Tales from the Morgue

1933: Charges Man Backed Out Of Walkathon Wedding

10/25/1933

LOUISE REESE, pretty brunette, appealed to Constable Dan B. Brungardt to aid her in getting railroad fare back to Omaha, Neb.

She told Mr. Brungardt that she hitch-hiked to El Paso to be married on the floor at the walkathon contest.

She showed Mr. Brungardt letters which she said were purportedly from Mr. Costello asking her to come to El Paso and be married to him.

Mr. Costello said he met Miss Reese in a walkathon contest in Tulsa, Okla.

"You know, after you have been in one of these contests for a while, you get a little goofy," Mr. Costello said. "I wrote her some letters, but never asked her to marry me."

A passage in one of the letters shown Mr. Brungardt reads: "I've got a little money now, but will have to pay my own expenses and I haven't got enough to send for you, but as soon as the show opens I'll draw some money and send for you.

The boss here is sure a swell fellow and he said if you and I want to get married on the floor he will guarantee us $100 and our clothes. "Gee! Honey, wouldn't that – be swell?"

Mr. Costello said that Miss Reese and a friend of hers, Edith Kinnerup, also of Omaha, came to El Paso soon after the walkathon opened.

"They stayed around here and nearly caused, me to lose my job," Mr. Costello said. "I gave them money to eat on, and tried to find place for them to stay. Edith decided to enter the rocking chair contest and was disqualified, after 57 hours."

Mr. Costello repeatedly asserted that he had nothing to do with bringing the girls to El Paso.

Another part of the letter reads:

"Please, please, darling, hurry up and come to me because if you "don't come soon I will die sure as anything in the world. Love sure is a wonderful thing, but it hurts so much when you are apart from each other. I can stand it until you get here, but honey, you sure are going to have to hurry up."

Miss Reese said that Mr. Costello did not mention marriage after her arrival in El Paso.

"Finally I asked him about it," she said. '"He said: Everything's changed now and we can't go through with it."

"I wouldn't marry him now if he was hanging on a Christmas tree."

Joe Groundhog Shadowed By Censorship

February 2, 1943

Joe Groundhog was up early in El Paso today, saw his shadow and rushed back into his hole.

Being war-minded he realized suddenly that this was groundhog day and that he was about to give information to the enemy.

Tradition is that if Joe sees his shadow today, one may expect six weeks’ bad weather.

Weatherman Shaver, who always laughs at Joe Groundhog and tradition, didn’t laugh today. He just wouldn’t say anything, because under wartime restriction the weather may not be forecast beyond a few hours.

El Paso’s weather is always good, anyhow, which every Fifth Columnist knows.