Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1883-05-26
Polling the Old Folks.
;r~+eresting clopement, not in point

An interesting elopement, not in point
trnmantic novelty, but. for the OBJ
o. piles that were woven around tho
Ss;mrose path of the youthful lovers,
Paam,e to light Yesterday morning. Late
s Wv'ndnesday night during the heavy
.M,,nder storm, a light buggy, drawn by
sneedv bay horse, drew up in front Of
farmers Home. A rustic lad, with
li'o sh,rwd. determined look, alighted.
throwing a silver dollar to the porter
That stepped up to take charge Of his
h,ooage he ordered night lodging for
n;E horse, with strict injunctions to
,r him we'll and have everything in
sood trim by the next morning. 1t was
ss1ain from the froth that covered him
iHhat he had done some good travelling.
Tho Young man then registered in the
aaice as Joseph Shield, Of Fairfield, and
orlering a light supper retired, but be-
src locking his room for the night
ralled for a long rope that would be
found in the buggy, giving as his ex-
nn.r for this strange action that he was
worldly afraid of fires in large hotels.
He was given a room in the rear Of the
building. just before daybreak m
other buggy with a frothing horse
checked up before the hotel. Two fero-
eous-looking fellows stumped into the
MOTEL, and selling the register ordered to
! he shown to that "scoundrel's room,"
nointing to Mr.. Shields name in the
hook. They refused to give any reason
for such a demand, except that they
wanted that fellow and must have him.
One held a buggy-whip th%reateningly
in his hand, while the other made some
secret inquiries as to the person who ac-
companied the young man, and whether
any girl had been seen with him. As
the proprietor held out persistently in
refusing toallow them to seize the young
man unless they were vested with. such,
authority they let out the secret of,
their visit. They hung around the
house till it was bright daylight.
About six o'clock q man was sent up
to the room of young Shield to awake
him, as ordered. When, the door was
opened it was found that the bird had
already flown. The window was raised,
and a rope that swung from the case
ment of the window explained the mtys-
terry. The two strangers soon afterward
made a second visit to the hotel and
were much enraged at the way in which
they had been foiled by their supposed
prey. Later in the morning a messen-
ger called with a note, asking that the
horse and buggy be sem as secretly as
possible to Wenzel and Market streets,
where the owner would meet it. Soon
afterward the happy couple were speed
ing on their way to Jacksonville, where
they were united as Miss Annie Meyers
and Mr.. Joseph Shield, of Fairfield.
When the two strangers learned the
successful wsy, in which they had been
beaten they gave up the chase and told
the whole story. The bride is a beauti-
full country girl about seventeen years
Of age and daughter of a wealthy farmer
near Fairfield. Her parents objected to
the marriage of their daughter on ac-
count of her age and advised her to
wait. Finding this would not do they
made threats which only brought mat
As to q hastier close. Theyoung man
secured his fathers best horse and bug
gy, stole his bride from the house, and
getting a fair start was fully an hour on
the road before the elopement was dis
covered. The two brothers, as soon as
they found the course love had taken,
followed the chariot of.the young bride
and groom. Several times the buggies
were in sight of each other. Toll-gates
were passed UNDECIDED, and the whole
course to town was one protracted race.
The lovers had the advantage of the
fastest horse and the lightest rig. They
entered town several hours before their
pursuers, and the bride was left at the
house of a relative neart the head of Mar
ket street who had been let into the
scheme.-Louisvile Commercial.