Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-08-04
DIDN'T KNOW HE WAS MARRIED

Claimed by Handsome Young Lady as
Her Husband. Lester Burton Declares
That He Was Never Eren Engaged to
Her,
New York Sun.
The following announcement appeared in
the Saugerties Telegraph of June "a, last and
greatly surprised the friends of both the par
ties said to have been united in matrimony:
Married, at the Reformed church parsonage,
Upper Red Hook, Dutchess county, March 90.
by the Rev. E. G. Scudder, Lester Burton, of
Pine Grove, and Anna Schoonmaker of Blue
Mountains.
1t is certain that, so far as good looks are
concerned, Lester Burton and Anna Schoon-
maker would have been extremely well mated
The young man is about rs years of age, six
feet tall and of fine muscular development.
He is unquessionably good looking and not
many of the young men of Ulster or Dutchess
counties can boast of finer figures. Miss
Schoonmaker is 20 years old, of medium
height, and is an exceedingly pretty young
woman. The young people live on adjoining
farms, some ten or twelve miles from
Saugerties, at the foot of the Catskill noun
talns. Thty have been acquainted with each
other from childhood, and when, in December
last, MIR. Burton began to be very regular
visitor at Mr.. Schoonmaker's farm, and con-
tinued SO until March, many persons believed
they were engaged. Mr.. Burton says
that once, when his friends eharg-
life and marry Miss Schoonmaker, he iok-
ingly admitted that he was engaged to her, but
he insists that he did 80 in such way as to
leave no doubt in the minds of his hearers that
ne such engagement really existed. To his
mother, who questioned him about the matter.
he emphatically denied it.
Of all the persons who were surprised by the
IelegraphS announcement, Mr.. Burton says no
one was more completely astounded than him
self. Three times, in kind of Supplied
amazement, he read the announcement con-
corning his alleged matrimonial contract
Then he rubbed his eyes, and, in glow of in
dlgnation, read it again. 1t was very evident
to him that the editor of the Saugerties 7ele-
graph required looking after, and though he
was then visiting a farm owned by Mr..
Lasher, some distance further up the Hudson,
he at once started for Saugerties and hastened
to the office of the Telegraph.
But the editor of that journal was not caught
mapping. Miss Schoonmaker had for years
been devout member Of the Reformed church
at Blue Mountain, and her pastor, the Rev.
LIE Bau, had written letter to the Telegraph
editor, enclosing the written notice of the
marriage and offering to vouch for its correct
ness. Mr.. Burton is not church member.
but he has great respect for Mr.. LIE Bau, and
on seeing this letter he raised his fist tward the
clouds and declared that his brain tottered
There was nothing left for him to do but to
adopt the theory that the Rev. Mr.. LIE Bau had
played somewhat unclerical joke upon Miss
Schoonmaker and himself.
He went at once to the Schoonmaker farm
and was ushered into a room occupied by the
young woman and some other members of hel
family. He had gone with the intention Of
sternly demanding an explanation, but the
warmth of his reception disconnected him a
little. Miss Schoonmaker threw herself into
his arms, called him her darling husband, and
after gently Gliding him for staying away Sc
long, renewed her kisses until his breath was
taken away. He did not entirely lose his pres
ence of mind even then. With some difficulty
he freed himself from her embraces, and asked
her what ahe meant by calling him her b u.s.
even engaged. This seemed to strike her
as q somewhat untimely piece of humo1
on Mr.. Burton's part, and, not without embar.
rassment, she said he was 'always up to bis
Jokes" and attempted to caress him again.
But Mr.. Burton stopped her by saying that
he never was less inclined to joke, protested
that he was not her husband. and challenged
her to produce any proof that he had married
her. Thereupon Miss Schoonmaker went to 9
rage certificate, signed by Raw. E. O. Scud
der, of Upper Red Hook, and purporting tc
show that on March 23d that minister had mar
ried Lester Burton, of Pine Grove, to Anna
Schoonmaker. of Blue Mountain.
The tolls were falling fast around Mr.. Bur
ton, but he made another effort to clear him.
self. Rushing from the house, without sc
much as wishing his alleged wife good-by. he
FASTENED to Red Hook and confronted the Rev
E. @. Scudder; and here he found a grain OF
comfort. The minister could not identify him
as the man whom he had married three months
before to Miss Schoonmaker. He remembered
the fact of marriage, and knew that Miss
Schoonmaker IVES one of the parties to it, and
that the bridegroom gave his name as Lester
Burton; but as he had not seen either of them
before, he could not remember the mans ap-
pearance sufficiently well to know him again.
The clergyman had neglected at the time of
the ceremony to give any certificate, but two
weeks afterward, when Miss Schoonmaker re-
turned to him alone, and, reminding him of
her marriage, asked for the document
he made it out and gave it to heI
without communicating with Mr.. Burton
and this was the paper which she subsequently
showed to her alleged husband.
Armed with this information, Mr.. Burton
put his case in the hands of Mr.. Carroll
Whitaker of Saugerties, who wrote to Mr..
Scudder asking for further information
but the clergymon had already regretted having
said anything about the matter to Mr.. Bur.
ton, and he now replied through his counsel
that he should say nothing more upon the
subject until compelled to do SO by the courts.
Miss Schoonmaker's relatives are determined
that Mr. Burton shall acknowledge her as his
wife, and the young mans friends say that he
shall not. Ex-Attorney General Schoonmaker
has been retained in behalf of the young
woman, and it is likely that the case will
come up in few months for trial.
Mr.. Burton admits that at one time he had
some intention of asking Miss Schoonmaker tc
be his wife, but he refrained from doing so be
cause he was largely dependent upon his father
for support. Like most of the farmers Sons
in that part of the country he did not stay
much at home, but learned his business by
working for stranger. He was employed by
Philip D. Lasher, of Ulster county, and Miss
shoemaker used to visit there. He says that
on March %, the day of the alleged marriage
ne met her at the railroad station going
she said, to visit the Lashers. 6hs
had her trunk with her and had no convey.
ance. He left her at hotel near the station
and, going to Mr.. Lasher's house, he told bis
employer of her visit. Mr.. Lash er sent man
with wagon to bring her to the farm, and Mr.