Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-08-10
Remarkable Case.

aby the most remarkable case ever tried IN
this county. and one that has perhaps at'aef"''
more attention and excited moro comment iha"
| any other, was that of Flora A. SpurIoak W.
| Charles ". Green for anuulment # marr!as'
contract. The complainant is tn: dluEht:r :
Rev. nj, Spurock, Methodist preacher u's
stationed at Kewanee, and formerly at Gcn:-
see. and the defendant is q Methodist ni1iSlrf
stationed at Fairvcw, Fulton couuty.
The partics were married about two yiafj
ago, and lived together az maa and WIi1s !lsI'
iny one child bora to them, now rlnc months
old. For some time past complainant ha- h"i
lived with defendant. and recently she brou"bI
suit for annulment Of the marriage contlaN un
the grouod that she had entered into 1t under
duress of her mother, and against her chnra
aud protest.
This she s9oro to on the witncsa stand. tCa!l
fyipg that she had never loved the dctcniaui,
and had not willingly married him; aad that hc
was and always had been repugnant to hel; that
her parents had all OF tho time known this, but
they had persisted that she must marry hin,
aud her mother bad watched and guarded ''rr
to that end; that her letters to Green had bt,
written or dictated by her mother, and tlIcdw
expressions of affection that she could NOT v"Eu
tariy make; that she had loved another nla'
and had pleaded against this marriage, ar
had prayed tJr death aud contemplated des'n1
ton rather than submit to il; and, tiualig, ht
Ing Wearicd out aud worn and distracted, had
submitted herself an unwilling partner to La:
marriage ceremony, tut did not c,nsidet IN
spirit that she was ever married to Green.
Mrs. Spurlock, the mother OF tho girl al
pcariug az wtoess fer her, fully corIohorala,;
this testimony 10 all essential particulars -
| founding tho crowd OF spectators by socu,uy
avoWng 10 all its particularly her owa part III
this extraordinary business, and pleading 4
| belief that she was doing right and securing
| her daughters happiness and we'll beng. The
| popular impression left by such testimony wa1
| in the highest degree untaVorab'e, apd there
! is not heard anywhere any dissent from that
| impression.
After the submission OF this ani other cor
roborativc evidence, the defcnc, c1GscOtod t.
! verdict Mr. Green testified that he ha'!
never known of the tac's testified to by '..a
mother and daughter, and only "!ahal -
guard his own honor and reputation from a
reproach that ho did not merit Accordingly,
verdict was rendered annullng the marriage
and declaring it yoid-that is, that the ma!
riago had never existed; the parties were NOT
in llw husband and vile when they lived TO-
II.
luI wedlock. That such decree should be de-
sired seems to Us as Incredible as that 4 snothcr
should have thought she Was pursuing
righteous course 10 compelling her daughter
, to q marriage that she loathcd.
STORY or CHANCELLOR KENT.-rhe follow
/ ing story is related of Chancellor Kent -" The
Chancellor and his wife were at once travelling
| 10 one. horse carriage, long before the days 1i
stage coaches, to visit friends who lived IL lEa
| then almost inaccessible region Of Cananha!eu.i
| thew lost their way, night came OD and lln6ln.:
themselgcs on tho wrong road, they stopped a:
| Toulouse, and solicited entertain nent Tor Lh;'
| night, The good woman OF the hcuse mad
| thom welcome, gaVo them a hnmop supper.
| and exclaimed that sho did not expect her hnr
band who was choppng wood ic" rnli"7 OIL
70 come homo till late She then told hH
| cuasts to take her bed 10 tho corner, ani that
she and her husband would sleep Ia he 'chahi
her. and desiring the Chancellor to irt b.:
| husband 10 on his return, she took candles aAl
climbed up ladder through trap door III til"
! chamber" The gusts then went t. bed, bui
the Chancellor was uneasy. lie observed IL
| hiJ w(o Betsy that the door did oot lock- 'ha
| he feared the chopper, coming home III tI:';
dark, ard finding another Inau In his bed, au'i
apparenty With his wife, would begin 60 'choI',
aud that ho thought he would get up and ru1
q table against the door, 80 as to gain time i'i
lexDlanation while the gooi man was oIoni'i&
the door. lie got UP accordlngy, and was III
the act ot pushing the table ganst the door,
when . TAIL sawart tigare, in red hlnncl ahlr!
sleeves, with big, black catskin cap upon h'-
head, pushed open the door. He looked i!E"
thunder cloud for an Instant, but was lhti
With this address by the guest 10 hIs hsri
INV name is Jamcs Kent. | ain Uhanco'I''
Of the State of New York. The wolan Ia ti',
bed is my wife, Betsy. Your W lie ii urs'ai',
There is your supper The explanation, whi';
was certainly not constructed On the theory u
pleading in the Chanccor's court, made every
thing harnunlona.
Row 1T FEgLs.-Ihat it is exceedingly III
; pl, usant to be struck by lightning, the sccoui
| which MIR. Wilson gives Of tho scene ht The 20
pei Tent IN Philadelphia, last sunday, goes 4. ~
to nroyo. # WAS getting thlnEs ready lor III
school IN tho afternoon" he snya. moro wei
= onIv MR. Counor and yself, Of the adult mon
hers of our congregation, ana seven or ei2l
chiIdrcn who sought shelter from tho ram.
was standing near the Two !lttlo glrls thst WeI
: ir;urcd. and the entire party were around one
Tho tent poles. We had noL'tho slightest war;
- mo Tho frat thing know was 3 terrible shoc
r. 70 INV whole system particularly TO my hea
and / was knocked senseess. When camo
..yself tho tent was burning. and some OF u
benches l bruised myself in putting out II
c. ire, all the time feeling like man IN oresl
t. and when I came over home l asked my Wlle
10 nv nv head was not broken open. That was
SENSATION / felt-that my head had been ST.
into two parts" As Mr.. Wilson spoke.
hands inyoIuntsrily sought tho top of his head
: ]sproceeding | he repeated several times duri !
the conversation. ~ do not think mat
s. lightning cot fire to the benches nc Otar eOhs~ nn
ian;'eS the oil in the lamps, and these falling
no isnisou& ~ s 49,, m ih,, prtllnl. which, in tu