The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-12-02
A MARRIAGE.
A Girls Device to Avoid Testifylng
Against her Lover.

~ ~
Against her over.
A dispatch from Marion, Va, tells the
following story Of a marriage under ex-
t~ranrdinary circumstances:
Last Tuesday, Mr.. James Faunt'eroy, q
we'll to-do young farmer, went out walking
on Ragged Edge Hill with Miss Mollie
Downes, the bella of Chatham Hill village.
While passing along q narrow pathway on
the mountain side ~overlIanging a deep "a
vine they were accostet by Mr.. Pierre Du-
gan, another farmer, who hal bcers a sutton
for Miss Downes' hand for several years.
Dugan came npon tho couple while young
Fauntleroy's arm was around the girfs
waist. He began to rcproach 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 a 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.
Fauntleroy's friends were mu III alarmel
as to what his fate would be if Dugan should
die. Fauntleroy's brother, who is a lawyer,
suggested that it was a pity Jim was not
married, as Miss Downes could not be made
to appear as a witness against her own hus-
band. The suggestion was quickly caught at,
and Lawyer Fauntleroy went 10 Thomas
Downes, brother of the girl, and after some per-
%suasion, induced him to consent, o the n
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 q cousin in the office Of til county
clerk, Tom Downes got o 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 O
minister named Peterson. The party had
previously located the cell occupied by the
prisoner, and they now pushed their carriage
directly against the jail wall, under thu cell
window.
Lawyer F~auntleroy jumped on to the seat
of tho carriage, ana thrusting his hand
through the iron grating. broke through the
glass of the window, at the same time calling
out to his brother to rsassre him. The lot
ter, by dragging his cot under the window i'll
the cell and standing on the ~headboard, man
aged to get his head on a level with the Win
dow. The necessity for the marriage was
quickly explained and then ha tSe
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 tho 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 braccd against the
Jail wall. In this position she could easily
graspIher expectent lovers hand, which she
kissed fervently. 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.
sit was quite a picturesque scene," re-
marked Lawyer Fauntleroy to-day, when he
was laughingly relating the story. 1T
seemed to me at the time that the wedding
was without a parallel in this or any other
country. Brother Jim has a good, true and
plucky 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.
t~ernally. OF course if we had known last
night that Dugan's 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.