The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-10-25
GENERAL MERRITT wEDDED.
Married to Miss Williams of Chicago, il
 London.

Married to Miss Williams of Chicago, in
 London.
 London, Oct. 24.-Major General Wes- ley Merritt, who was recently in com- mand of the United States troous at Manila, was married privately late this afternoon to Miss Laura Williams of Chicago, who recently arrived here from New York
 The ceremony was performed at six o'clock this evening in the brides apart
 ments at the Savoy hotel. It had been planned to have the ceremony take place in St. Andrews church, Westmin- ster, but an illness which Miss Williams contracted during the voyage over here necessitated the simplest possible cere- mony and the avoidance of exertion and excitement.
 Consequently only a few most inti- mate friends were present. They were Mrs. Norman Williams, the brides mother; Norman Williams, jr., brother of the bride; Lord and Lady Arthur Butler, Henry White, the United States charge de'affaires, and Marshal Dodge. A less ostentatious wedding could not be imagined. The general strolled from the Metropole to the Savoy unattended, wearing a beaver hat, a frock coat and a white tie. The party gathered ill the drawing room, which had been beauti
 fled with a few flowers. The Hon. and
 Rev. John Northcote, rector of St. An
 drew's, officated. The bride entered on the arm of her brother, who gave
 her away. She was attired in white satin and wore the usual veil and or ange blossoms. Though looking i'll, the bride stood throughout the ceremony and pronounced the responses in a strong voice.
 After the ceremony MT. White pro- posed the health of the bride, which was drunk with enthusiasm, and the members of General Merritt's staff en- tered and congratulated the newly mar ried couple. Their friends afterwards departed and MT. and Mrs. Merritt din- | ed alone.
 | The brides illness, which for time | it was feared would develop into ty- phoid fever, was the cause of the aban- donment of the plan to have the cere- mony take place in St. Andrews church. | In fact, yesterday it was thought the | wedding would have to be postponed in- | definitely, but Miss Williams was much | improved this morning.
 l Then the red tape of English law | threatened to be another obstacle, but | thanks to the friendly offices of Henry | White it was overcome. When General | Merritt's aide-de-camp applied for a certificate to the registrar he was in- ! formed that four days notice was nec- essary MT. White then was appealed 1 to. He had just returned from visiting A. J. Balfour, the first lord of the | treasury and government leader in the house of commons, in Scotland, and he spent the afternoon in impressing upon the officials the importance of waiving | formalities. After much driving about | and many interviews MT. White suc- | ceeded in obtaining the desired docu- | ment, though the expectant couple were | kept waiting for an hour after the time | fixed for the ceremony.
 The illness of the bride has not prov ed as serious as was expected, and MT. | and Mrs Merritt will be able to carry out their plan of going to Paris at the end of the week. They will proceed to | the Philippine Islands after the ad- journment of the peace commission.