Morning journal and courier., 1884-09-23
THE MARRIAGE OF ELAINE.
A Talk With the Witnesses of the Ger
 emOnY At PIttsburg.

emOny At Pfttsburg.
 CHICAGO, Sept 22.-The Daily News has | the following: 'sYes, I witnessed Blaine's | marriage in Pittsburg in May, 1851," said ! ex-Congressman John V. LeMoyne in an | swer to reporters inquiry. "Did you know ! at that time that Blaine and his wife had ! been previously married in Kentucky?" FNo, were they?" inquiringly answered MT. Le Moyne with some surprise: MT. LeMoyne | had just returned from two weeks hunting | trip in Minnesota and Dakota and when seen had not been in his house ten minutes He ! had not read daily paper since he left Chi cago and had not seen Blaine's letter to MT. Phelps nor his sworn reply to the interroga- | tories of the Indianapolis Sentinel, in both of l which Blaine asserted that he was married l Ncretly in Kentucky in June, 1850. Mir Le- l, M.rne was referred to these and after looking at thu said: ''Well, I cannot say how that was may have been so, but heard noth- ing sald D. Blaine or anyone else at the time or the flttso~g marriage which led me to \ suppose that thre had been a previous mar riage. He says Sat the Pittsburg marriage I was simply to satists all possible doubts re- garding the legality ot.1e one he claims oc-
 
 I.e explanation of that sort to t.ose who wit messed the Pittsburg marriage.'' ''Do you believe that he was married in Kentucky at al1?' ''Oh he must hav4 been.' replied MT. LeMoyne laughing. FDoeu't he say he was? It makes me think of what the man said about the patent medicine. il you don't believe it's good, just read the printed advertisement and see what that | says' But,' continued MT. LeMoyne seri- obsly s'it seems most remarkable to me that | if this Kentucky marriage did occur why l Blaine kept it secret so long. A child was ] born three months after the Pittsburg mar I riage and the date of it's birth appeared on it's ! tombstone Now, in that life of Blaine, written & few years ago by a Maine man named l Connel1, think the one for which Robie, | just elected Governor, wrote the preface, the I date of Blaine's marriage is given as March, l 1851, at Pittsburg. Blaine admits that the | author got his information from him. Re membering the date on the tombstone Blaine acted unaccountably, it seems to me, ! in allowing the date of his marriage to be published in that book as March 29, 1851. 7"
 ''Were you a witness to the Pittsburg marriage because of your intimacy with Blaine p 'FYes, I suppose that was the req son. I was classmate of his in college and 1 was living in Pittsburg at the time"
 'sIt has been said that Blaine was induced
 to marry through sort of shotgun argu-
 ment offered by one of the Stanwood boys.
 Did you have any reason at that time for
 thinking such to be the case?' ''No, if it was so did not know it"
 :sDo you know s. L. Blaine?' ''No, nev- CT heard of him before."
 1 PrTTsBURG, Sept. 22.-''Yes, was one of i the witnesses to the marriage of James G.
 Blaine," said David Bell, the well known at | torney who was found in his office this af- | ternoon by United Press reporter and ques- ! tioned concerning his connection with that 1 now famous nuptial event. ''I made mem 1 orandum in my diary at the time, which is I about all that can remember about it. ''
 Mr. Bell here produced large cloth bodnd
 book closely written. The diary covered that portion of his life from 1946 until October 1851. The memorandum was as follows:
 March %, 1851, in presence of John LeNoyne
 and myself, James G: Blaine, of Kentucky, was l united in the bonds of matrimony to Miss Harriet
 Stanwood by Rev. MT. Bryne at his house, Third
 street, at 6:30 o'clock this day"
 When questioned as to how he came te be
 witness of this marriage MT. Bell said: ''l
 was graduated at Jefferson college and MT l Blaine was Washington man. I don't re- member that ever met him before. John l LeMoyne knew him intimately and it was al ! his request thab consented to become wit ! ness. I cannot recall any of the details be : yond the fact of my being present at the
 ceremony. The whole affair is a blank 1T my mind"
 ftHad you received the impression at the ! time that it was a clandestine marriage, dC you think you would have remembered it?
 F'I think that had received any such i'm pression I should be able to recall it now.
 have been thinking over the matter pretty intently for the past three weeks, but car recall no circumstances that would warrant } | such a conclusion. MT. LeMoyne wrote tt
 ms some days ago in regard to the date, bu
 have never received any communication from MT. Blaine in regard to the matter
 What I have told you is absolutely all knoV of the matter or am able to recall"