San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-02-08
ODD WEDDINGS.
Freaks Who Have Been Joined
Together in Wedlock.
One Couple Married by Proxy While
Thousands of Miles Apart Some
OF the Queer Franks of
Cupid.

| anu cudTdctcT frequently uulVS III LILO
holy bonds of matrimony-sometim
much to their mutual regret. This
peculiar fact, it would seem, also ap-
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
time toured the country as fat woman,
was married to Pennsylvania man,
and ii is stated as a 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 a week.
The italian consular agent at Gin
cinnati performed the most peculiar
marriage ceremony on record. The
groom was 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.
4 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
a man who at the time of the marriage
lay dying in Texas town. The bride
groom was represented in the cere-
mony by the brides cousin, who made
the necessary responses and signatures
as his 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 a widow.
The all-important ring is sometimes
forgotten, and in more than one case
the door key of the church has had to 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
1;eonrarnI he 81
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 practically married twice in
one day.
Cupid ran amucll some time ago
among the old folk Of a Georgia town.
An old soldier, rs years of age, led to the
altar an aged damsel who had seen ~
summers. There were three brides
maides, whose ages respectively were
GO, 6S and 20. They were all spinsters.
! The best man, who was IS, brought
the combined ages up to 423 years.
An unusual kind of marriage was
celebrated in New York recently. This
was between a couple both deaf and
dumb. They held prayer books while
friend pointed out the different
passages in the service as they yere
spoken by the clergyman, and they
made the customary responses in the
deaf and dumb alphabet.
An ingenious couple once conceived
the idea of being married by phono-
graph. In the place where the bride
groom resided he and the minister went
over the marriage service, and he recited
the proper responses into the instru-
ment. The photograph was sent to the
lady, she willingly supplying the re-
quisite 81 will'' and az do" in the pres
Cnce of her pastor, who then pro-
nounced the pair united in matrimony
No explanation is given of how they got
over the difficulty of the ring.
A well-known anthropologist, in de-
scribing various marriage customs, re-
fers to a strange sort of symbolical mar.
rage which is supposed to have orig
mated in India. 1t is a marriage with
trees, plants, animals and inanimate
objects. If anyone proposes to enter
upon a union which is not in accord
ance with traditional ideas, it is be
lieyed that i'll luck which is sure to fol
low may be averted by marriage o.
this kind, the evil consequences being
borne by the object chosen. In various
regions a girl must not marry befot'
her eldest sister, but the difficulty il
overcome by the eldest daughter mar
rying the branch of a tree. Then thu
| wedding of the vounper daughter may