Fascinating News Article

This morning while doing some family history research on one of Wayne's collateral lines, I came across this little newspaper article from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch dated 27 August 1946:

EX-SUITOR WON'T PROSECUTE; WOMAN RELIEVED OF BOND 
Mrs. Charles W. Smith, 5054 Raymond Avenue, was discharged on her $2500 bond today after Assistant Circuit Attorney Paul L. Dobberstein refused to issue a warrant against her. Mrs. Smith, the former Miss Melba Wernle, was arrested Sunday on complaint of Edward Joseph Myers, a former suitor, that she had failed to return $1950* he had entrusted to her before she was married while he was serving with the Navy in the South Pacific. Dobberstein said Myers had informed him he did not wish to prosecute Mrs. Smith, because he had already received part of the money turned over to her and arrangements had been made for restitution of the remainder.

What is so fascinating about it is that Melba and Edward were married a couple of years later. I guess they forgave each other, but I wonder what happened to Charles?





* $1,950 in 1946 equals $26,413.29 in 2018. That's a quite bit of money for ordinary folks. According to the 1940 Census, Melba was a stenographer and Edward worked for the police department.

Comments

  1. Wayne's comment when I shared this story with him: "That belongs in front of Judge Judy!"

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