The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1867-06-21
A STRANGE STORY.

O1 IllC WCONCI- vi Has luSt
been made public. The incidents are
more improbable than novelist or
dramatist, with strict regard for his
reputation, would dare to use. The
story, as it originally appeared, was
that Mr.. Wright had married a Miss
Chamberlain, having just obtained a
divorce from his first wife on the sole
evidence of his second. The first wife
then acted as bridesmaid at Miss Cham
berlain's marriage, standing there, as
we are told, "like living corps" The
"curse and blight of the Almighty"
were invoked by the agonized repor-
ter upon the newly married couple.
IaI These are not pleasant things tohear,
and Mr.. Wright has come forward with
a long statement, in which the assertions
of the reporter are contradicted, but a
narrative in every way more strange and
remarkable is substituted for them.
The husband tells his own story, and it
far transcends the widest dreams of De-
poe or Sue. In 1854 Mr.. Wright re-
turned to this country from Europe in
order to marry lady to whom he was
engaged. He came sooner than he in
tended, because the lady's parents and
all her family had died, and left her un-
protected. She was twenty-three years
old, and afflicted with a nervous disease
which her mother described as hyster-
ia. The pair went to England, and
while at Keswick one night, a month
after their marriage, the husband was
horified to see his wife fall at his feet
in fit of epilepsy. She had seventeen
fits before themorning. Shocked at the
discovery that his wife was afflicted
with this most awful disease, and know
ing that it was incurable, and dispair-
ing of escape from his terrible position,
he that night, as he states, "adopted
her as his child"
From that time to this he has nursed
her and taken care of her, but has new
erresumed therelationship oftheir mar
riage tie. He calls her in his narra-
tive, his patient" and his "ward."
Once, when she thought he proposed to
treat her as his wife, she was rendered
extremely unhappy" Her disease
grew worse-the very servants and nur-
ses fled from the house in horror. Six
years ago Miss Chamberlain came as
nurse and as Mr.. Wright says, his "pa-
tient" herself proposed that he should
marry this lady. "She' (the first wife)
chad come to regard it as religiously
wrong to think of fulfilling the rela-
tions of wife in her condition." She
pressed him to marry Miss Chamberlain
Let us imagine what she must have
suffered ere she could bring herself to
this. They tried to get divorce in In
diana, but failed, for reasons which Mr..
Wright, little inconsistently, decline
to mention. AT last they succeeded
for the wife helped-and Miss Chamber
lain was the solitary witness on whose
evidence the compact was dissolved.
OF what nature that evidence was, we
are not informed The divorced wife
was present at the marriage ceremony,
and she is to live with the couple for
the future.
Was. there ever such story? One
scarcely knows which to pity most, the
man chained to scarcely living woman
for thirteen wears, appalled, night and
day by the terrible visitat;ons of which
she was subject, or the woman DOOM
ed to witness the misery which she had
caused, loss ofhis affections and his mar
riage with another, and to bear in adj
dition the remorse which her own de-
ception and sin must necessarily occasion
her. Verify, the tragedies of real life
are more CHASTITY than those which the
Imagination conjures up.-N. Y. Times.