The Prescott Elopement
After two young lovers fled their homes to escape parental disapproval, a desperate search ends with a change of heart and a marriage license.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
No little excitement is reported at Prescott over the sudden disappearance of Carl Hart and Anna May Hawks, the children of two prominent citizens. The young people had expressed a desire to marry, but as Miss Hawks was not of legal age, her parents objected. Sunday, during the absence of Mr. Hawks, the pair left Prescott, presumably to marry. Mr. Hawks came to Walla Walla to notify Sheriff Painter and request assistance in finding them. They could not be located in Walla Walla, and it was suspected they had gone to Pendleton. Yesterday, Mr. Hawks called at the county auditor's office and filed written permission for the marriage of his daughter to Hart, deciding after consideration that it was the best course. Sheriff Painter received a message from Pendleton this afternoon that the runaways had been located and arrangements had been made for their wedding.
“He said that after due consideration he and Mrs. Hawks decided that it was the best course to pursue.”
While elopement stories were a staple of 1903 local news, they reflect a time when parental control over marriage age was a major point of civic and legal tension. Today, such a story would focus more on the digital footprint of a 'runaway' than the physical search by a sheriff.
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