Mexico weekly ledger., 1876-12-21
Matrimonial Problems.

The problem that now. disturbs the
town of Brewster's, in Putnam County,
N. Y. is, who is Mary E. Knox's hus-
band. It is strange that there should
be any doubt who is a woman's hus-
band, but there is one in this case, and
a very p%erplexing one. Miss Knox
says that Mr.. John A. Merritt, who is
several years her junior, had courted
her long and successfully, though not
with the approval of his parents. This
fall he urged her to marry him at once.
She consented, and ne being short of
cash she furnished 800, which she bor-
rowed of her mother, and the twain,
on the 8th of this month, started after
q parson, who married them. Johnny
then drove her home, babe her good
by, told her to keep the marriage a
secret. and drove on to his fathers
house. Since then she has neither seen
Johnny nor heard from him, and he
now denies that he ever married her.
This is her story, and the parson, the
Rev. Mr.. Dean, though he remembers
having performed marriage ceremony
that evening, is not certain about the
identity of the parties. Mr.. Dean must
be a man of an unobserving habit OR a
short memory. Meantime, Miss Knox
calls herself Mrs. Merritt, and Mr..
Merritt continues to deny fatty that he
has married her. 1t is a queer affair.
We have another case of disputed
marriage from this State. The Rev.
DR.. Stratton, of Rochester, on the 22d
of September, 1875, married two per-
sons signified to him as Ancie Bourne
and Cassius d. Worrill, in the presence
of a witness who signed the marriage
certificate. Now, when the woman
claims the man as her husband, the
man swears that he was never married
to her. He says that, tired out by the
opportunities of two of her relations,
he was induced q year ago to promise
to marry Miss Bourne within a year.
On the day named he went to Roches-
ter with her and her brother-in law
named Williams. He got under the
influence of liquor and fell asleep.
When he awoke Miss Bourne was sit
ting with him, and the Williamses
were just entering the room. When
the year came to an end he didn't wish
to fulfill his promise to marry the
woman, but she confronted him with
the marriage certificate, claimed him
as her husband, and demanded
support. Worrill says some one
must have personated him in
the ceremony. His story is not
probable on its face. Miss Bourne,
for her part, says that the mar
riage took place; that Worrill was the
man she married; that he stipulated
with her that the marriage should be
kept secret until the end of the year,
when he would have settled up his IA
theirs estate; that then they should be
remarked: and that now, when the
year is up, he turns her over to his law
yer, and drives her to the law to get her
rights.
The trouble in both these cases is that
the marriage was secret. Let all girls
take heed, and beware of clandestine
marriages; and, also, be sure that the
minister who performs the ceremony
gets so good q look at them that he
shall be able to identify the pair q few
weeks or years afterward as the real
parties to whom he gave the marriage
certificate. 1t is a bad business going
to all the trouble and expense of get
ting married, and then having doubt
thrown ON the geruineness of the bond.
-NeW York Sun.