Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, May 15, 1904, Image 31

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    Quick Mrrlae JTffl a Fortnnf.
I comes a remarkable story of a
n
Teeming with human Interest la
the romance which culminated re
cently in a marriage at a barrio that nest
lea at the head of a large gulf that indents
a province of Southern Luxon almost under
the shadow of old Volcano Mayon.
For nearly three years this love affair
was the matter of speculation among the
"Four Hundred" of the Filipino population
throughout the province, as well as among
American residents.
A Filipino maiden, through whoso veins
courses pure Ilecol blond, the boast of the
family for generations, had enslaved the
heart of probably the leading American of
the province an American whose military
record, family In the United States and re
puted wealth had won for him high dis
tinction at the hands of the civil govern
ment. In spite of nn ardent courtship the Amer
ican friends of the gentleman never heard
him speak of marrying the Filipino maiden,
and when the ceremony was performed
It was so sudden that they were overcome
with astonishment.
For several weeks before the marriage the
American had met with financial reverses
in the United States. Cablegram after
cablegram reached him from his attor
neys in the homeland announcing one loss
after another owing to crashes In the
stock market In which he was Interested.
First came the crash In the Shipbuilding
Trust, then the apparent failure of the
Korthern Pacific merger; iron and steel
fell heavily, and then followed the corner
In cotton. All of these fluctuations, to
which was added the dropping of other
stocks in which he had Invested his money,
brought him face to face with ruin. The
distressed man would carry cablegrams
from his attorneys In his pockets for
days without opening them, knowing that
they brought notification of some addi
tional reverse.
When these misfortunes had about
ruined him, and ho was penniless, he re
membered that there was an estate of
about $70,000 In the homeland of which lio
was heir. Before this the man had hardly
Riven the matter consideration it waa
Such a trifle. The estate had been left
to him by some ancestor. One Important
fact came to him vividly a clause in tho
will provided that the estate should re
Vert to other persons unless the heir mar
ried before a certain age.
The gentleman was Quick to act Ho
figured that, in the face of his recent re
verses, it was his duty to save the smaller
fortune if it was not too late.
He cabled to his attorneys at home and
asked them at what age he would have
to marry to save the estate. He waited
anxiously for a reply, and when the reply
came ho found that the time would )e
up at 12 o'clock that very night He had
only a few hours in which to save the
fortune by marriage.
With anxious heart he hurried to his
Filipino sweetheart and breathlessly told
the story of the long-forgotten fortune.
She came to his rescue, and Just an hour
before midnight the nuptial knot waa tied
by tho pailsh priest.
Texun Got a Wife by Letter.
News mut the marriage of Mr. Thomas
Dameron and Miss HatUe Julian, tho
latter of Baltimore, at San Angelo, Tex.,
has been received by Baltimore friends.
Tho wedding was the culmination of a
romance In real life which proves that
Cupid Is not deterred by bars or bolts,
tlnio or distance. In this case his arrow
sped hundreds of miles true to its aim.
The marriage was brought about by a
letter written in an idle moment by Mr.
Damoron to a cousin In Baltimore, in
which he asked her to find him "a sweet
heart a pretty one, a Christian and
neither old nor young." Tho cousin,
knowing both' parties well and knowing
that these requisites were all met in Miss
Julian, recommended her, and there en
sued immediately an exchange of photo
graphs and a correspondence which ex
tended over months. Owing to inability
to leave his business at the present time,
Mr. Dameron requested Miss Julian to
meet him In San Angelo.
Marriage Favored In Mall Service.
Marriage is the stepping stone to ad
vancement In the Chicago postofflce, ac
cording to Postmaster F. E. Coyne and his
assistants.
"Marry!" is the urgent appeal of Post
master Coyne to his 4,000 clerks with am
bitions to better their positions.
. "By all means, marry!" is the counsel of
Superintendent Perry Smith, Jr head of
the registry division.
"Marriage is an important qualification
of every clerk, and a President Roosevelt
family is a valuable aid to the man or
woman who wishes to double his or her
salary," is the chorus of sentiment from
the other heads of departments, who have
hundreds of clerks under them in the Chi
cago postofflce.
Orders from Washington to postmnsters
In neighboring cities to show preference to
married clerks and rumors that the same
regulation is soon to be put in force at tho
Chicago postofflce yesterday called forth a
hearty approval of the matrimonial boom.
Postmaster Coyne would not admit that
he had yet received instructions from the
Postofflce department requiring him to
favor the married clerks. He declared that
the custom was already established, and
that the practice of "boosting" tho man
with a wife and perhaps a family, In
preference to the single man was a funda
mental part of his own theory.
"Wo shall always give the preference to
the married clerk, other things being
equal," said Mr. Coyne yesterday. "I be
lieve thoroughly In this as just and equita
ble. The married man deserves this
favoritism for two reasons first, because
he has added responsibilities, greater de
pendencies; and, second, because he Is car
rying out that most admirable Idea of
President Roosevelt's, viz., large American
families." Chicago Inter Ocean.
Romance Ends ia Wedding;.
Unusual circumstances attended the wed
ding of Bessie I Payne of Oranby, Mo.,
to W. W. Payne of Muldrow, Mo.
W. W. Payne is one of the lending citi
sens of Muldrow, owning a largo mercan
tile establishment there, and also one at
Long, I. T. Ho Is a man of reputed wealth
and one of the solid business men of the
Indian Territory.
The bride is the divorced wife of Thomas
J. Payne, brother of the groom, and a
woman of culture and character. She Is a
graduate of several colleges and has been
one of the belles of Granhy society.
