Ruban Wythe
Not every cemetery story is about a hero. Some are about scandal, desperation, and the way a small community could become captivated by a single family tragedy. The Wythe family of Tonawanda became front-page news in the early 1910s when a young bride named Ruth Cleveland Wythe found herself at the center of a sensational forgery case that spread from Buffalo to Tonawanda.
Ruth Cleveland was still in her teens when she first appeared in the newspapers after being arrested for stealing a diamond ring from a Buffalo jewelry store. Convicted but released on probation, she soon married local roller-skating celebrity Reuben Wythe in the spring of 1911. Reuben was well known across Western New York and Pennsylvania for his speed skating races, often competing before packed roller rinks in Tonawanda, Lockport, Youngstown, and Pittsburgh.
The young couple moved into the home of Reuben’s parents, William and Mrs. Wythe, on Scott Street in Tonawanda. But only months after the wedding, banks in Tonawanda and North Tonawanda began receiving promissory notes supposedly signed by Reuben’s parents. When the notes went unpaid, the signatures were declared forgeries.
Ruth Cleveland was still in her teens when she first appeared in the newspapers after being arrested for stealing a diamond ring from a Buffalo jewelry store. Convicted but released on probation, she soon married local roller-skating celebrity Reuben Wythe in the spring of 1911. Reuben was well known across Western New York and Pennsylvania for his speed skating races, often competing before packed roller rinks in Tonawanda, Lockport, Youngstown, and Pittsburgh.
The young couple moved into the home of Reuben’s parents, William and Mrs. Wythe, on Scott Street in Tonawanda. But only months after the wedding, banks in Tonawanda and North Tonawanda began receiving promissory notes supposedly signed by Reuben’s parents. When the notes went unpaid, the signatures were declared forgeries.
Ruth was arrested as she walked out of jail after finishing time connected to the diamond theft case. Newspapers eagerly followed every detail. The “girl wife of the roller skater,” as reporters called her, was accused of forging hundreds of dollars in notes while impersonating her mother-in-law over the telephone to convince bankers the documents were legitimate.
The scandal reached its climax in Supreme Court. Hoping for leniency, Ruth originally testified against her husband, claiming Reuben had forged the signatures. But under intense cross-examination she broke down and confessed that she herself had signed the names and arranged the transactions. The charges against Reuben were dismissed almost immediately.
The story fascinated readers because it mixed celebrity, romance, deception, and tragedy. Ruth was repeatedly described in the papers as “young, plump and pretty,” with “big eyes and long hair,” language typical of the sensational journalism of the era. In 1916, records show Ruth sought an annulment of the marriage. Later reports indicate she was sent to the Western House of Refuge at Albion.
Meanwhile, Reuben Wythe returned to the roller rinks, racing across New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, trying to rebuild a reputation forever shadowed by scandal.
The scandal reached its climax in Supreme Court. Hoping for leniency, Ruth originally testified against her husband, claiming Reuben had forged the signatures. But under intense cross-examination she broke down and confessed that she herself had signed the names and arranged the transactions. The charges against Reuben were dismissed almost immediately.
The story fascinated readers because it mixed celebrity, romance, deception, and tragedy. Ruth was repeatedly described in the papers as “young, plump and pretty,” with “big eyes and long hair,” language typical of the sensational journalism of the era. In 1916, records show Ruth sought an annulment of the marriage. Later reports indicate she was sent to the Western House of Refuge at Albion.
Meanwhile, Reuben Wythe returned to the roller rinks, racing across New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, trying to rebuild a reputation forever shadowed by scandal.
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