The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1877-03-20
MARRIED IN THE DARK.


/ young man named Merritt, near
New York, is very singular one, and
vet the dust covered legal records of
Michigan tell of case still more sim
guar. Miss Knox was engaged to
young man named Merritt, the day was
set for the nuptials, they drove away
together aud were married, and now
Merritt vows he was not the bridegroom.
She vows that he was, but cannot prove
1t, and both make out pretty good case.
One may well argue that he ought to
know whether he ever married certain
young lady or not, and she said lady
may well argue that she ought to know
the man who rode to the clergyman's
with her, stood up beside her, made his
responses i'm due form, and drove her
back home. These arguments are what
mystify the Knox case. Now for one
more singular:
About twenty years ago there lived in
central Michigan curious old Benedict
named Dodsworth. AT the age OF fifty
he married girl of twenty, plump and
hearty, and when the burden of sixty
years bore him down, his wife was only
half his age, Dodsworth was noted for
his pecularties, but the climax came
when he found himself on his dying
bed. He was worth about thirty thous-
and dollars, and he hadn't Il blood
relative living, SO far as he knew. He
wanted to leave his property to his wife,
as the pair had lived very happily, but
vet he could not leave it without dis
playing some of his peculiarities in the
provisions of the will. Some old men
display mean spirit when making
sher wills, and draft in a provision cut
ding the wife off with shilling if she
marries again. The old man wasn't of
that stamp. His young wife was good
looking, vivacious, fond of society, and
it was folly to suppose she would mourn
for her late husband any great length
of time. Therefore Mr.. Dodsworth
turned heel on the usual custom, and
mid in his will:
- In case my wife Celia does not take
unto herself another husband within
thirteen months from date of my burial,
all bequests otherwise made in this will
are to revert to the State of Michigan,t to
be used for building and furnishing a
home for old women"
Whether Celia was pleased or dis
pleased at this provision deponent saith
not but the old man had not been under
the sod six months when the widow was
said to be looking out for another man.
If it was singular for the dying Dods-
worth to urge his wife to marry again, it
was still more singular that he should
desire the ceremony to be performed un-
der the following circumstances, viz:
+" And it is made, incumbent on said
Celia Dodsworth that in taking a new
husband the marriage ceremony shall
be performed in the big barn on my
farm, on the H road. 1t shall take
place at ten o'clock in the evening, on
the main floor, without lights of any
description, with all doors shut, and a
free invitation shall be extended to all.
The clergyman shall stand in the stables
and the bride and the groom on the
main floor, and the principal parties to
the ceremony shall be dressed in black
throughout.
The widow announced her intention
to faithfully obey in spirit and letter, the
will was probated, and the twelfth
month had scarcely passed before she
issued an invitation for the public to at
tend wedding at the big barn. Just
who the groom was to be no one could
positively assert, as the widow had been
keeping company with widower, q
bachelor and two young men, and as
far as any outsider could judge she loved
one as we'll as the other. Being good
looking and talented, and.having for
tune behind her, it was not strange that
she should have number of suitors.--
She seemed to enter into the spirit of the
affair with great/zest, as also did the
minister and to further mystify the
people in attendance, the bride entered
the barn alone at one door, the groom
alone at another, and no one knew that
the minister had arrived until his voice
was heard in the stables.
There were at least two hundred peo-
pie present, and each one understood
that even striking of match would
break the will. Many jokes were passed
and considerable confusion existed, but
at length the minister announced that
all was ready. The ceremony was gone