, but only for short interval
before death relieved him of that life
which had been burden. During
this lucid interval recollection of his
earlier life came back to him, and
the secret wife in Dundee was upper
most in his thoughts. He made
known to his brother, now Sir Alfred
Ialmadge, the true story or his mar
riage in this country, willed his inn
mense fortune of $4,000, 900, half TO
his brother and sister, and the
other half to his wife in case she
might be found alive. He further
pledged his brother to send a aspecial
messenger to America for the pur-
pose of hunting up his wife.


In pursuance of these pledges, a
messenger was, as early as possible
alter the demise of Sir John, dis
patched to this country with instruc-
tons to find the bride by advertise
inent or by personal search. The
advertising was done as we have
seen, but the messenger, following
the directions given by the husband
Deiore death, came from New York
10 Dundee soon after landing. At
me latter place he found the parents
Gl the lady, who directed him to
Elmira, where she was then visiting


This was in the latter part of May
last. On arriving in this city the
messenger inquired for the residence
Oh Charles Rowland, brother-in law
OF the lady whom he sought. He
tepaired to that gentleman's resi-
uence, No 457 East Water street,


Where he found the long waiting and
So