, 1889-09-19
A DEAD BRIDEGROOM.
.tNE WOMAN AND A DEAD Man
weoOED Al tbs COFFlN'S SIDE.

-. Fell Dc.tr"ysr Steps Evtw Two
Lover. hut In HI> rre~Rn"e Their Hand
Ar. Ioiurd VIII" aud What the Inter
.,t,d rarti.., Were and Are.
Ionce interviewed for The Sun young
voman with bright blue eyes and pink
Nee who had been married" to a dead
man. She stood beside The coffin in
which the dead man rested, and placed
her right hand in hls right hand, as her
father stuod n the head of the coffin and
read the c, rrmnuv and answered for the
voicclcss lips IL tho coffin. That Young
Son,an is alive today, and lived at last
accounts in Elm avenue, Philadelphia
She formerly iiv,I in New York. but
after the strange r..r"mOny went to the
Quaker City and u'arrird truck driver.
Il Is long story that led up to the cpre-
nony. and one that required months
work, day and night, to thoroughly silt
and demonstrate It's truthfUlncss.
SINGULAR CEREMONY.
4 little over dozen years ago 4 scion
OF the Polish aTistocraCy, with eminent
connections in Paris, came to New York
70 live. He was fairly wealthy at the
time, and later on was Joined by his
mother, widow. They lived in Il num-
Der OF New York boarding houses, and at
las: put up permanently in ono in Wash.
ingtOn square. The young man there
met tho blue eyed young woman and
fell pasSionately in love with her. She
was the daughter of the landlady of the
house.
The money of the mother and son be,
gan 10 give out, and they were joined hy
an aunt from Paris, whose sole wealth
was in valuable paintings. The youu&
man was stricken down with quick con
sumption. AS his dying day approached
the father and mother Of the young girl
suggested that the young people bo mar
ried. Tho mother and aunt Of the youn%
man acquiesced, but before the ceremony
could he performed he died.
His relatives could not speak English
They wcro devouU members Of the Cath
ulc church, and were told hv the father
and mother of the young woman that
the laws of the church in this country
permitted a marriage between deaf
man and their living daughter. The
dead mans relatives ut first demurrCd.
and then acQuiesced. \ friend of ii,
lhe parties who WAS present at the cere
mOny said that the body was in fuE
evening dress, and WAS leaned up against
the wall of the parlor, where il picture
was taken before II was Put into the
oofiin for the ceremony, ''!hCVe - the
spot" the witness s~Iil - I2c. 2S she
pointed 10 4 corner Il ihe IL-Tl0T, AND
don't l remember distinctly now fright
ened my little daughter Mas wi3r0 shA
catered tbs parlor and SAW the dead
man standing il the corner before the
photographer came. When the time for
the ceremony arrived score of people
were clustered in the room, and the bride,
standing beside IN. coffin, took her dead
lovers hand in hers Her father, at the
hid OF the coffin, first addressed the
epEpse, Max, wilt thou have Fanny to
be thy welded wire? etc, after the man
neF of the ritual, and, bending down into
the coffin. he uttered q seoulchraI Yea
for the corpse.
Turning To Fanny, the father said:
wilt thou have Max for thy welded
hushandg etc, and Fanny, between her
sobs said Yes y ring that had been
bought for the occasion was then slipped
on tho wedding ilnSer of the young wo
MaH. All the company then had cakes
and wine and q wedding jollilication.'
NOW a TRUCK DRIVERS WIFE.
The body of that young man now
rests in sealed coffin in old st. Patricks
cathedral i'll Mulberry street. The
mother of the boy is dead. The aunt
was the Countess Marie de Pruschoif.
Even in the little room in Eidridge
street, where she told mo of this strange
ceremony, she looked veritable grand
dame of France. She was co years old,
and her silver hair combed over her fore
head and her diSni1ied mien were truly
aristocratic. She was in i little room
Is by u, and was making shirts for
livelihood. She managed to exc out So
Q week. She had been accustomed To
sll the luxuries of life She spoke of the
dead boy as my crown. my pride and
my JOY"
Tho mother of the boy was the Coun-
cess Bctkowska. 3Iax as 4 boy went to
school with the Dominicans in Paris and
at The Lycee Ronaparte while waiting to
be admitted to the Orat0riens. learned
religious order.
The parents al the girl were SIR. and
Mrs. +. L. E:H:nert?:. They frankly adj
mittcd the marriage, and SD did the girl
i loved Max very Inuch, she said to
me, land we were betrothed. y mar
riagc ceremony was a2id between us rs
ho lay in his collin. | was known as
Nine. dc Bc;kowek;i for long time after
Aax's death. | TOOK his namc after tho
ceremony. and want To say this: That
In the event of the death of Ills mother
and aunt / should consider myself en-
titled to any pro?,rty that should fall to
Nax's widow. II the i''ucsiic said
Mls she WAS th,. wi''' of the Philadelphia
tFuckinAn,
All the parties interested have phOtD-
graphs OF the body ii cTcninS dress as 1t
stood in the corner before the ceremony.
The ceremony took place Oh Oct. II,
1873. at So South Washington square.
Tho principals uil s=cciGcd IL accept the
ceremony as L.nGing. The Countess
PruschOff owned the famous Murillo,
THE FlaScliatioa of Christ, ON cxhibi-
tiCn several years ago at the Mctroiolitan
museum. There Is contest for Ifs
ownership among several lawyers grow
ing out of this strange cercnony.-ss
porter in New York Sun,
The general ,.,..IS..y of what are called
our beS; s.n.ip;y circles on points OF
American i.trr...are iJ illustrated tg the
personal experience o: lady recently,
70 whom a young dude" spoke of that
fallo1,, C.ccLhri,Ioa vou know, who