Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 186, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 August 1912 — PAIR MUST MARRY AT SEA [ARTICLE]

PAIR MUST MARRY AT SEA

Japanese Bwain Can’t Wed Woman in America—-Hla Love Letters Yards Long. Spokane.—Love letters by the yard are the kind S. Kono, proprietor of a Japanese restaurant, receives regularly from his sweetheart of the flowery kingdom. He exhibited one with considerable pride with the assurance that no one would read Its sacred contents, as it is written in the Japanese language. Kono, with a bashful grin that extended from ear to ear, admitted that he was going to marry the little Japanese lass next September. “Mq show something,’ ’he said, as he drew forth a crumpled mass of what looked like tissue paper from his inside coat pocket. Carefully smoothing It out, Kono displayed several sheets of Japanese silk paper delicately inscribed with the native characters on one sldp. Each sheet was about four feet long and the width of ordinary writing paper. Kono explained that it was a letter from his bride-to-be, and gleefully pointed out his name and the girl’s on the paper.

Kono, who has been in America twelve years, speaks English fluently. He explained that the girl waa 23 years old, although she. was just a little girl of 11 when he left her in Japan. Kono will being his bride to Spokane when he complies wlih all the immigration requirements. Kono will not be allowed to bring the girl to this country until he marries her. To overcome legal obstacles he will meet her ship outside American waters and the ceremony will be performed on board ship. The marriage ceremony will have to be performed ta least three nautical miles from shore.