The wedding Is the culmination of a very
pretty romance. At the time the brldn was
deserted by her former husband sho had
neither friends nor means. It was natural
that she should turn to the brother of her
husband for assistance. He proved her
friend. Tills ripened Into love, and the
marriage ceremony Is a fitting final.
A letter was received from the first hus
band several days ago by W. W. Payne, In
which he states that he bears no mnlico
toward his brother and is glad to see the
turn matters have taken.
Object to IleliiK' Married by Women.
The marriage service performed by a
woman Is not a success In Chicago. There
ore indications that it fills no long-felt
want for a woman preacher to nssume
under the law the privileges of uniting
couples In marriage, and if any reason
must bo given, there are Indications of her
stickling for the elimination of "obey" as
at the bottom of It.
Mrs. Celia Parker Woolicy, whose home
Is at 196 Forty-fourth street, has performed
five or six marrlago ceremonies, but It was
while she had a Unitarian charge at Elgin.
Since she came to Chicago she has been In
the position of a supply, and in that posi
tion in her church she has not been called
upon by Cupid. Just why Mrs. Woolley
might not be popular with the bridegroom
on such nn occasion is distinctly set forth
In her opinions of tho ceremonial form In
volving the promise to "obey."
"I always left the word out," said Mrs.
Woolley, decisively. "It had no place In
the ceremony, anyhow. It is a story told
outright whero It Is used and replied to In
the ceremony. In the first place, there Is
no reason why a woman should obey her
husband, nnd In the next, it la a certainty
that sho will not do so. Hut even leaving
it out of the form I used, In at least two
cases the young men concerned were mem
bers of my church and were more than
willing to come to me. It was a novelty
in Elgin that a woman should ho privileged
to perform marriage services and the
county clerk In Issuing licenses to people
from tho country, especially, often directed
them to come to mo for tho marriage con
tract. "I had no robes for the pulpit. Simply a
gown of black silk was worn, nnd nt these
church weddings I woro this costume.
While I have felt some of the poetry of
tho Episcopal ceremony, seeing It as a
spectator, I have always felt the absurdity
of the giving away of the bride. When the
law, through its licensing of the parties
to marry, has passed upon the question,
there is nothing more for either of the
parents or ujiy of the near relatives to do.
"This reminds rue of a woman friend In
the ministry who went farther than ever I
thought of doing on this point. To make
the giving a way form as ridiculous as
possible, she insisted that the parents of
the young man should appear and give
him away which they did, too. It was nn
unexpected move on r part for all con
cerned, and when in using the word
'obey,' as applying to the bride, she asked
the same promise of the groom, the cere
mony came almost too close to comedy
to be relished as even legal."
While Mrs. Adlui T. Kwlng was In the
position of nn ordained minister in the
Christian Science church In Chicago several
weddings were celebrated by her. They
were of the church for tho most part, und
in being called to it. It was as paator only,
Since the office of women preachers has
been abolished In that church the cere
mony of marriage goes to the men of the
denomination.
Mrs. Ursula Oestefeld, as an Independent
preacher, has never been railed upon to
officiate nt a wedding, though her position
would entitle her to it under the law. She
Is one of the few women at the present
time in Chicago who aro active in the
pulpit. Chicago Tribune.
Woman Hater Surrender.
William ltoss, a retired farmer of C'hnp
lln, Conn., 7:1 years old and owning prop
erly valued at $100,11110,' lived alone on his
farm for nearly half a century, refusing
to have a housekeeper or ullow uny woman
under his roof. In his youth he had an
unhappy love affair, which caused him to
adopt the life of a recluse, but he never
would discuss the subject, and he flew
Into a rage whenever It was broached.
Two years ago ho was stricken with
paralysis. Ills condition necessitated the
attend. nice of a nurse, and Mrs. Emily
Clark, a young widow of the village, was
employed. Kosa at first objected to her
presence, but became reconciled in time,
and as she nursed lilm back to health the
woman hater grew fond of her. As soon as
he was able to sit up he proposed and they
were married in bis home the other even
ing. Wedded by Proxy.
Cupid's latest achievement was the unit
ing of two fond hearts, although the broad
Atlantic rolled between the lovers. Iierend
Polak of New York went to tho pier lust
week and welcomed a bride to whom he had
been married a month before by proxy.
As soon as the gangplank had been low
ered one of the first to trip gayly down to
the dock wus Mrs. l'olak, who was Miss
Wilhelmina Courlander, who, perceiving
her anxiously awaiting husband In the
largo throng, by means of a previously ar
ranged signal code nf handkerchiefs, rushed
Joyously to him. After a tender exchange
of greetings tho couple left tho pier in a
cab.
A small party of tholr relatives and Inti
mate friends were assembled In a restaur
ant uptown and congratulations were ex
tended to the newly wedded pair.
When tho luncheon was finished the little
party disbanded, and Mr. Polak escorted
hla wife to a cozy home In East One Hun
dred and Nineteenth street, which tho
young husband had maunged to furnish
and have In readiness for the reception of
his bride when sho had completed her long
Journey of over 3,000 miles.
Their romance began In Holland, when
they were children. Together they at
tended tho same school. When Iterend
Polak grew toward manhood ho kissed Wil
helmina good bye nnd came to America to
make a fortune and a home.
Saving every cent and dollar possible,
young Polak soon had sufficient money to
enable him to marry. When he wan ready
to arrange for the ceremony he and his
Wife to be decided that a most appropriate
climax to their romantic 'courtship would
be a wedding out of the ordinary. Dozena
of letters passed between them. In which
It was agreed that tho marriage should
take place by proxy.
Tho day when this strange marriage waa
to take place was specified In the contracts,
and on that day, nt a particular time, each
of tho couple had to attend church, accom
panied by witnesses, whero the marriage
ceremony was gone through.