Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-11-30
A MEMBERS MARRIAGES.

SohOfesSnadn-Efect Smith, of Ne1c jersey
charged With abandoning HIS Family Il,
refaonf and Marrying a Smart Young
Wohnan Of His Ne,c Constituency.
A queer story is told by the Springfield
Republican that Hon. 81. B. Smith, recently
elected to Congress from Smithyllle, N. Y,
by the combined votes of Democrats and
Greenbackers, has two families, one in
Woodstock, VT, and another at his present
home. He was born in Woodstock in 1916
and lived there till he was 20 years old. He
was shrewd Yankee youth, who did not
take to school much. In 1916 he ran away
with and ostensibly married Verona Evelins,
young daughter of John English, of Wood
stock. The father opposed tbs match,
and, it is said, made some pursuit,
but did not oyertake the fugi.ives,
| who proceeded to Boston, where q
| form of marriage, which Miss English sup.
posed genuine. was gone through with be-
fore clergyman, real or pretended. The
pair lived happily together as man and wife
until 1865, and four children were born tc
them. Part of this married life was passed
in Boston and part in Lowell, where Smith
was in business, but in 1850 he bought 6
house in Woodstock, where Mrs. Smith
came and lived, being frequently visited by
her husband, and where most, if not all OF
the children we're born. They represented
themselves as man and wife. and were SO con-
sidered and received by the people. Mrs.
Smith was model wife and mother, and was
then and has always since been respected in
the community. She never suspected but
what she was legally married, until to quote
I<~Ssy IL, L. L.
who would be true to him, and he was going
to marry her, and might tell my friends that
my marriage was not legal" This is sup,
posed to have been in 1865, when he decided
| some Woodstock property to his alleged wife
and daughter and deposited little money in
the bank for them. Mrs. Smith, as he1
Woodstock neighbors, indignant at her treat
ment, still call her, is about so years DID, and
her face is marked with lines of care and sor-
row. When visited by reporter the othe,
| day she refused to say anything which could
injure Smith, and begged that no publicity
might be given to the affair, saying: 81 can't
forget that he is the father of my children
and l cannot find it in my heart to wish him
any harm. He was always kind to me
and the children, and never spoke q cross
word till after the separation. Then al
first he was rough to them. Now
he treats them we'll. My boys have been tc
see him ct Smithyille. He has suffered
enough for this already, and if he is elected
to Congress lei him go there" Further than
this she did not wish to say, except that she
had supposed she was married by clergy
man in Boston, and she "did not know why
he did as he had done.'' Smith is wealthy
and owns all Smithville, a small manufactur-
| ing village eighteen miles from Philadelphia
The date of his marriage to his present wife
| is not known, but there is no doubt Of his be-
ing married. Mrs. A. NJ. Smith edits
| the SaaittriNe Mechanic, an eigh,
page advertising sheet published by
her husband, and is a smart woman
Whether this second marriage, as is suppos-
ed without the formality of an intervening
divorce, will defeat Smiths Congressional
aspirations, is not known. Under the laws
of Vermont an agreement to live together a:
man and wife followed by cohabitation anc
representations by the parties that they are
man and wife is legal marriage without eny
ceremony. Abundance of afidavits ag to the
cohabitation can be obtained in Woodstock
but whether any agreement or anything pur
porting to be a marriage ceremony could b.
proved without Mrs. Smiths aid is doubtful
and she will not testify to anything agains
him that she can avoid.