The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1866-03-08
A Romance Almost Ending In Ira
gedy.

A Romance Almost Ending In Ira
gedy.
The chicago Tribune Publishes the fol-
lowing AZ Il romance that occurred i'll that
city urisg the gSceat snow storm. .r ..rs
On Tuesday hight, one Of the last trains
which came in brought to Chicago from II
| little Indiana town love-lorn dainsel and
her aiiactionate swain, a runaway couple
who had verified already the adage that
| true love never dh run smooth" and ta-
ken the hasty measure of an elopement to
enable them TO marry without the consent
of the young lady's parents. The girls
! father had gone away on business, she
knew not where, and the lovers thought
lthey could never get better chance for
Is'heading off the old man than hy coming
to Chicago and tying the lfymen;d knot
before he returned. Unfortunately, how
ever, the father got TO Chicago on the same
ievening, coming home from Wisconsin,
and telegraphcdgto his home that he was
laid uli here by stress of weather, and
would not he home for three or four days,
in all probability. This telegram gave in
| lic;ttivn to the mother, who immediately
sent back the laconic and startling reply,
| ''SuSic van off yesterday with Jim, to Chi
eago. Catch them quick for Heavers
sake The irate parent started forthwith
on his chase from one hotel to another, in
quiring for the runaways, but not unob-
served. 'i.Iim's" intentions were perfect
| ly honorable, and Ia" was Just returning
| from difficult mission, that of persuad-
! ing Il clergyman TO come to the hotel
where he and his bride were staying, and
there make the twain one flesh, when he
discovered the portly father, brandishing
/ Il formidable cudgel, and Fastening from
! the Metropolitan Hotel over to the Briggs
House. Suspecting the worthy mans :
rrend, jim ensc.,net,l him self in a neigh
boring doorway, and there waited until
the amateur detective came hurried,y
forth from the Briggs, and made his way
to th2 Sherman, still be!ligerently flour
iShing his stick. The crisis was now evi-
dent notirne was to be lost. Hastening
ahead to the stopping place, Jim had just
time 10 get out his intended bride, paw his,
bill, and rush out of sight through one
door when bPateriamilias painted up the
stairs from the other entrance, and ap-
! preached the Cf1ice- counter. Yes, the
IiLmcS were there; he had found the run
uways. ENctediy he demanded their
whereabouts. Tie clerk Of whom he i'll
quired WAS not he To whom the bill had
been paid and he knew nothing of their
1 movements, but he would inquire. He
did inquire, but it was fully ten minutes
before the fact was established that the
d, pursued must have left bv one door iuSt as
lthe pursuer entered ut another. Mean
time Jim and his tiancee had not been idle.
At livery stable near by they obtained a
horse and slegn, and started out over the
prairie, at full speed, bound for IA hotel at
DowEer' = Grove. where some one had told
Jim he could find shelter and conceal
ment. But the way there was fouud to be
aim ,st impossible. Huge snow-drifts
were piledup to such height that the
horse was again AMI al,ain buried IN them
and three times the sleigh was oyertuIn-
ell.
/ The wind too was piercing cold, and the
sharp crystals Of snow driving swiftly
Through the air blinded both driver and
horse from time to time and seemed To
penetr te all the heaps of covering and
chill to the very bone the hapless fugi-
tives. OF all daysin the year, this was
certainly the most unpropitous for an
clopement, most calculated to chill the fe-
Ner oflove. soon .Jin's hands were frozen
jstiT upon the reins. lis bctrothcd was
Ialrcady overcome by the heavy sleep
which precedes death by freezing, and il
was not long after she succumbed before
/ her lover also became Incapable of direct
ing the movements ofhis horse. Both sat
wrapped i'm that sleep'which, if uninter-
trupted III its early Stages, knows no wa
I tking--rapidly freezing to death. The faith
fnl horse, as ifconscious ofthe terrible sit
uation i'm which he, as we'll as they was
PLACED struggled on through the heavy
drifts, and finally turned aside to TIE door
of a house, his neighing brought speedy as
sistaiice. oThe He,nig MAN and, woman
were taken out OF the sleigh, carried into
the house, and gradually We're brought
back 10 ronsciousIcss.t long befpre l,,lly
alive TO their situation, Jim's partially
4thawed lips murmured the words, "lttle
iwife," aIterin Of endearrnentbv which D.
Frequently ilnd addressed his beloved .Sli.
sie." The good people who had given
them shelter fancied them man and wife,
land without any strictinqsisition for mar
riage certificates, assigned them same apart
lment. The doctor who was called i'm gave
lstrict orders that they should no be allow
ed TO talk so jim and Susie convalesced
,iquietly, and were soon pronounced out OF
danger, and, beyond frozen ears and noses
1uninjured. Thursday afternoon Suzie's
father, who had shrayeiy kertup his chase
got ON the track of the rama ways and over
took them at the house where they had
been sa kudlv esred fer.y Ite was at tirs,
4 highly indignant, and his explanation ot
ithe relations of the parties produced no
4 little sonsternatiori in thehousehold. Nvha,
1eant be cured must ,be endarea,p yliowev-
er; so the father concluded they might as
well be married, and married they were
tllataiternoon. he grimly supervising the
process, to which he felt himself constrain.
ed by the force ofcircumstances. Yester.
day the young couple and now reiented
father came back 10 Chicago and took ~,
Afternoon trstiii bnt.< Ia Jn.liuna