The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-03-17
WHICH. GETS HERR
First Stone, Then Johnson
Miss Summers Choice
IredeIl County the Scene of Thrilling
Love Chase for a Maids
Hand and
Heart.

Statesville, N. c., March 16.-(Special)
Thrilled with interest while awaiting the
climax and wondering at the ways OF love
and Dan Cupid, all Statesville is a-listen-
ing and a-watching.
Two lovers with but a single thought,
each with marriage license in his pocket,
each dashing out of town behind spirited
horse, and each bound IN mad haste Tor
the same girls smile and hand, lett every
one on tiptoe with expectancy and
who gets hero is the anxious query to-
night.
Yesterday a visitor came i'll TO see
Register of Deeds NJ c. Williams, and his
request was for a marriage license. j. M.
Johnson, lineman with the Statcsvllle
Telephone Company, was the visitor and
he had private talk with Mr.. Williams.
Says he: Il want to forestall another
man who is after license for the same
girl, and l don't want you to let him
have one" The register said he would
have to do so, in fact that if all the
SWANS Of Iredell who are wooing came
for license he would issue them, so long
as they had the cash, and nobody had yet
married the DeauCe0uS mdld
Mr.. Johnson departed, and shortly ap-
peared Mr.. James Stone, an energetic
young farmer of Iredell, son of Squire Ru-
fus Stone, one of the most prominent far
mers of the contry, who said to the regis
ter: II want marriage license, and the
yong aldy is Miss Mary Summers, the
daughter of Mr.. William Henry Harrison
Summers this being another prominent
farmer of Iredell county.
The Register of Deeds was in for it. for
her was sutton number two. why,
says he, 1--WE just sold license to j.
NJ. Johnson That made no difference to
Stone. who bought one also, saying Miss
Summers had discarded Johnson. Hav-
ing obtained license number two for the
same girl, the second lover departed.
Both men were at the young lady S
home in Bethany township, this county,
at the same hour. The parents favored
Stone, who had been a sutton for seven
years, and it was arranged that he and
Miss Summers be married here today at
the time appointed. Thus Stone seemed
the winner.
Stone called for his hoped-for bride to-
day. and all seemed we'll The young lady
said good-gye and left with Stone for this
place, the expectation being that she
would return as Mrs. James Stone, but
that is not decided at, 8 o'clock tonight,
for there has been a presto-change act.
Reaching StatesNille, the couple drove
to the home of Rev. J. H. Pressly, but
the girl said she wanted to make sons
purchases irst. Stone then drove to a
store on the main street and waited in
TIE buggy while his girl went in to buy a
wedding hat, so she said. But inside she
phoned to Johnson, so that he might come
and elope with her through the back door.
This was Johnson's opportunity, and in
a minute or so the spry wdower, who
wanted wife, was at Miss Summer
side, ready to seize the opportunity. He
bad a few worlds with the young lady
whom he had been c2urting for four
months and out Of the back door they
disappeared, while Stone, confident for
awhile, began to grow anxious. The de-
lay of the girl alarmed him, and he made
inquiries, but-alas-too late.
Being told that the couple had gone to
Rev Fl. j. Boyer's residence to be mar
r:cd, he drove there but in vain He inn
mediately proceeded to the Register OF
Deeds office from whom ne had gotten
the license, threw it on his table and said
70 the gentleman in the office, You may
have them
Meanwhile Johnson and his young bride
to- be were waiting in the office of the To-
cal telephone company, planning as to the
best course TO pursue.
At s O'Clock they were not married.
The town is in the greatest excitement
over the romantic scene, for it occurred at
a store on the main business street in the
town and in five minutes time it was on
the lips of every man, woman and child
on the streets. "Who gets the girl?" is
the burning inquiry, for Stone may yet
have another chance.