Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-01-23

hair whereupon she graciously consented
to present him with a lock of the same
and he humbly confosses that he aocrptcl
kissed. and Pre- sed it to his heart Next
morning they stood side by side. r. NJ
Field holding Mary Almira's hand. and
Carolcssly turning the leaves OF a Bible.
wren his eye rested upon a passage of the
book jeremiah: "As for me, behold, / am
in your hand; do with me as seemcth good
and meet unto yOu.' Tho eupon. says Il.
NJ. Field, "hc pointed out such text to
said Mary Almira, nd she responded to
til" same with a blush ard Il SMILE lie
further dcclliod that with the kind per
mission of said Mary Almira he did at va
ricus times press the hand cf said Mary
Almira. ard with her like gracious per
mission did kiss her hand, her check. AMI
her lips"
Then they made a runaway marriage.
At Putrcy, in Windham county. the knot
was tied in tho front room OF the puolic
house. Tho ppir Immediately scpara tel
she repairing to her rome and he to his IT
seems to have bc"n an Urinary ceremony.
but we read that Eugene Yield had an
entirely different conception of the nature
of this marriage from that revealed 10y
the record. According to his version, there
was an Old blue law in Vermont which
rendered it nee, ssary, in order 10 cxoncr-
ate the groom in a runaway match from
any other motive than love and affection,
that the bride should be diVcsted Of all her
earthly goods So when Mary Almird ar
lived at Putn"Y, he thought that she re
tired to a closet removed her clothing;
and thrustinG her arm through a hol" in
the door, was joined in holy wedlock to
Roswell, who, with the Justice ana TIL
witness. rem lined in the outer room"
Undoubtedly Eugene Field had derive
this notion of his fathers ma rriage iron
the tradition Of "A marriage that had take
place in thu Field house On Newfane liza
in 1889. This Was the marriage of Majpr
Noses JOY Of Putr,y to Mrs Hannah
Ward of NoWfGnc. the story Of which is
related in the centennial history of New
fame. Mrs. Ward" says this histor.
placed hers If i'm a closet with a tir.-
oman, who strlut her Of all clothing md
willie i'm . perfectly nude state she thrust
her fair round arm through a diamond
hole In tho door of the closet. and thu al
liant major claspcd tho hand OF the nude
ana buXOn widow. az Il was married in duc
form by the iollcst parsCn in Vermont. At
the close of the ceremony the tireWouan
dressed the bride in "a complete wardropa
which the major had provided arr caus a
to he deposited in the cll set at the COM
nencement of the ceremony. She came
cut elegantly dressed in silk, satin. ana
lace. ard there was kissing all around"
Whatever the details regarding the mar
riagc OF Mary Almra to r. NJ, Field. his
l'IN - dEi''V llldN she new nome lllllUtNl-
atclS on the heels of the ceremony and
that she lost little time IN repudiatag the
contract Then "A very embarrassing in
tcrVi"W followed between Roswell and the
family of his recalcitrant bride. on enter
ing the room he advanced to Mary, and,
extending his hand. asked her how she did.
But she looked at her mother and rejected
his hand. \ similar advance to Mrs Su-
sauna met with a like rebuff. Being con-
sideratelY left alone In the room with Mary
Almra by her mother and brother, who
with sister, Stod at the door listening
Roswell had what he was not disposed TO
regard as private audience with his legal
wife. In answer to his natural inquiry as
to what II all meant, Mary said that since
she had como home and thought it all over
she found that she did love Jeremiah; that
jeremiah had been very kind to her. and
she thought she ought to marry jeremiah
Roswell inquired how she could do that, as
she was already married. Why said the
tickle Mary, YOU can give up the certih-
cate; let ii all go, and nobody will know
anything about it, After some natural re-
monstranccs Mary continued: Come, now,
you've got the certificate in your pocket.
and YOU can give it up just as well as not
and let me marry Jeremiah, at the same
time holding out her hand as if for the doc
umcut.'
This was too much for her husband. and
he told her hat If she attempted marriage
with anybody else he would publish her
marriage to him in every parish church
and newspaper in New England. At this
point, the story says, Mrs susanna en-
tered hastily and advanced in great agita-
tion and said: Mister Field, why can t
YOU give up that stifiiket, and let things he
as If they never had been But this Mr..
K. NJ. Field refused to do, and there fol-
lowed proceedings under the law which
constitute probably the most remarkable
case ever tried between Brattlcboro and
burlington. AS a result of that trial Mary
Almira was allow ed to be the legitimate
wife of jeremiah, and Roswell NJ. Field re-
moved to st Louis, where he began the
celebrated bred Scott case, and where Eu-
gene Field was born.