Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-10-16
FIFTY
a
An Incident OF Last Nights
STERN.

nile walking down Beale street
during the beginning of the storm
last night, Captain Q'Hayer's atten-
ton was attracted by the mysterious
manner off neatly dressed female who
stood on the opposite side Of the
of the street from him. She stood
in the f re Of a gas lamp, and held
a piece of paper in her hand, which
she lookedat from time 10 time, ut
tering meanwhile a series of little
shrieks, and finally walked up to the
closed door Of the house which stood
before her and raped violently.
Crossing the street quickly, Captain
O'Haver demanded an explanation of
her strange conduct, and while speak
ing noticed that the paper she held in
her baud was a marriage certificate.
At first she was extremely %reticent,
aud was apparently under a violent
excitement. Scared by a covert
threat she grew more and more com
municative, and from the broken sen.
fences that dropped from her lips be-
tween conyulsive sobs, be learned one
Of the s%trangest Of stories.
Her name, she said, was Mary De.
luth, and her father wa a southern
planter. In her %youtk-she was now
at least forty-a handsome stranger
had managed to gain her affections,
aud when resisted by her h,her, who
was unwilling to trust his daughter
in the hands of a rank stranger, she
had agreed to a secret marriage. The
couple eloped in the night time, driy-
ing constantly for two days and nights.
Early n morning they drove to the
house Off farmer, who was also a
country preacher, and we're married,
upon her lover producing a license.
Pursuing their journey, the couple
finally rested at a little inland village
in Middle Florida, where, mid the
orange blossoms, they lived in perfect
bliss for nearly a year. Then her lover
whom she Gays wasnamed CHI Deluth
began to grow cold and heartless, and
last telling her that she was no vile,
the marriage was all a mockery and
a sham and the license a forpsry, he
left her alone aud unprotected. AZ
ter that time she had gained a precari-
Gus livelihood for herself and child
with her needle, until it tdied at the
age Of four years. Since then she
had followed various avocations, and
finally drifting down to the level Of
superuumerary in a circus, she came
here with Coup's great united shows,
but had kept her life as pure and spot
less as the driven snow and though
believing that she had been no wife,
kept always on the alert for tho minis
ter who performed the marriage cere.
mony between her and Deluth. While
here she imagined she saw him and
tried to get to him but the crowd
prevented. She remained for the
purpose of interviewing the man she
had seen, strongly believing him to be
the person she so eagerly looked for.
Last night while walking aimlessly
down Beale street, the wind blew the
marriage license spoken of at her feet
and she conceived the idea that the
minister was in the house before
which she stood. Captain 0'Haver
used his authority to satisfy her mind,
but his endeavors were useless. No
body lived in the house except a He
brew family who knew nothing Of the
paper. The woman at once started
for the place at which the license had
been issued, but as no memoranda was
taken at the time, the world will per.
haps loose tho sequel Of this interest
ing story.