Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-08-14
Cincinnati Commercial, II.

Cincinnati Commercial, Il.
Matrimony has broken out in
violent form in Brooklyn. An under
taker. who had reached the matur,
age of eighty-6ve, married a lady o
twenty-five persistent old man having
been sixty five, it will be observed
when his bride was born. This beat
any case we have had in these parts
and that is saying a good deal. A New
York journal of the 9th opens thu
story in these scientific terms:
Commissioners Barnum and Wheel
er, who, with a jury, began an inquiry
as to the sanity of John d. Hunting
ton. the wealthy Brooklyn undertaken
who married at the age of eighty-fve
and decided his property to his young
vile of twenty, was concluded IN the
Brooklyn Supreme Court yesterday"
The ancient individual knew per-
fectly what he was about, but he had
seven children, and they were con-
WINGED of his insanity because he
decided his property to his young wife.
The case has not been determined,
though the testimony is all in. Here
is a scrap Of the evidence;
"Mr. w. II. Dick, who had known
Mr.. HUNTINGTON for six or seven years,
said that their yards adioined. Mr..
Huntington told Mrs. Dick to cut
holes in the fence and let her chick
n 90 through to feed in his yard.
This was done, and the next day Mr..
Huntington came out With a club and
mauled the chickens, breaking the
leg of one. When asked why he
broke the chickens leg, Mr.. Hunting
ton called Mr.. Dick bad names, and
added:
"'Ill break yours Here Mr..
Huntington said in a low voice:
Its not true; | never used such
langut ge,
ton said further; I'll brain you.
1'Never,' from Mr.. Huntington.
Mr.. Dick said
"'If YOU strike me, old man as you
are, I'll lay you on the floor Mr..
Dick is in the ice cream business, and
Mr.. Huntington said;
"'You go singing your - trashy
ice cream around
"'Never said such a thing, said the
old gentleman"
Another story goes:
"Mr. Huntington would 60 around
the streets picking up scraps of tin
and ahips ofwood. He raised beans
in his yard and started to raise corn,
but said Mr.. Dick employed boys 10
break it down. He said he wasn't
going to let the beans spoil, and would
eat them. He accused a boy Of stop
ping up his keyhole and grabbed him
by the throat and held him up against
the wall
Now the witness thought Hunting
ton crazy. Was the attempt to raise
corn and beans an evidence Of insan-
ity? Was eating beans a sign Of brain
in decay? Here is another witness:
Wood said he was not aware that
Mr.. Huntington was a very religious
man, but he had a good character as a
Christian. He had talked for several
months to Mr.. Wood about getting
married"
So the old man bore the character
of a Christian undertaken. he did
not testify very brilliantly for himself
though:
MIR. Huntington was called to the
stand and questioned. He said that
his children had been kind TO him.
lie never asked the widow to marry
him; but she took him to a strange
house in this city, aud 500 he had he
never saw again after putting it in her
satchel. To many questions he replied
in a rambling way. He had married
his wife because she tied his crayat
nicely. When asked il he would live
with her again, he said, L am afraid
it would be too much OF a venture.
He said he was born the year after
Washington died, and voted for Gen
eral Jackson"
AS Washington died in 1899, Mr.
Huntington claims to be only eighty.
two years old. This assertion Of com
parative youthfuness was no doubt
to bring himself to correspond, so tc
speak, with his wife, reducing the
differanca hetween their apaa IN *.
years. He did not stand up for hi!
young wife as be should have done
We are afraid he was intimidated b.
his kind children. Perhaps the ole
man is still voting for General Jack.
BOD.
Young ladies who are cu%ltivatinl
romance in gentlemen from forty t
sixty five years older than themselves
should make a note of the pleasing
influences that flow from pretty flo
gers in the nice tieing of a cravat.