The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-06-20
THE STATE AT LARGE.
STANTON SENSATION'

Miss Gibbs, OF Mississippi, and Mr' "'oer'
or Georgia, Perpetratc a Joke VII"
FORCED Marriage Certificate, ana hc'.
George A.. Long Makes Them Man ana
Wife.
Correspondence OF the Richmond Dispatch'j
srAuYToN, June IS. 1884.
ctaurton gossip has been quite eXcited
the last day or two over marriage wnleh
was made in Joke, but turns out 10 DC
serious matter.
Miss e. Drew Gibbs, OF Mississippi. who
graduated two weeks ago ut the Yves
leyan Female Seminary, told her friends
last Sunday afternoon that she was going
TO drive i'm the country with friend, Mr..
Il. +. Wilder, OF Georgia. Two young
ladies and three or four young gentlemen
accompanied them. They returned some
hours afterwards, Miss Gibbs going to the
house OF some friends and Mr.. Wilder to
the hotel, and leaving here the next day.
II leaked out the next day that there had
been a marriage under the following cir
cumstances:
Nv some means. which so far remain q
mystery. blank form OF marriage license
such as is used in the county clerks office
here was obtained and filed in with the
names of the parties as above, The brides
age being put at twenty-five and the
rroom's at tweuty-thrce. his business
railroad conductor, and all the usual ques-
lions answered. TO which was signed the
name OF J. II. Thomas. deputy clerk.
The parties. furnished with this paper,
presented themselves to Rev. George A.
Long, at Mt. Sidney, some eight miles from
here, on the Winchester pike, and by him
the marriage ceremony was duly ana
solemnly performed, as IS certified to over
his signature, the certificate bearing date
18th June, 1884. The license was returned
to the city clerks Office, and Mr.. Newton
Argenbright, the clerk, promptly wrote
the following endorsement upon It.
"The within license was returned to
this office this 18th June. 'S4. Said license
was not issued from this office, and no ap-
plication for the issue thereof to the with
Unnamed parties was ever made to me at
the date given or at any other time. No
person by the name OIL. II. Thomas was ever
deputy in this Office, and is totally I'M
known to me. In short, the license is pro-
nounced fraudulent and forgery.
"NEwToN ARGENBRIGHT, Clerk"
II is said that the parties TO the marriage
had been engaged, though they had never
met till within week or two before the
marriage, and that the bride and groom and
their friends accompanying them all re-
garded the matter in the light Of joke at
first, but those better informed as TO the
law assert that the marriage is legal one,
and nothing but a divorce can annul it..
The matter has therefore assumed very
serious shape. The groom has disappeared.
the bride remains here. and her friends
have been informed OF the unpleasant
affair. 1t is also stated that the Attorney
General of Mississippi, who Is perhaps a
relative Of the bride. has telegraphed that
he will be here in a few days to investigate
the matter. Meanwhile more opinions as
TO the legality OF marriages OF all sorts are
being volunteered by lawyers and would
be lawyers Of Staunton than would fill Il
duodecimo volume of law records.
On Tuesday night, about | O'Clock, the
peoplc in the neighbOrhoOd OF the cOl0red
Methodist church, on Augusta street. were
aroused from their Slumbers by the shrieks
OF lady. Some gentlemen, on hurrying
to the house Of Mr.. NJ. 5. Cease, who was
absent from home, found his wife greatly
agitated, who told the following story:
She had been aroused by some one feel
ing under her pillow, and on opening her
ewes saw Il man with her hand-satchel,
which contained $40, and cooked
pistol in his hand. She attempted TO
get the satchel away, making a
brave fight for her money, but the
man chOked her down upon the bed
and threatened to blow her brains out if
she made a noise as heput the pistol to her
head. Having silenced her, he took the
money and backed ont of the room. when
Mrs. Cease gave the alarm. The man,
however, had disappeared before help ar-
rived, and as he had piece Of white cloth
over the lower part OF his face Mrs. Cease
does not think she can identify him, though
she saws his hand was small and soft, and
heavy gold ring was on his finger, and
he wore a brown suit. The police have
been unable to find any clue so far to the
robbery. NOX.