Story from John Vonderlin
Email John ([email protected])
Hi June,
While this brings to a close, at least as far as I can find in the old San Francisco newspapers, this sad dispute, there is the untold story of the Cowells’, Majors’, Coons’ and the “love child’s” lives after this time. I’ll relate some of that in my next posting on this matter. Enjoy. John
MARRIED TO A DRUGGIST
Mrs. Majors Abandons Her Big
Suit Against Harry
CowelL.
The Groom Owns Real Estate and
Was Once Chief Clerk in
the Postofflce.
A most sensational breach-of-promise
suit, and one that has occupied the courts
and the newspapers for the past year and
a half, was brought to a sudden and unex –
pected close by the marriage of Mrs. Rob –
ert Majors of Santa Cruz, plaintiff in the
$50,000 damage suit against Harry Cowell,
whose father, Henry Cowell, is the well –
known San Francisco lime king, to George
M. Coon, a prominent druggist of this
City.
The marriage, which will prove a great
surprise to the many friends of both par –
ties, took place on the 27th of April last in
the city of Oakland, and was conducted in
the quietest manner possible by the
groom, who is of a modest, retiring dispo –
sition and feared the newspaper comments
likely to follow the announcement of his
marriage to Mrs. Majors, whose big
breach-of-promise suit has gained for her
much unenviable notoriety—a fact due, no
doubt, to both parties being so well known
throughout the State.
Mrs. Majors is a granddaughter of old
Rafael Castro, who left thousands of cattle
and rich Spanish grants to his descend –
ants.
Mrs. Majors was first married to her
cousin, Robert Majors, who was also a
Castro and a wealthy land-owner in Santa
Cruz. Some years after their marriage he
was drinking in the saloon of Jack Merrill
in Santa Cruz, when some words passed
between himself and his friend “Johnny”
Harris. “Bob” Majors had no idea of
fear and was ever ready with his gun.
When the dispute was settled Harris had
six bullet-holes through his heart and
Majors had three or four scattered about
through his body, from the effects of
which he died one year after.
Before and after the death of Majors
young Cowell was a visitor to the Majors’
home, their land adjoining that of his
father. These visits resulted in the bring –
ing of the $50,000 damage suit some time
after Majors’ death. Since then Mrs.
Majors has been almost constantly before
the public. At one time it was reported
and believed by many of her friends that
she had been abducted or in some manner
made away with by the Cowells, and the
newspapers teemed with her portraits and
startling theories of the abduction. Mean –
while she was in this city lying at the
point of death from pneumonia, and being
tenderly nursed and looked after by the
gentleman who is now her husband.” Mr.
Coon was for sir years chief mailing clerk
in the San Francisco Postoffioe.
He is also a wealthy land-owner, having
much valuable property in this City. He
will soon begin the building of a splendid
City home on his property near the new
French Hospital. His wife’s property in
Santa Cruz, he says, will be fitted up as a
summer residence, where their many
friends will be royally entertained by them.
In regard to the suit against Harry
Cowell, Mr. Coon declares that the public
will hear no more about it from either him –
self or his wife, and that they will do all
they can to banish from their memory
an incident in life that had brought only
sorrow and mortifying publicity to his
wife.
