Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1869-10-20
A SAD STORY.
4 Marriage in the Shadow of Death,
Eronn 70 Pool Inlnrd ILL.,. o.. a

Marriage I'm the Shadow of Death.
/ From the Rock Island Union, Oct q .
| In the Daily Union of September 25 ap-
peared the following notice:
| MARRIED-At Pennington, near Salt Lake
| City, Utah, on Tuesday, Sept. Il. Mr.. It. C.
| Morris and Miss Mary G. Lequatt, both of
| Rock Island county.
The letter thai brought the announce
ment- from friend of the parties-gave
US permission to tell the story of the love
that animated these two young people-a
love that had been born while yet the fu-
ture of both was bright with hope; a love
that had been strengthened by sickness; a
love that eliminated in marriage at the
portals of death. But a fear of distressing
/ the parties kept US silent at the time Now
| that greater distress than any we could
lnf1lct has come upon the young bride and
| the brave soldiers kindred we NAV allude
to what we then kept silent on. Hope and
/ fear are alike 1T can do no harm.
| Among the many young men who enlist
| ed from Rock Island county to defend their
country during the war was Thos c. Morris,
son Of VIM. Morris, of Ellington. He
joined the Forty-fifth Regiment and in
time became lieutenant. When he left
the service and came home he had con-
tracted an affection of the lungs, which he
| thought little of, but still endeavored to
have cured. He won the affections and be-
came the accepted lover of Miss Leauatt
in few months after his return, and only
awaited a restoration of his health to marry
her. But month after month passed
nearly three years were gone before Morris
began to realize that he could not be cured
at home, and then, acting under advice, he
started for the West to see what change
of climate would do. He began his Jour
ney about the LIST of July last, and in due
time arrived at Salt Lake City. After vainlv
seeking health in the pure air of the noun
tains, he found himself sinking, and ap-
| prised his friends that his case was hope
! less. .tH- ...E
! About the LIST Of September he found the
| fell disease was making such rapid strides
/ that if he would see his betrothed alive he
had no time to lose. He te1egraphed to
her of his condition, and with woman's
! singleness of devotion she left her home
and went to him. She arrived at Farming
/ ton, a village between the Pacific Railroad
and Salt Lake City, where Morris was stop
ping on the morning of September IA, and
on the evening of the same day the two
were married.
A week or ten days afterward Mr. and
Mrs. Morris began the journey homeward,
all hopes of the air of Utah beng beneficial
to the invalid having been abandoned. The
journey was made by easy stages, frequent
| stoppages being made to recruit lieutenant
| Morris strength, which was failing rapidly
! On reaching Grand Junction, near Des
| MONIES, Iowa. on Wednesday, the 29th, he
was much exhausted, and on being renov-
! ed from one car to another quietly breathed
his last. Kind strangers procured a coffin
for the remains, and the stricken widow
proceeded on her homeward journey with
her dead. On the Both, just twenty-one
days after she left it maid, she arrived at
Ellington widow. Life is made up of sad
stories, but there are few more sad than
this.