The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-12-10
MARIA CAPERELLA ASSUMES MAT
RINIONIAL BURDENS AT A
VERY EARLY AGE.
SOCIETY ON UPPER LEVEE
IS GREATLY AGITATED OVER THE
CHIEF SOCIAL EVENT OF
YESTERDAY.
BRIDEGROOM IS OVER THIRTY,
And Disparity In Ages Has Aroused
Cnustic COmment-COmm
GaIIick Married Them.

Court Commissioner Gallick stirred
up hornets nest in the Italian colony
on the Upper levee yesterday by unit
ing in marriage Maria Caperella and
Joseph Rematia. The trouble arises
from the alleged disparity in the ages
Of the contracting parties. The dark
eyed bride is said to be but girl or
twelve years, while the swarthy groom
is alleged to be thirtythree years old,
and though the girls family sane
toned the marriage, the feeling among
the fiat jewellers is strong against the
union. 1t is claimed that the girl is
unfit for the duties Of wedlock by
reason of her tender age, and even the
Italians, who countenance early mar
riages, are indignant over the affair.
At their gathering places on the flats
last evening the marriage was a sub
ject of general discussion, and those
concerned in the union were criticised
in many quarters.
The little bride is the daughter of
Leonard Caperella, a laborer, living at
No. II, on the Levee road. She has al
ways been regarded as mere child
and when the news of her approaching
marriage became known several days
ago, it was denounced as an outrage.
Rematia is railroad laborer and re-
Gently returned to the city from en-
ployment in western construction work
with snug sum of money. No one as
sumed the responsibility of informing
the girls parents of the indignation
which the proposed marriage aroused
among the Italians and the arrange
ments for the event went joyouSly on.
Even blushing little Maria made no OBJ
lection, or if she did the fact was not
generally known. Her father wished
her to marry Rematia and peIhaps the
fflial instinct was strong enough in the
dark skinned maiden's breast for her
to quietly acquiesce. Neighbors say
that she had such vague ideas of the
obligations which she was about to as
sumo that she probably went to the
altar in childish wonderment.
Yesterday morning the residents of
the humble dwelling which shell ers the
Caperella family were early astir. 1t
was the day set for the wedding. Gay
bits of ribbon were arranged about the
prospective brides attire, and when,
shortly after 8 o'clock, four carriages
drove up to the dilapitated house, she
stood in the doorway with her par
ents, a pretty child with a gay colOged
scarf thrown lightly over her head, APP
parently pleased at the prospect of a
ride in a fine carriage. The groom was
seen on hand, and while the fat dwell
ers crowded their doOrWays and peered
from cracked window panes, the We
hicles hurried the wedding party
toward the court house. Here the in
tricacies of securing the marriage
license proved a matter of some delay,
but finally the party fled into Commits
sioner GalIick's office with the required
document. In his most impressive and
dignified manner the court commits
sioner performed the marriage cere-
mony, handed the bride groom mar
rage certificate, and pocketed his fee.
Attorney James Cormican and Leonard
Caperella, the girls father, signed the
certificate as witnesses. Following the
ceremony the bridal party returned to
the hut on the flats and celebrated the
marriage with appropriate national
customs.
When a reporter for the G o b Wis
tied the Caperella home last evening
the inmates had retired and declined,
through a crack in the door, to dis
cuss the marriage An interpreter ac-
companying the reporter said, how
ever, that there was good deal of
feeling on the flats over the affair, as
it was claimed that the bride was
nothing but a child. Her age. it is
said, was but twelve years, while that
of her husband, whom the interpreter
said he knew, was alleged to be over
thirty. Other Italians corroborate
the interpreters story, claiming that
the girl was but mere child, while her
husband was much olaer than she, diff
ferent ones placing his age all the way
from tyenty-three to over thirty