John W. Harper finds his wife Frankie French remarried

MORE ENOCH ARDEN BUSINESS.
ROMANCE IN THE LIFE OF A COLORED
SOLDIER.

Special to the Cincinnati Commercial.
ZANESVILLE, O. February 10--A rather remark-
able case of the Enoch Arden order has just come
to light in this city, which is worthy of a detailed
mention, and if the parties were of marked social
standing, would be made highly sensational.
Before the breaking out of the war there lived in
this city a colored man named John W. Harper. I
believe, upon second thought, he was born here.
He fell in love with a dusky maiden named Frankie
French, and they lived happily together, one child
being the result of their union. When the war
broke out Harper felt it his duty to shoulder a
musket and go into the field to fight for
his country, and first obtaining the consent
of his young wife, he enlisted. She never heard
from him again until the news came that he had
been killed in battle and [indecipherable] no word ever reached
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her ears rebutting this story, time and his silence
seemed to confirm it. Finally, about ten or twelve years ago, a young and industrious colored gen-
aleman named John Terrell sued for her hand, and
it was accepted and they were married. Since
then they have lived pleasantly together, with no
thought that the former husband would ever ap-
pear in their presence this side of the Judgment.
This delusion, freighted as it was with joy, was
only to be dispelled, and who should step into our
city a few days ago but this identical John W.
Harper, all rigged out in a new suit of
regulation blue, typical of the sol-
dier of the regular army of the United States. He
did not come, however, to claim his wife, for he no
longer regarded her as his, for he had long since
learned that she, acting upon the impression that
he was dead, had married again. He, in turn, had
himself taken New Orleans girl for a wife, and
was now the happy father of seven children, all
of whom were living in Texas, and he was support-
ing them from his position in the regular service.
When Terrell heard that Harper was in town, he
called upon him, and they exchanged
the most friendly greetings, and like
sensible men, regarded the matter in
the light of a romantic episode, and determined to
not let it estrange them in the least. Terrell in-
vited Harper to call and see his little family, in-
creased to four since Mrs. Harper had become Mrs. Terrell, but I do not know that he will accept
the kind invitation.
Harper, it was reported, had come back to re-
claim his wife, and the situation of affairs was
looked upon as rather delicate until the facts above
related came to light. The now Mrs. Terrell eve-
gently believed that this was his purpose, for she
had consulted a lawyer to know what

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her legal duty was in the premises,
and he had told her that the law occupied neutral
grounde in such cases, and left her to elect which
husband she preferred. A weight of responsibility
was lifted from her shoulders, however, when she
learned the facts.
Harper is here only to see his old friends, and
will return to his regiment in a few days
This case opens a field for Kate Clayton to im-
prove her "Double Marriage"