Womlesdorf, Penn., Sept. 5 – A sensation was caused here to-day by the appearance of the Sheriff of Berks County with a capias from the court at Reading for the arrest of the Rev. Alexander S. Keiser, Pastor of the Pottsville German Reformed Church, to answer the charge of breach of promise to marry Miss Elizabeth K. Miller, of Tipton, a village of Berks County. Mr. Keiser was in Zion Church attending a meeting of Lebanon classes when the sheriff appeared with his writ. Five persons in attendance at the meeting went his bail in $1,000 for his appearance at the next term of court at Reading. They are Rev. R.S. Appel, of Hamburg; the Rev. M.F. Fritch, of Shillington; Daniel Sheppy, of Tamaqua; Jacob Shoemaker, of Pottsville; and William R. Borkey, of Centreport. The Rev. Mr. Keiser, previous to his going to classes yesterday, visited the vicinity of the residence of Miss Miller, with a view to settling the case, as he said, but no settlement was made, which was owing probably to the fact that her father lay dead in the house, and preparations were being made for the funeral, which took place to-day. The Rev. Mr. Humbert, of Bowers Station, in whose family the plaintiff resided a number of years and where the defendant first made her acquaintance when he was a theological student, stated yesterday that she was very industrious and economical, and during the courtship gave him all her savings toward paying all his expenses in pursuing his literary and theological studies, and that he promised to marry as soon as he should be ordained and settled as a Minister of the Gospel. It appears that while he was a student in the seminary at Collegeville, Montgomery County, he formed the acquaintance of another young lady, whom he married after his ordination, and they went to housekeeping at Pottsville, where he was elected to the Pastorate of a congregation. He is a handsome-looking man, about 30 years of age, with dark hair and mustache. Miss Miller is an intelligent and beautiful woman, 24 years of age. She says in her affidavit, filed in the court-house, that about seven years ago, when she was 17 years old and living in the family of David Humbert, at Bowers, Berks County, she formed the acquaintance of the Rev. Mr. Keiser; that he became a suitor for her affections, and that his visits were frequent and characterized by the warmest demonstrations of affection during the entire period from their first acquaintance to the fall of 1881. He was pursuing his studies in theology preparatory for ordination as a minister of the gospel of the German Reformed Church, and when at school or elsewhere kept up a constant correspondence with the plaintiff, his letters numbering upward of 400. They were of the most endearing character and filled with ardent professions of his undying affection for the plaintiff; that his personal visits to the plaintiff during this period were frequent, and his conduct toward her on such occasions was marked with a display of affection so apparently real that he succeeded in completely gaining her confidence and winning her affection: that when she heard of his marriage she went to Pottsville, where he was stationed, to inquire into the truth of the matter. She called at his residence, and was told by him that it was true, but that he attempted no explanation of his conduct. It is said that he gives as a reason for not marrying Miss Miller that she was not true to him. This she and her friends deny.
Submitted by Brenda.
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