The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1867-04-30 00:00:00

A RELUCTANT BRIDEGROOM.

A fanner, who for nearly 20 years bad wooed the
daughter of • respectable tradesman of W•tb•upoe-
Dearne, at last arranged preliminaries of marriage, and
Axed the wedding day for Easter Tuesday. The morn
jog came, and the bride and friends were all dressed
and ready for the marriage, the wedding feast being
prepared, the ringers also in attendenos, intending to
give • merry peal; the vicar and clerk were awaiting at
the chnrch, the bridegroom being the only party who
was miwing. After waiting very patiently for some
time, • search war made, and the intended bridegroom
was found at • pobliebouse in • state of inebriation,
and he caused a message to be sent that be did not
Intend being married. The affair becoming known, a
large concourse of people won xongregated with cart
and ropes, • party of women volunteering to fetch the
intended bridegroom out of the public-house and tie
him in the eari for exhibition through the streets, but
were prevented from carrying thin part of the scene into
execution by the polies. Some hundreds of people eon-
gregated around the dwelling of the intended bride's
father, and as many as three barrels of ale were pro-
cured and tapped in the street. the mob distributing
the same, and amusing themselves by daneiux and up-
roarious noise. An effigy of straw and old clothes,
retweeenting • drunken men, was made luid paraded
through the streets of Walk, and afterwards burnt
In front of the farmer's dwelling•home.—ftlejlelei
/*degrade*.

SINGULAR STORY or KIDNAPPING.
At the West Riding Court, at Bradford, on 1110•447
• young man named Josiah Ashton, a pbotographie
artist. of Calverley, appeared to state that while in
Shipley-Selds, near. Bradford, at slate hour on Thursday
night week, being at tbe time engaged in walking
toward. Bradford, in eomquencer of having missed the
!art train at Shipley, three men name from the bank of
the Bradford canal, seised him, and covered his head
with • hag. Re became immediately insensible, and
when he recovered his senroa, on the following Sunday,
he ems on a boat in the river near Goole. There were
six men in *barge of the boat, which bad two muds,
and which were said to be bound for Anterior, They
refused to allow him for some time to go on deck, but
afterwards told him he should be as one of them. Re
hal been deprived of his watch and 7s. In money Re
and another man was left on dark to keep watch during
Friday night, and at about 4 o'clock on Saturday morn-
ing he leaned into a small boat attached to the meal
and rowed it to the bank, and thus escaped from the
semi. His companion leaped into the rim in the effort
to overtake him. He found on reaching terra Pm
that be area mom miles distant from Goole. He walked
home end arrived at Calverley about 5 o'clock on Sunday
afternoon. Kr. Pollard. the presiding magistrate, said
that the story was imedible ; a man might, perhaps, be
kidnapped in the wilds of America, bet not in England.
A brother of Arbton war called, and he said he fully
believed the statement, and bad no reason to doubt it.
Mr. Pollard asked why the statement was made to him,
bee use he could render no help in the matter. Mr.
Ball, superintendent of police in the East Morley
said that the object was to get an inquiry as to the
robbery of the watch and money. Mr. Pollard. Oh, let
irpriiry by all means be med., bet as the matter at
present stands I have nothing to do with it. f rionfess
it is a singular story. Ashton has Moe made a state-
ment that the tale le an entire fabrication. It seems be
had been at Goole and Hull with a woman, and baring
spent all hit money in drink and debauchery, he was
afraid to go home, /so invented the story of his being
kidnapped.