Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1874-04-11
WONDERS OF WEDLOCK.

The philosophy of domestic history
involves many a problem in real life
that would be secuted as extravagantly
impracticable in fiction, and the peculi-
arly facile genius of social and legal i'll
stiutions in the United States seems
notably favorable to the development of
such curiosities. Thus n jury in Port
land, Me-, has recently disagreed, and
thereby necessitated new trial in
case of alleged mistaken identity, the
parties to which are IL gentleman who
claims another persons wife as his own,
and the lady who firmly and indignant
ly denies that she ever saw the claimant
before. Mrs. Waite, wife of highly
respectable citizen of that name, is the
lady in question, and the claimant of
her marital allegiance, who is from an
other pant of the country, persists that
he once married and was deserted by
her, and brings letters and witnesses in
proof thereof, She, on the contrary, is
= sustained by husband, children, old
friends and acquaintances, in utterly
denying all knowledge of the man,
and, as the disagreement of the jury
shows, the evidence on both sides is
SO strong as to battle the average of hui
man sagacity to decide the astounding
problem.
But yet more surprising are the
anomalous legal complications of case
in San Bernaraino, CAL, of which the
following are the chief facts !: In 1872,
an Epglishman named Oades came
thither from Australia, and purchased
farm in Temcscal township, represent
ing that he had experienced bitter do
pDaStia hnrnny and loco
in the land whence he came. and exhibit
ing great dependency of spirit in con-
sequence. In January of the following
year he wooed and won comely and
highly respectable widow of San Ber-
out having given her the tragic history
of his past errors. About six years be
fore he had been thrifty farmer in
the frontiers of the seditious Maori
country. During his absence from home
one day, on a short journey of business,
while his wife and several children were
alone in the house, band of savage
Maoris devastated the place, and left
the buildings i'll smoking ruins. Upon
his return he found only heaps of
smouldering embers and ashes in the
place where the homestead had stood
and charred human fragments in the
dreadful wreck left him no hope but
that his whole family had been butch
cred by the pitiless destroyers. 1t
seemed, indeed, barely possible at first
that some of the victims had been car
ried off captives but weeks, months,
and even years of pitiful waiting ard.
lnquirmg never sustained the possibil-
lty. At last the lnconsolable man had
gathered what little worldly substance
was left to him, and emigrated to Cali
fornia, and now told the story of his
calamities to her whom he besought to
be his second wife. Thus Mrs. Fore
land knew what Oades had suffered be-
fore she gave him her hand in wcdlock
and needed no further information
from him when, in year after the
marrlaSe-or only Il few weeks ago-the
first Mrs. Oados and three children ar
rived at the farm i'll search of husband
and PARENT! The women and the little
ones had been made prisoners, instead
of killed, by the Maoris; the human
remains found in the smoking ruins
were those of savages who were slain by
each other in fight for the spoils and,
after captivity of years, the hapless
Mrs. Oades and her children had finally
beenreleased, and fallowed theirnatural
protector to California
Upon hearing the pi.eous tale from
the poor wanderers, Oadcs and his
second wife were of one mind about
what to do in the matter. They would
not rellnquish their own union for it
nad been entered into III perfect good
falth on both sides and was iustifir6 Inv