ROMANTIC MARRIAGE

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 June 1930, Page 7

ROMANTIC MARRIAGE

HEIRESS AND NEWSBOY.

“Durban —Huntingdon —Alfred Cecil Durban, to Vivienne Maude Huntingdon, on March 13, at the registiars office, Folkestone, and on April 2 at All Souls’ Cheriton.” One of the most remarkable romances of modern times, says a London newspaper, is wrapped up in this simple notice. The bridegroom, up to a few weeks ago, was a newspaper boy, selling papers outside Folkestone Central Railway Station, and the bride the pretty daughter and wealthy heiress of the late Mr Charles Pratt Huntingdon, a New York ’architect, who was created by the King of Spain Knight of the Order of Isabel the Catholic, in recognition of his architectural work in connection -with the Hispanic Society in America. • The bride is a niece of Colonel A. R. Bailey, recently stationed at Shorncliffe, and a cousin of Mr Archer Huntingdon, one of the richest men in America. H,e was . left £6,000,000 by his mother, widow of Mr Collis P. Huntingdon, the Californian railway builder, and. he has made munificent gifts of art collections to Yale University Museum and to the Palace of the Legion of Honour, San Francisco.

'Among the bequests of Mr Collis P. Huntingdon was ono to his fosterdaughter, Clara Augusta Prentice, afterwards Princess Hatzfeldt, which was said to amount to £15,000,000. She died in 1928. Mr Durban is 21 years of age. His wife is 27. The young couple are starting _ a new life in Canada. Prior to leaving England they were living at Enbrook Manor, a palatial old mansion, standing in its own grounds at Cheriton, on the outskirts of Folkestone, where the bride and her mother went to live about 18 months ago. Mrs Durban related to an interviewer the story of the romance. She was ■at first somewhat reticent, but she overcamo her shyness, and said: —“I have known my husband for como months. I met him in,a business sense, you see. Hs used to deliver papers to our house, and after a time we began having occasional chats at the door of the manor. Later on I got to admire him. I could see he was very fond of me. “I am not really class-conscious, but I had always said I would never marry a man beneath my station in life, but you see what love does for you! We walked out very secretly a number of times and had much fun in dodging people whonji we knew would recognise us. Then he told me he loved me, and told me he would like to marry me.

e “THE ONLY MAN FOR ME.” “I had by that time realised that Mr Durban was the only man in the world for me, and so, 10 days afterwards, when my mother was away in Switzerland, we married secretly at the register office by special license, •and went to Brighton for our honeymoon. It is quite a usual kind of place to go for a honeymoon, but we were too much in love to notice its shortcomings.

“No other man in the world could have made me happier. Mr Durban is most adorable —a perfect darling. We were .married again last Wednesday at All Souls’ Church, but it was a very quiet affair, no one but extremely intimate friends being present.”

Mrs Durban then spoke of her future. “I have money, of course,” she said, “but not as much as I expected when my father died. Canada, however, is a land of promise. My husband does not intend to begin a life of idleness. It is the last thing he would like. We have already made inquiries in Toronto, and he hopes to secure a post in an engineering business.

“I have cabled my cousin, Mr Archer Huntingdon, in New York, telling him of my marriage, and expressing the hope that we shall see him there.”

A red two-seater motor-car dashed up the drive us Mrs Durban spoke. “This is my husband,” said Mrs Durban, flushing with pleasure, as a tall, good-looking man, neatly dressed in dark grey, stepped out of the car and walked with a business-like step toward us. He smiled, “Good afternoon,” and said to his wife, whom T had motored from Folkestone to the manor, “Did you do all your shopping, dear?” “Yes, darling,” she replied, “almost

all.” “Well, wo have a lot to do before we are ready, so let us go.” On my way back to the station, I bought a newspaper from Mr Durban’s brother, whose selling pitch is outside one of the suburban stations. Another brother is a member of the Folkestone Football Club.

When Mr Durban and his bride arrived at the register office on March 13 the only witness present was a newsboy friend of the bridegroom. Since another witness was necessary, a hurried search was made outside in the street. An out-porter at the railway station was called ill, and the ceremony was then performed. Mr Charles Durban, the young man's father, who IB described in the- marriage certificate as a butcher s carman lives with two of his sons in a small house at Folkestone. He is blind. He was sitting in his shirt-slee’vs :n his

little kitchen when the writer saw him. Ho said: — “I did not know the slightest thing about the wedding. It was kept entirely from any of us. Yet, it's a wonderful thing that my son should marry such a beautiful girl, and I wish them every happiness. They have not yet been to sec mo since they were married, but I hope they v ill do so before they go away.”