A Fleeing Groom’s Deception
A printer marries a local woman in Seattle, only to abandon her three days later with claims of a secret past and a search for her savings.
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.
A printer named George Bailey, who worked in Victoria, traveled to Seattle to marry Mrs. Nellie Charlton. Three days after the wedding, he confessed to his bride that he was previously married and that police were after him, before vanishing on a steamer. It is widely believed he married her only to secure her hard-earned savings, having failed to realize she did not hold the money he sought. His actions have been condemned by all respectable people.
“He did not scruple, under a marriage ceremony, to trifle with a woman's affection for a few days' pleasure, or in hopes of securing a little money.”
This is a classic 'breach of promise' or predatory marriage scandal from the era, highlighting the vulnerability of working women whose financial independence was often the target of itinerant scammers.
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