Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-08-17
WHOLE NUMBER 1883.
MUCII-MARRIED.
An ohio Woman who has had Nine Hus-
bands-Fair Prospects of the Tenth
Hard to Beat.

! Mrs. Dyer's residence is situated
about three miles from Peninsula, a
station on the Valley road. 1t is a
matter of common report in the
neighborhood that the lady has been
a bride on nine separate and distinct
occasions. The matrimonial reporter
of the Herald started forth to seek
out and interview this polyandrous
wife. A few brief questions of a
Peninsula citizen brought out the
desired pointer concerning the habi-
tation of Mrs. Dyer, and drive of
twenty five minutes took the seeker
for truth to her door. The house is
a weather beaten old structure built
on the ancient plan, with the side
toward the road and the door midway
between the ends, opening into the
company" room. Mrs. Dyer, who
responded to the rap, was not the
vision of loveliness the young man
had travelled twenty five miles to see.
She is apparently about sixty years
of age-no exact data on this point
were obtained-and looks as If she
would comfortably survive her last
annexation and acquire q tenth, the
more especially as Mr.. Dyer is not
extremely stalwart. and liable to chip
out OF the game at any time. As was
intimated, there is nothing surpris-
ingly beautiful about Mrs. Dyer.
She does not impress one as being
possessed Of sufficient attractiveness
to beguile more than two men into
committing matrimony, yet before
the interview was ended she exhibited
seven marriage licenses and two GER
tificates, which serve much the same
purpose as do abstracts of title where
real estate is transferred, preserving
the lady's identity. The presence of
the two certificates she explained by
informing her caller that she mar
ried two of the deceased in Pennsyl-
vania, in which State no license is
required. In the conversation the
young man was given q brief bio
graphical sketch Of every one of the
eight who had gone before, the recital
being illustrated with the portraits
of the gentlemen.
Cynthia Boardman was first led to
the altar as blushing bride thirty
five years ago. William Rawlings,
skipper of a canal boat, was the happy
man. He did not live long enough
to enjoy his good fortune, for one
bright May day, just as prosperous
freighting season had opened, Cap
tain Rawlings lead mule kicked him
into the ditch, and he sank beneath
the muddy waters of the raging"
not to rise again until elevated BY
means of stone derrick. The widow,
after a proper season of mourning,
was again wooed, and attached her
fortunes to those of Henry Ladd,
whom she had employed to run the
boat, after Rawlings fatal bath.
One night Ladd was brushed off the
hurricane deck, by bridge north of
the Boliver level, and the mules went
into Navarro with no man at the helm.
The boy, who slumbered as he rode,
had not missed the commodore, and
not until the ditch was dragged two
days later was the question as to the
mode OF his departure settled. Mrs.
Ladd shortly afterwards went to
Western Pennsylvania to visit rela-
tive, and while there was married to
John Henderson, a cooper. The
fated John made her out few barrels
afterwards, and in two short months
his grave was seeded down. The
re]ict concluded her visit and re-
turned to her Ohio home. William
johnson was the next candidate. He
was accepted and survived for q
period of nine years. He was buried
at Hudson, and Mrs. johnson, undis-
mayed at the decay of her previous
hopes, was united in marriage to one
James Dixon, of Shalersville. He
sold the canal-boat, which had be-
come rather ancient, and with the
proceeds and the personal estate of
johnson bought the farm which Mrs.
Dyer now cultivates. James soon
followed his predecessors, and be-
came member of the angelic choir.
After following him to his grave the
bereft wife made another journey to
Pennsylvania, where she changed
her name to the more euphonious
Maybury. The happy pair moved to
Indiana. Wabash ague shook the
life out of Mr.. Jacob Maybury in
four years, and his wife returned to
Summit county in time to console
John Ladd, one of her first series of
brothers-in-law. for the death Of his
second martial venture by marrying
him herself. This, added to his
grief, was too much for John, and he
remained only six weeks. For four
years Mrs. Ladd lamented, and then,
her love for mariners returning, she
became the wife of Andrew Upton,
who ran on the short trade between
Cleveland and Bedford. The days of
the doomed Upton passed swiftly by,
and in the year 1876 he went to that
bourne whence toe and heel path
likewise sluices and waste gates, are
unknown. The widow Upton went
back to the farm and started youth
full crayon artist on the road to
affluence by giving him an order for
pictures of her husbands. The con-
tract was taken at wholesale rates,
and the money for which Tipton's
boat was sold settled the bill. Sur
rounded by the counterfeit present
ments of her beloved dead, the fre-
quent widow, who had never been a
mother, waited for the next candidate
to come her way. Dyer was blown
in by the heavy storm of 1880. He
was not SO popular as many of her
former husbands. But" said Mrs.
D., Il was gettin' too old to be par
ticker, and took him"
He doesn't appear to be in good
health" ventured the reporter as he
arose to leave, casting compassion
ate eye on the devoted Dyer, who was
wrestling with scythe in the rank
first growth.
mo, George amt overly stout, and
I reckon his picter'll soon go along
/ IL, r