Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1897-01-07
ODD WEDDINGS.
Freaks Who Have Been Join d
Together in Wedlock.
One Couple Married by Proxy While
Thousands of Miles Apart-Some
of the Queer Franks Of
Cupid.

The conventional idea of wedding
does not agree with the tastes of some
people, and occasionally very eccentric
and sometimes romantic marriage
ceremonies are solemnized. Men and
women entirely opposite in disposition
and character frequently unite in the
holy bonds of neutrality-suspicious.
much to their mutual regret. This
peculiar fact, it would seem, also APP.
piles to oddities of human nature. In
many of the travelling shows the freaks
who help to draw money from the pub
lie intermarry, and it is not an unusual
thing to find the fat man welded tothe
skeleton woman, and the tattooed man
to the bearded lady.
Mrs, Hannah Battersby, who at one
timetoured the country as fat woman,
was married to Pennsylvania man,
and 1t is stated as curious fact that no
sooner were they married than she be-
gan to lose flesh and he to gain it. His
weight increased so rapidly that he soon
took to exhibiting himself as fat man.
An exception to this rule of contrast,
however, was Col. Glover, the giant,
who stood six feet seven inches. He was
welded to Martha Peabody, the Ameri-
can giantess. Several years ago, when
they appeared in public together, they
used to receive as much as $3.50 week.
The italian consular agent at Gin
cinnati performed the most peculiar
marriage ceremony on record. The
groom was a well-to-do resident of the
Ohio city and his bride lived in Italy.
The contracting parties were thousands
of miles apart when the wedding was
performed, the marriage being by
proxy. The consul filled in a blank
certificate, which he forwarded to au.
thorities in Italy, who in the presence
Of the parish priest exhibited it before
the bride, who affixed her signature,
accepting it as her action. The mar
riage was perfectly binding.
A very similar ceremony was per-
formed some time ago. The affair took
place by proxy, and Miss Maple was
married by a clergyman in New York to
man who at the time of the marriage
lay dying in u Texas town. The bride
groom was represented in the cere
mony by the BRIDES cousin, who made !
the necessary responses and signatures
as mis- proxy. The two lovers had been
engaged for a long time, and Miss Maple
wished to bear the name of her be-
trothed even though she could do so
only as widow.
The all-important ring is sometimes
forgotten, and in more than one case
the door key of the church has had &c do
duty, but it is not often that portions Of
the marriage service are omitted. In
a southern town, however, a little while
ago, after the party had left the church
it was discovered that the clergyman
had forgotten the words, with this
ring I thee We'd" etc, thus relieving
the bridegroom of the most serious
part of his obligations, and the fair
bride was minus a wedding ring. In
stead of sitting down to breakfast The
party hurried back to the church and
were thus practlca!ly married twice IN
one day.
Cupid ran amuck some time ago
among the old folk of Georgia town.
An old soldier, rs years ofa5e, led to the
altar an aged damsel who had seen 70
There were three brides
maides, whose ages respectively were
GO, CS and 70. They were all spinsters.
The best man, who was rs, brought
the combined ages up TO 1873 years.
An unusual kind of marriage was
celebrated in New York recently. This
was between q couple both deaf and
dumb. They held prayer books while
a friend pointed out the different
passages in the service as they yere
spoken by the clergyman, and they
made the customary responses in Tie
deaf and dumb alphabet.
An ingenious couple once conceived