The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-09-12
HER SUIT FOR A HUSBAND
MISS QUICK CLAIMS WEALTHY
NIX. WOOD as HER OWN.

MR. WOOD as HER OWN.
s,a Is over fifteen Years His Senior,
a,d He SAYS he Never Married Her.
strange Case in a Pennsylvania
Court.
From the Ne1q York Sun.
1Ursr CHESTER, Sept S-One Of the
,,ost interesting cases ever tried in Chester
,orn,v is now on in the court here. 1t is
80 case of Ivy w. Quick against James
Emile Wood. Miss Quick says she is the
rife of Young Wood. aud charges him with
desartion. Miss Quick is a plain mascu-
1ina-appearing woman Of 35, while young
WOOD the defendant, is less than 20 years
old slender and intelligent He will be
come the possessor of large property
wben he reaches his majority. Miss Quick,
who was employed as a teacher in the
sobool which Young Wood attended here,
alleged that she and her pupil were married
IN Camden, and then, again, that the cere-
1nonv was performed in her brother-in
iaviS house. She is the daughter of the
Rev. Mr.. Quick, a prominent minister OF
the gospel. Young Wood refuses to live
With her and denies the marriage, charging
that he was forced t. sign a marriage GER
tifcate by threats of shooting. The woman
then brought suit for desertion and main
At to-dav's hearing the first witness ex-
orined was ULYSSES g. Croft, who married
a sister of Ivy's, and at whose house the
marriage is alleged to. have taken place.
Jnterviewers have made attempts to get his
story for several weeks past, and it was
given to the public for the first time to-day.
He said:
sOn March 80. 1888, Ivy and Mr.. James
Emile Wood called at my house and there
said that they were going to Camden on
some business for lyy's father, the Rev.
Mr.. Quick. The next day, March 81, they
returned to my house. Emile and she both
told me that they had been to Gloucester.
N j.. to get married, but had been unable
TO have the ceremony performed; that the
minister refused to marry them owing to
Mr.. Wood not being of age.
az had read fe " DAYS before of a case of
a person marrying a couple when the per-
son reading the ceremony was not min
lister or magistrate, and the court held 1t
was not necessary that the person perform
ing the ceremony should be magistrate or
minister | found the article, and Wood
read it. Mr.. Wood then urged me to per
form the ceremony. / hesitated. | was
still afraid it might not be proper, but
finally consented. Ivy came into the room
and what had occurred was narrated to
her. She consented TO the proposition that
they be married then and there. My wife
also came in and was made aware of the
proposition.
MIR Wood then said he wished a mar
riage certificate. l said I did not know how
to fill one up. He suggested that l get my
own. My wife went upstairs and got it,
and copied it, and my wife and l signed
as witnesses read the Episcopal service,
leaving out the unimportant parts. asked
the usual questions and they answered in
the affirmative with clasped hands, When
l asked for the ring, he said Ivy had one
he had bought at Wanamaker's, intending
to use it in the marriage ceremony, but as
they had failed in their effort he had given
it to her as birthday present. She pro-
duced tie ring and they were married with
itn
marriage certificate was shown to the
witness, and he identified it as the one he
had filed UP for the couple. The witness
then proceeded:
1--WE then went to supper and Ivy and
Emile remained over night. They were
several times at my place afterward. had
no doubt afterward that they were mar
ried. They enj ined secrecy upon me con-
corning the matter, because Emile SAID he
did not want his folks in Pittsburg to know
of his marriage
The following is a copy of the marriage
certificate as reduced in court:
Il, U. G. Croft, hereby certify that on the
3lst day of March, 1888, at Chester Valley
James Emile wood and Ivy Ashton Quick were
by me united in marriage"
"U. G. CROFT
Walter P. Ash Of West Caen township
this county, testified that Ivy aud Wood
while at his house said that they were mar
rled: They did not occupy the same room,
as Miss Qulck's parents were there at the
same time, and be understood they wanted
TO Keep the marriage secret.
Woods counsel presented a paper to the
court IL which the defendant says: 81 deny
that any contract of marriage was ever
entered into between myself and the defen-
dant. No person authorized under the laws
OF pennsylvania to perf3rm marriage
ceremony ever performed such ceremony
between myself and the defendant No
consent OF my guardian was ever given to
any marriage between myself and The de.
iendant. NO license of any sort or
Kind was ever issued by any clerk of anv
orphans court Of Pennsylvania. | never
went through any ceremony of MARRIAGE
formal or Informal, in any place outside of
Pennsylvania"
In the eighth paragraph the defendant
says:
''In the house Of the sister ana brotber-;p-
law Of the plaintiff, on or about the 3Ist
Jay OF March, 1855, under threats of the
oeIehdant that she would expose my past
cohauct toward my guardian and trustees.
ana that she would shoot me if did not
sign certificate, l signed a certificate. |
ga not marry her or agree to marry her.
"a tne contrary, / said to her, being a
4nIlor' could not marry, and that | did
not want to marry. The singing of the
paper was the result of the Influence over
me, acquired as | have stated, and then
possessed by the defendant | was then and
LOT OF years had been accustomed to obey her"
rev; T. W. Quick, the father, swore that
ne nad been intrusted with Woods moral as
I Ven as ms general education, but he did not
ions until told by his wife.
! ne court referred the bill to the court in
LILY, under which the proceedings will be
u ,'g tc MASTER to hear evidence as to