Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 February 1875 — A Romantic Elopement. [ARTICLE]

A Romantic Elopement.

The New* York Mercury tells this pretty little story: About two miles northwest of Newark, N. J., is located the little village of Wassessing, an<Lhere an elderly couple took up their residence last May, giving their names as Steinbrenner. Some two months ago a young lady of some twenty years was seen in and about the neat little cottage, but she never appeared on the street, nor did she visit any of the two or ■three stores that form the business part of the town. Several time® a coach was seen standing in front of the cottage and a tall, fine-looking man was noticed getting in and out of the same, visiting the Steinbrenners. Who the old people, the girl and the strange man were seemed a mystery, notwithstanding all the efforts made by the inquisitive neighbors and the gos'sipers of the town. Last Monday another strange man appeared about the town, and during the week it was discovered that he was watching the cottage and the mysterious Steinbrenners. This man always left in the evening by Conductor Moore’s train, which goes only as far as Newark. On New Year’s morning one of the neighbors heard loud talking in the cottage, as if parties w’ere quarreling, and noticed the coach standing in front of the door. Presently they saw the young lady come out, accompanied by the gentleman xvho had been making daily visits to the cottage and the man who had been loitering about the towm for the past week. They drove off rapidly toward Newark, and this was the last seen of them by the Wassessingites. They crossed, it seems, over into Hudson County and to the residence of ’Squire Hall, where the young girl and the regular visitor were hastily married. And now for the explanation of these mysterious movements. The gentleman, it subsequently transpired, -was Gen. Alfred Storms of Philadelphia, and the young lady a Miss Otto Louisa Kellogg, of the same place, the daughter of a very wealthy old Quaker family. It seems that the parents of the young girl, objected to her marriage with Storms because he was not a believer in their faith, and the two finally agreed to elope, but Miss-Kellogg was to keep her marriage a secret. Storms found the old couple, Steinbrenners, and they agreed to board the girl. The girl informed her parents by note on her departure from home that, as they would not let her marry Storms, she intended to enter a convent, and that they need never expect to lay eyes on her again, as friends had agreed to get her in’ an institution under an assumed name. Mr. Kellogg, as soon as he found that his daughter had disappeared, put two private detectives of Philadelphia on her track, and all the convents in the Eastern and Middle States were visited, but no clew to the missing girl obtained. At last one of the officers, Detective Leary’, with the aid of Detective Hurley, got on the track of Storms in New York, and followed him on several occasions. They traced him to Wassessing two or three days, and watching the Steinbrenner cottage they became satisfied that they had discovered Miss Kellogg’s mysterious convert. So, on the above day, when Storms •had been in the cottage about half an hour, Leary put in an appearance, and immediately made known his business, producing a warrant for the arrest of the young lady issued by Justice Hall. Gen. Storms immediatelyclaimed her as his wife, but Leary would not heed it and told the poor girl sh.e must ’go along with him. Storms, seeing that there was no alternative, tendered his coach and asked to be allowed to accompany’ them. This request was acceded to after some words had passed between Leary and himself. The latter then whispered to Miss Kellogg and in a jiffy.she was ready for the journey. They were not long in reaching Justice Hall’s, when. Storms asked the Justice if he could speak in private with him. This the ’Squire agreed to, and after Leary had returned his searchwarrant ’Squire Hall said he would hold a private interview with the young lady. ‘ They retired to the ’Squire’s private office, and soon Gen. Storms was asked to step in the room for a moment. Learysuspected nothing, but while he was pacing up and down the room congratulating himself, no doubt, over his success, and big reward for his services. Miss Kellogg was being made Mrs. Storms. Soon the party returned to the main office and ’Squire Hall stated that the lady would have to be given over to the custody of Gen. Storms, as he had proven to his full satisfaction that she was his lawful wife—he held the evidence —and, besides, she was of age (twenty), her parents having by law" lost their legal rights overber for the past two years or more. Whim Leary ascertained the facts he was compelled to take his departure without the lady, while Gen. and Mrs. Storms and the ’Squire drove over to Newark. Bully for the Connecticut boardinghouse keeper who splintered her puddingmixer over the head of a chap who 1 slandered her female boarders. He won’t dough it again. ...