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I’m sure that many of you who have old family photographs that were taken in this area, will recognize the name W.B. Flower. His studios were located in Petoskey from 1888-1889. His name also appears in Charlevoix and Boyne City as well. He did a booming business and was considered one of the best photographers here in the area. This is a fine example of how colorful many of our "characters of the past" turned out to be.
Extracted from:
The Charlevoix Sentinel
December 26, 1888
Our late citizen, W.B. Flower, appears to be distinguishing himself in Chicago as will be seen from the following police item in a Chicago paper:
Pretty Minnie Cross [Sine] ran out of 537 Washington Avenue Sunday evening and asked officer J.A. Smith to protect her from some detectives who had been shadowing her. They had been employed by her husband, she said. She was taken to the Harrison Street Station where she told Captain Bartram that she had eloped from Michigan with Cross, a photographer, and was married, but she had to leave him on account of cruel treatment. She was given lodgings at the station and promised protection.
Friends advised that she place herself under the protection of one of the woman's Christian societies yesterday, which she did until she can procure honest employment. It was ascertained later that Minnie Cross was her maiden name and the man who called himself Cross was a married man named W.B. Flower, a photographer, now working in a gallery here, and whom she knew in her Michigan home.
Flower took her name to hide his own identity, and they had been living as man and wife here several weeks. Minnie now desired to live a different life since she has been so cruelty disappointed in Flower.
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