The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-01-09
\ TIIIEF'S ROMANCE.
.AFELoN REFORMS AND WINS A WIFE,
An Astonishing story from the Adiron-s
dack Regions-TangIed Plot and
Happy Denouement.
lGloversville IN. W special.l

friday romance was c0nSummated away
up in the Adirondacks which, in tangled
plot and novel details, claims equality
with the strangest of the many fabulous
Christmas tales that are just now being
printed. The story is told by man who
came to this town to-day from Sageville,
Hamilton County. Fred Roderick, young
man of twenty-five or twenty-six years, Of
burly frame, but with a certain manly
charm in his rough ways, the son of pop
ular old guide up at Indian Lake, has been
confined in the Hamilton County Jail, at
Sageville, for the last four or five months
awaiting trial on the charge of stealing a
pair of horses from farmer of that coun-
ty. Every Sunday afternoon Rev. Arthur
Chambers, the pastor of the Methodist
Church in the village, in company
with dozen or fifteen members of his
congregation, holds yer-meeting
and song-meeting in the jail. For
two years it has been the habit of Miss
Agnes Austin, the young and by no means
: ,uncomely daughter of the village apothe-
cary, to join the missionary band; and
her sweet voice is credited with having in
fiuenced many tough-hearted prisoner
! to experience conversion, The first Sun.
day after Roderick's arrest she became
acquainted with him during the meeting,
and, on several succeeding Sundays, it
was noticed without exciting remark that
she was oftener in side corridor doing in
dividual work with Prisoner Roderick, as
the Chaplain and his band thought, than
at her customary position in the choir
laboring for the general salvation. After
a month or so, by permission of the
Sheriff, she made special and irregular
weekday visits with the prisoner, assur-
ing the Jail attendants that her heather
was fast falling under the influence.
Finally, she began to neglect her Sunday
work, but her weekday visits became
more frequent. This led to some little
whispering among her deserted co-work-
ers, but no general suspicion was aroused.
Some five or six weeks ago Roderick con-
fessed conviction at Sunday meeting, CIV
ing at the time hearty praise and credit to
the evangelizing efforts of Miss Austin.
But this only bred envy in the several
breasts of her deserted co-workers, and
tongue after tongue began to wag until at
every fireside in the community it was the
=, chief topic discussed. With the post-offce
loafers Aggie Austin's name was in an op-
,probious sense connected with that of Fred
Roderick, and all sorts of reckless talk
was indulged in. Mr.. Austin vainly for
bade his daughter from continuing her Wis
its to the jail The father then called on
the Sheriff, and in this way was more sue
cessful, for the visits were at once inter
dicted.
Two weeks ago last Thursday Agnes dis
appeared from her home, and nothing was
heard of her whereabouts until last Fri
day, when constable came riding into
Sageville with Agnes behind him. She
was taken before the Magistrate and sent
to jail on the charge of stealing one of the
very horses for He theft of which her lovel
was suffering confinement. The constable
said that she stole the horse in broad day
light, and when pursued made but a very
feeble attempt o-escape. Her story is tha
Fred told her to go to his fathers camI
and await his arrival, which would be a.
soon as an opportunity for escape pre-
sented itself. After waiting for him at tn,
camp for more than a week she says sh,
became desperate, and, resolving to joil
him in the jail, she ran away from tn
camp with the deliberate intention of com
mitting some crime that would place he
by her lovers side. Her stealing the sam
horse that Fred had once stolen, she asserts
was a simple accident. Miss Austin's bal
was fixed at six hundred dollars, but sh
refused to accept bondsmen and resum
i
for the Sheriff and informed him that h
NJ wanted to wed Agnes Austin, who, whe
y brought before the Sheriff, declared a sim
lar desire. The girl being nineteen year
old, and therefore of the legal age, tn
II Sheriff deemed it his duty to comply wit
! their wishes, and the Committing 8Iagt
trate, Jarvis, was summoned. At tlre
O'Clock in the afternooha in the corridor {
the jail, withtheSheriH and two deputies Q
witnesses, Che felon lovers were made on
Tie heDistrit-Attorney unpoetically declare
that this most remarkable of Hymen's c0l
soldations will not hinder him from pro
ecuting the bride and groom on the sep;
rate indictments. He promises, howeyo
to try and bring both cases up at the san
term Of court, and thus allow the pair I
make their bridal journey together to the
future mountain home at Clinton Prisol
Tho father Of Miss Austin makes SON
a dire threats against the Sheriff for h
course, but it is evident enough that IL
romantic horse-thieves have many symp
thizors among the excited village peopl
who were late to bed Friday night m
ntglectful of their business yesterday b
cause of being so absorbed in hearing an
so eager to tell the story of the we
ding Of the jail-birds, 1t has been said |
! some that no Hamilton County jury w
ever convict the pair, and that as no one
a loser by their crimes they should be pc
-, Initted to try liberty again. There beil
but one corridor in the Jail, man and wi
are not separated during the day, but tht
occupy different cells.
.