The Prospector’s Quick Wedding
After striking it rich in the Nevada mines, a former assay student returns to Walla Walla to marry his sweetheart in a whirlwind ceremony.
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.
George A. Kornick, a young man who studied assaying under James H. Fisk, met his former instructor Wednesday morning with a urgent request: 'We want to get married and are in a hurry, and want you to help us out.' He was accompanied by Miss Dorothy Copeland, who had studied alongside him. Kornick explained that his training had led him to a fortune; he had prospected in the Tonopah mining district in Nevada, discovered a rich claim, and sold a controlling interest for $300,000. Having struck it rich, he immediately returned for Miss Copeland, a former professional nurse in Walla Walla. Mr. Fisk accompanied them to the courthouse, where Judge Green performed the ceremony. The newlyweds departed for Nevada immediately afterward.
“He had sold a controlling interest in this claim for $300,000 and expected to get as much for the rest.”
This story captures the 'boom town' spirit of the early 20th century, where mining fortunes could be made overnight. It highlights the transient nature of Walla Walla's professional class, as residents often migrated toward the latest resource rushes.
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