South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1875-10-08
Courtship in Greenland.


There is something exceedingly mel
ancholy in the accounts which are given
Of the custom OF courtship in Greenland
Generally women enter upon the blessed
estate with more willingness and less so
licitude than men. The women Of Green.
land are sn exception to this rule. A
Greenlandcr, having fixed his affections
upon some female, acquaints his parents
with the state Of his heart. They apply
to the parents OF the girl; and, il the
parents are thus far agreed the next pro.
ceeding is to appoint two female nego-
tiators. whose duty il IS 20 breach the
subject to the young lady. This is q
matter Of great tact and delicacv. The
lady ambassadors do not shock the young
lady to whom they are sent by any sud
den or abrupt avowal Of the awful sub.
jest of their mission. Instead of doing
this, they launch out in praises Of the
gentleman who seeks her hand. They
speak Of the splendor of his house, the
sumptuonsness of his furniture. Of hts
courage and .kilt in catching Seals, and
other accomplishments. The lady, pre-
tending to be atfronted even at these re-.
mote hints, runs away. tearing the ring.
lets of her hair az she retires, while the
ambassadre.ses, having got the consent
OF her parents, pursue her, take her by
force to the house OF her destined hus.
band, and there leave her. Compelled
to remain there. she sits for days with
disheveled hair, silent and detected re.
tusing every kind of sustenance, till at
last. ii kind entrenties do not prevail.
she is made by force, and even by blows,
to submit to the detected union. In
some cases, Greenland women faint Mt
the proposals Of marriage; in others.
they fly to the mountains. and only re.
turn when compelled to do SO by hunger
and cold. If one cuts Off her hair, it is
sign she determined to resist to the
death. The Greenland wife is the slave
of her husband. doomed to n life Of toll.
drudgery, and privation.
REMARKABLE DIsAsTER-A Town
DESTROYED BY WATER SPoUTs.-A cor.
respondent Of the St. Louis Globe Demo.
cr@ at Las Cruces, New Mexico, says n
tremendous water spout suddenly APP
peared In the hills about one mile back
OF the town, at $50 Z. NJ. on the ,th Of
September, and before the citizens had
time to comprehend the impending Ca
lamity it was upon them. The tall dark
column, composed OF water and dust. ap-
preached with such velocity that in less
than ten inmates from the time OF its
Observance and before ten dollars worth
Of personal property could be saved by
any ono sixty-threc houses had been
hurled to the ground. The streets were
soon covered to the depth of four or five
feet with water, and the current was OF
such great strength that boulders Of a
large size and corresponding weight were
carried away. Two hours later the rain
fell In torrents and continued several
hours. In all the wreck and ruin of fal.
len houses and rushing waters, strange
to say, not single life was lost. On
Sunday. the 18th, the entire population
were out repairing the damage as much
as possible in order that the homeless
might be housed AMI cared for. The
work was kept up Monday, and every
body began to look cheerful, when ut
foar o'clock another water spout made
its appearance from the exact spot where
its predecessor was first noticed, and
came on with equal celebrity. Sixteen
houses fortunate enough to escape the
previous visitation were tumbled down
and their contents destroyed. This food
lasted three hours. The damage done
By these storms will figure up $4,000
at least