Spaugy Wants a Wife - 1905

These articles are from the Severyite, a newspaper in Severy, Elk County, Kansas. They were contibuted to GenuineKansas by Marcia Moore of the Elk County Forum in Howard, Kansas. Newspapers just don't write like this any more. ;o)

 

The Severyite - June 15, 1905
Some men have an awful time getting a wife. A cripple by the name of Spaugy, living south of Severy, near Fiat, in Elk County, seems to want a wife pretty bad, and a few months ago had a woman come here from Illinois to marry him, but after arriving here and learning more about her "intended," she concluded that she would remain a widow for a time at least. Spaugy did not give up the idea of getting a wife, however. Yesterday noon another woman arrived on the Frisco and went to the hotel. As Spaugy had been meeting all the trains from the east for the past few days, and failing to meet the train yesterday, it was suspicioned that this lady might be another one of his "intended." After some inquiries, it was learned that she had come here for the purpose of becoming the bride of the aforesaid Spaugy. As we go to press, he had not come for her, and we are of the opinion when he does come, she will not go with him. Will some woman take pity on Spaugy and become his wife?

The Severyite - June 22, 1905
Some of the boys are figuring on giving Spaugy a commission on the women he brings here to marry. He has brought two here during the past few months and has been unable to get either one of them, someone else breaking in and getting ahead of him. The first one came from Illinois and we understand she is "spoken for" by one of our young men, and the one that came last week is now married. She came from some point in Texas and is a nice looking young woman aged about 22, and has married a man more than three times her age. It is reported that there are others pointed this way, and some of the old widowers and bachelors are getting spruced up and ready for business.

The Severyite - June 29, 1905
Spaugy is having his shipments delivered at Fiat instead of Severy. One woman arrived last week and hovered around a day or two and then went to Severy where the frisky widowers appear to be more susceptible to the charms of the "brought on" widows than the Fiat chaps.


The Severyite - June 29, 1905
Another woman arrived here last week, this time from Tennessee, for the purpose of marrying one Spaugy, of local reputation as a man who wants to get married, and has already had a number of women arrive for this purpose. The Tennessee woman was met at Fiat and had an interview with Spaugy soon after her arrival, and accompanied him to Howard, where it was reported that they were married. He brought her to Severy Friday evening and left her with Severy friends, and he returned to his home south of town, and on Saturday she took the Frisco for her home in Tennessee. It was said that she had returned to get her family of seven children and would soon return to Severy, but whether this is true or not, we are unable to say.

After it was reported that they were married, we wrote to the Probate Judge of Elk County to get the date of the marriage and the time of issuing the license, with the result that we have received the following reply that seems to settle the matter, that if married, they were not married in Elk County.

Following is a copy of the letter from the Office of C.A. Jewett; Probate Judge of Elk County:

Howard, Kansas;
June 26, 1905 to C.G. Pierce,
Editor of the Severyite;
Severy, Kansas

Sir and Friend:

Within the last few days I have received no less than eight inquiries as to whether a man by the name of Spaugy had received license to marry or had been married here lately. Some of the inquiries were made in person, some by letter, and some by phone, and one of the applicants for information was a woman.

Marriage license records of the Probate Court of Elk County, Kans., show, on page 228 that on the 31st day of January 1905, a marriage license was issued out of said court to Frank Spaugy, age 41, of Severy, Kans., and Mrs. Millina V. Garroway, age 38, of Virginia. Records of returned marriage licenses does not show that this license, which was No. 5, was ever returned. This is the only license that the records issued to a man by the name of Spaugy and I have never performed any marriage ceremony for Mr. Spaugy.

Respectfully, C.A. Jewett


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