The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1885-11-20
A ROMANTIC MARRIAGE.
A Girls Device to Avoid Testify.
ing Against her Lover.
Married to Him From the Outside
of his Cell Window.

A dispatch from Marion, Va, tells the
following story of a marriage under ex-
traordinary circumstances:
Last Tuesday, Mr.. James Fauntleroy, a
well. to-do young farmer, went out walking
on Ragged Edge Hill with Miss Mollie
Downes, the belle of Chatham Hill village.
While passing along n narrow pathway on
the mountain side overhanging deep ra-
vine they were accosted by Mr. Pierre Du-
gan, another farmer, who hal been sutton
for Miss Downes' hand for several years.
Dugan came npon the couple while young
FauntleToy's arm was around the girls
waist. He began to reproach the girl and
Fauntleroy struck him full in the face. The
blow knocked Dugan from the narrow path
into the ravine, where he lay, senseless for
several hours until Fauntleroy could return
to Chatham Hill and organize relief partly,
who with the aid of ropes raised Dugan from
the ravine. Dugan's legs were broken, and
it was feared, that he was internally injured.
Miss Downes grief was intense, and when
Fauntleroy was put in Jail, she tainted.
Faunteroy's friends were much alarmed
as TO what his fate would be if Dugan should
die Fauntleroy's brother, who is a lawyer,
suggested that it was pity Jim was not
married as Miss Downes could not be made
to appear as witness against her own hus-
band. The suggestion was quickly caught at
and Lawyer Fauntleroy went TO Thomas
Downes, brother of the girl and after some per-
suasion, induced him to consent to the immedi-
ate marriage of the couple. Knowing that
the sheriff would object and that he would
do all in his power to prevent the marriage,
the arrangements were made very quietly.
Through a cousin in the office of the county
clerk, Tom Downes got marriage license
for his sister and James Fauntleroy.
Last night Miss Downes and her
brother drove quietly into Chatham from their
home, two miles in the country. They were
met at the Jail by Lawyer Fauntleroy and n
of hn ha1
previously located the cell occupied by the
prisoner, and they now pushed their carriage
directly against the Jail wall, under the cell
window.
Lawyer Faunteroy jumped on to the seat
of tho carriage, and thrustlng his hand
through the iron grating, broke through the
glass of tho window, at the same time calling
out to his brother to reassure him. The lat
ter, by dragging his cot under the window in
the cell and standing on the headboard, man
agei to get his head on Il level with the win
dow. The necessity for the marriage was
quickly explained, and then Law
yer Fauntleroy jumped to the
ground and aided Miss Downes to get into the
buggy. The trembling girl could not quite
reach the eager hand stretched from the
barred window. Then Lawyer Fauntleroy
knelt down in the buggy and the minister
aided Miss Downes to plant her dainty foot
on his back and Chamber to the shoulders of
her brother, who stood braced against the
,0ll wall. III luIS pOslllpn sue COill eiSlly
grusp1her expectant lovers hand, which she
kissed ferventy. In this strange situation,
unable to see each others faces, but with the
moonlight streaming through the grated
window, the young couple were hurriedly
married.
at was quite picturesque scene,n re
marked Lawyer Fauntleroy to-day, when he
was laughingly relating the story. at
seemed to me at the time that the wedding
was without parallel in this or any other
country. Brother Jim has good, true and
pluclly little wife, God bless her. and | know
they'll be happy as soon as he gets
out of jail. This will not be
long, as the doctor told me to-day that
Dugan is much better and is not injured in
ternally or course if we had known last
night that Dugans life was safe we would
not have FASTENED Jim's marriage; but it's
all right, anyhow"
The sentiment in the county is strongly in
favor Of the young couple. All the parties
are well-to-do country people and have borne
excellent regulations