David Knight must not have been happily married if he had decided to run off with 16-year-old Elmer Tabler for the plains of Ok to become cowboys. Imagine, Elmer's father advised the authorities to arrest these lads. I wonder what Elmer was charge with. Was it illegal to run away from home back in 1910? I don't doubt Mr. Knight was charged with abandoning his wife. What were they thinking? Can you imagine what he faced when he got home to his wife?
Here's the actual clip.
David Knight, a young married man of Hagerstown, (Maryland) and Elmer Tabler, 16-year-old son of Edward Tabler, of Mondel, were arrested in Hagerstown upon advice received from young Tabler’s father, who stated that they were running away to Oklahoma to become cowboys.
Once again, if you write fiction, newspaper clips can give you some interesting ideas.
1 comment:
Hi Rita -
If the young married man was legally an adult, he could have been charged with kidnapping or reckless endangerment of a minor. One thing's for certain: he sure wasn't ready for the responsibilities of marriage.
Blessings,
Susan :)
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