The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1875-02-19

'-ii- tcoh 10 t'iialii-- liitN hirIflN Ifildsh-
I'd with a laugh, Marriage sill soon
rouse he- ou, Of that"
But, if t',.-y treated Pretty Fanny thus
lightly, tlr. took another course with
her lover When he avowed, as lie soon
did, that he would make her his own
in spite of all the Greggs and Hamil-
tons in existence, every precantion that
prudeI ce could suggest was adopted.
This, be it remembered. was the era of
abduction, and Little Allan" was Just
the man to conduct an abduction with
success. Here, perhaps, it may be as
well TO explain the cognomen which, as
in the case of most other Irish gentlemen
of the day, attached to him. A man
standing five feet seven, weighing over
fifteen stone, can hardly be termed slit
tie" But Allan Grant was so broad in
the shoulder and so massive of limb that
his height was quite out of proportion
with his width, and made him look some
what dwarfish.
Little Allan" was daring, full of STRAIT
agem, and not to be moved from a pur-
pose, even if Satan and all his host stood
in the way. The HaD;ltons, therefore,
not considering their country residence
safe from his practices, removed to
house in the center of the town. This
they barricaded and garrisoned, plant
ing iron bars in all the windows, strength
ening the outer doors, stationing senti-
mails behind the house, and keeping
watch and ward within, in fact, taking
all the measures Of people expecting
siege and storm; while the beauty was
confined in chamber three stories from
the ground.
My grandfather made several attempts
to enter, but always Intellectually. His
spies were discovered, his tampering
with the servants detected, and one or
two efforts at escalade repeled by force
Eventually it was whispered that the dis
comtited suitor was making preparations
to quit the country, if not forever, at
least for many years-that is, should the
last desperate effort, which he was known
to mediate, happen to fail. That it
should fail, the Hamiltons and Greggs
were resolved. To prevent any inter-
ference with the marriage ceremony, it
was arranged that it should take place
in the drawing room-a common thing
in those days-and, to frustrate any at
tack on the house in force, or any at
tempt to carry off the bride ON her way
home, the partisans of the Greggs and
Hamiltons mustered by hundreds the
the night before, keeping a watch
around from sundown. There was
good deal of hard drinking among the
band, and not little roaring, along
with quantity Of friendly rioting and
haac-oreaking, ''just to keep their hand
in Contrary to all expectations, how
ever, the foe they expected did not put
i'll an appearance that night. But that
he would come some time or other, no
body doubted; and most of the reckless
spirits were looking forward to the en-
counter with high glee.
TIE morning, early in March, dawned
at length. Before it had fully expanded
into day, priest, bridegroom, witnesses,
etc, were gathered for the rite, and
waited only fn--shA bride That last
night, the faithful servant who had
shared her apartment was aided in her
wardenship by a married sister of the
beauty, who for reasons of her own, was
known to cherish the fiercest hostility
toward Little Allan, and who, there
fore, was just the dame to be intrusted
with such a duty. A few minutes went
by, but neither bride, nor sister, nor
servant, appeared. A little further de-
lay rendered the company in the draw
ing-room impatient. But, when a quar-
ter of an hour elapsed without bring
ing any one from the prison chamber,
Greggs and Hamiltons alike began to
feel alarmed. They looked at one an
other rather blankly, and then, seized
by the same impulse, and without utter
ing one word, they quilted the drawing
room in body and hsstened up stairs.
They reached the threshold and paused;
not a sound came from within. They
knocked; no answer. They called,
shouted, kicked, clattered; still no re-
ply. Then they dashed in the door.
And what think you they found? Well,
they found the married sister bound and
gagged in one corner, and the servant
bound and gagged in another corner;
but not a trace of the beauty.
\ large hole in the wall dividing the
house from the next revealed the manner
of her escape. Some of the group paused
to finger the rubbish and peer at the
hole with all the solemnity of a donkey
poking his head through a gate. 9th
ers dashed through the said hole, and
kicked up terrible row in the next
house, but with no satisfactory result.
The news spread to the friends and re-
tainers in the street In an instant the
whole of them, and with them the ma
iority Of the towns-people, were busy
searching in all sorts of improbable
places for the runaway and her pre-
sumed companion. 1t is astonishing
what queer things even the wisest peo-
pie perpetrate in such cases. The butler
climbed up and poked through dove
cot; while a troop of jolly farmers,
tumbling about in the cellar, knocked
in the head of a cask, and not finding
the fugitives there, eomforted them
selves for the disappointment by imbib-
ing what they did find-a quantity of
choice old wine. Then the footman-a
remarkably nice young man-coDducted
his portion of the scrutiny in way that
reused the jealousy of the coachman,
and won himself as neat a specimen of a
broken head as ever was inflicted with
the handle of a stable-fork.
The search, however, was unavailing
as to its main object. Toward evening
Mr.. Gerald Gregg and his faction skunk
out of town-most of the followers being
tipsy, and all crestfallen and quarrel