Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-11-23
EVENING STAR.
Elopement.- Extraordinary proceedings

A<@SF0AhSHSs GAi xIOc6eOlu2S.
The Claiborne (La.) Democrat Of the slst uIt.
has an account of an extraordinary series OF
events which is published under tie heading,
Elopement, Marriage, Civil Commotion, and
Bioodshed, " and Of which the following is
condensation: sl57 L0 =. -l
About four or Ave years ago there eloped
from Ter yville, in Claiborne parish, one DR.
Clement and one Sarah T. Wafer, an orphan
heireSs Of wealthy Louisiana planter, being
| at the time at school ut Terryville To Ar
kansas they proceeded with the utmost dis
patch, where the nuptiai ceremony was duly
performed. - ~
On the return of the parties homeward, they
were met by brother of the bride, James I.
Wafer, Jr who proceeded, as the story goes,
| at once forcibly to dispossess the bridegroom
OF his seat by the side Of his fearful bride; but
ne was afterwards allowed to accompany her
to the residence of the said w afer, near Terry
vile.
The bridegroom and bride remained but a
| short time at the aforementioned place, and
were then allowed to proceed to the home of
DIR. Acadia, alta village in Benville parish. In
this village, DR.. and Mrs Clement had lived,
| SO far as We are advised, in the comfortable
| enjoyment Of about one half Of their honey
| moon, when the bride was suddenly summoned
to the bedside of sick sister, "a Mrs S.) then
| at the residence of her brother the aforesaid
Wafer. - .-- -.s.-E 80
| The youthful bride, at the house of her
brother, signed a letter written by her bro
| ther-in-law tMr. s. in which she accused the
Doctor of having basely imposed upon and de-
ceived her; said that be was a coward in al
lowing himself to be chastised by her brother:
that be was old, ugly, and no physician; that
she ceuld not love him, and never did and
that she could never consent again to live with
| him
| Mrs Clement soon after accompanied her
| sister, Mrs s., and other relatives, 70 the
home of another sister, Mrs. D.. who also
resides on Red river, in the parish Of Bos-
| sier.
Dr. Clement followed in pursuit, accompa-
| MED by fifteen or eighteen stalwart friends
| from about Acadia, all armed cap a pie. Az
riying at the house Of Mrs. ID they demanded
F, the person of Mrs. Clement. Amidst suchLa
war!ike display Mrs. Clement could do no less
than yield, which she did, on the condition, it
seems, that she was to be taken to the resi-
| dence Of her uncle, the Rev. James T. w afer
one of our mest estimable citizens, who resides
IN this vicinity; at whose house it was agreed
| she should remain unmolested for the space Of
two days, Friday and Saturday last) at the
| expiration Of which time she should announce
her decision as 10 whether she should live
with the doctor in future OF not in which de-
cisicn all parties agreed to acquiesce.
Hdr brother, not being fully satisfied that
his sister would be dealt with accord ing to
| agreement entered into on Red river, set him
| self about raising corps of men, armed in
like manner, who proceeded towards the resi-
dence of his uncle on Thursday evening last,
for the purpose, it is presumed, of reScuing his
sister. On approaching fhe house, the sud
\ den clicking OF a dozen or SO OF double-bar
relied shot guns warned the party Of danger,
and they retired. F aE = -
| The brother then came to Homer and gave
information, upon which the deputy sheriff,
| Gentry Warren, proceeded at the dead of
| night, with some twenty armed men, SUM
| moned for the occasion, to the residence of
the Rev MIR. Wafer to make arrest of DIR.
Clement and party, for the forciblc abduction
| and imprisonment OF the fair heroine TIE
deputy and his party narrowly escaped being
| shot as they approached the house, and would
certainly have been fired upon had not his
| official mission been promptly made known.
DR.. Clement and his party submitted to the
| arrest. ..ee 81. .f ... ..
Next morning (Friday) about o'clock. our
peaceable town was thrown into violent com-
motion by the sudden appearance in our
midst, on horseback, and with double bar
relied guns, of the entire body of men, some
sixty in number, thrown together as above
stated, on the night previous, and in the centre
OF the concourse, Dttra6tte dicfu, the hero
and heroine seated side by side in a buggy.
| Very soon after the arrival, 4 gun of one of
4 III.
the contents passing through the window OF
| our esteemed fellow-citizen, Nj. Thomasson,
| who, standing at his library at the time, re-
| ceived a glancing shot just above the left hip.
| 1t infliets bad wound, but we are happy to
state it viii not be attended by serious results.
| (About the Same time, we understand, a for
| eigner had a part Of a thumb shot off brt
how this occurred We are not accurately ad-
| vised n. --- -.r..
The trial Of the Clement party foc the alb.
duction, imprisonment, &C., was postponed
| by Justice Millican until Monday.
a writ OF habeas corpus on the writ Of Jas.
| I. Wafer, Jr., was also issued by tho Hon.
Harmon A. Drew, Judge Of our District Court,
| which was served upon DR.. Clement, com
| manding him to produce the body of Mrs.
| Sarah L. Clement, and show cause why he
| deprived her of her rights and liberties. The
| defendant failing or refusing to make imme-
| diate answer TO the writ Of habeas corpus as
commanded, was also arrested for contempt of
| court. The trials on these several writs came
| of on Saturday. His Honor discharged the
| defendant, DIR Clement, in both cases.
| On Monday. the parties arrested for the-ab-
| duction and imprisonment Of Mrs. Clement
| appeared for trial before Justice Mdlican.
| DIR. Clement was put on trial first. The sister
| of our heroine had Just arrived, after a whole
| nights hard. travel, from Red river, to give
| testimony. Mrs. S., a beautiful, dark-eyed,
| intelligent, and resolute woman, was put upon
the stand. New facts, In this strangely com
| plicated case, were revealed by her-among
| them, that her sister Ssllie had been engaged,
before her elopement with DR.. Clement, to her
(witness's) brother-in-law, Sidney s.; that Sal
| lie had received letter purporting to be from
| Sidney, in which he upbralded her for her in
| fidelity, &c and discarded her for ever, un-
| der the influence of this letter (which was
really forged one) Sallie fastened into an
elopement with. DR.. Clement, whom she did
| not love, and whom, on more familiar ac-
quaintance, she hated. DR.. lCiement, II W.
ever, was discharged from arrest. The coun-
| sci for the prosecution, on the following
morning, declined to prosecute the accom-
plices of DR., c., whereupon all were dis
charged.
Thus ended the first act in this drama. The
next has already opened for while the cx-
citement was going on in Homer, our heroine
was spirited away to parts unknown; but the
| general opinion is that she has been trans
| ported to Arkansas, where she is protected or
guarded by forty double barreled shot guns
| and a hovitzerI And thither a considerable