The Spokane Millionaire's Mystery Marriage
A Spokane tycoon battles newspaper rumors and his own murky statements to deny a secret wedding.
During the past two weeks, reports regarding A. M. Cannon have been published in the Review. Cannon, telegraphing from New York, has denounced reports of his marriage as 'absolutely malicious and ridiculous.' However, a telegram from Helena, Montana, claims that Cannon publicly announced his marriage to Mrs. Eleanor B. Ward, with a license issued on December 11. The Spokane Chronicle suggests that if Cannon were not married, he would have known that fact within seventeen days of the supposed event, questioning why the Review persists in a 'petty deception.'
“Is Mr. Cannon married or is he not? The Review is unquestionably in position to give the facts in the case and just why it persists in this petty deception is not clear.”
Public figures have long used newspapers to control their narratives, but the confusion over Cannon's status captures the Gilded Age obsession with the private lives of the 'nouveau riche.' It mirrors today’s struggle to separate viral misinformation from reality in a media landscape that thrives on scandal.
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