ABOUT TO MARRY HIS SISTER.

Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 69, 24 March 1886, Page 2 (Supplement)

ABOUT TO MARRY HIS SISTER.

A romantic story, which savourS more of a chapter in a novel than an incident in real life, comes to us (Jewish Chronicle) from New York. A wealthy Jewish manufacturer, named Diener, in that city, became enamoured of a poor Jewish sempstress, and a betrothal having resulted, the couple called upon the Eev. Dr. Kohut, in order to request hfm to celebrate their marriage. Dr. Kohut at once agreed ; and as he heard that the bride was a countrywoman of his — until last year the reverend gentleman was Chief Rabbi at Funfkirchen, in Hungary — he asked her several questions respecting her family. In reply, he elicited the fact that her father had been beadle at a synagogue in Warsaw, and hence had borne the name of ' ' Shammas." On the death

of his wife ho emigrated to Hungary, whpre he married the girl's mother. After his demise the daughter, then a double orphan, sought a new home in the United States. Of the offspring of the first marriage nothing whatever had been heard. Dr. Kohut then turned to the bridegroom and obtained from him the admission that though calling himself Diener, his real name was identical with that of his fiancee — Shammas. Struck by this similarity, further inquiries were made, and led to the discovery that the bridegroom and bride were actually brother and sister, children of the " Shammas " by his two Mr. Diener, as a solatium to his newly-found relative, at once made her a present of £4000.