April 27, 1904 STOLE MARCH ON FRIENDS The Van Buren friends of Fred Roberts and Miss Mabel Cole were somewhat surprised yesterday when it was learned through a telegram from the young lady sent to her mother from Kansas City that they were married. Inquiries revealed the fact that the young people went to Fort Smith April 16th, procured a license and were quietly married and returned to Van Buren without telling their friends of their marriage. The young lady returned to her home and began planning for her departure, taking her brother’s suitcase and packing what articles of wearing apparel she would need in it. On Monday afternoon Fred called at the home of the young lady and told Mrs. Cole that her son, Walter, had loaned him his suitcase and that he had called for it. Mrs. Cole sent her daughter to Walter’s room for the case and when she returned and handed it to Mr. Roberts she handled it as if it was perfectly empty and Fred took it and walked away laughing. Monday night the young man called to take Miss Mabel to the opera house, but instead they left on the slicker for Fort Smith and there took a Kansas City Southern Train for Kansas City. Mrs. Cole, when they failed to return from the opera house, surmised that they had eloped and waited patiently for the message that finally came. Fran Alverson Warren e-mail: alverson@valuelinx.net 479-369-2703 http://www.crawfordcountyarkansas.net/