The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1906-03-09
who knew and liked the handsome son

OF MS OLD friend.
About a year ago the young lover
asked his iancee to set the date. And
right there the trouble commenced. She
consented to be married on May IL, but
stipulated that Rev. Mr.. Miley must per-
form tho ceremony. Pickens, who did
not care who performed the ceremony.
l%aughingly asked why she wanted that
particular minister instead of the home
preacher. And she told him the story
of her mothers and of the
childish VOW she had made that she
would be married by the same man.
So he told her that he would make the
arrangement.
by the way" he said, where does
Mr.. Miley live?"
Il don't know. l never thought Of
that replied the girl. "He lived owe
at Crowley then"
"Ill drive over to Crowley tomorrow
and find him." said the lover.
Begin Search for Minister.
That was the beginning of the world
search for the missing minister. Pick
ems went to Crowley and found that
the minister had moved away from
there Is years ago, less than a year after
he performed the ceremony. He hunted
among the old inhabitants until he
found one who remembered that Miley
had gone down somewhere near Spar
tanburg, s. c., to preach. Pickens went
there and learned that the church had
sent Miley as a missionary minister into
the hill country Of the western end Of
the state.
BY that time 1t was April, and the date
set for the wedding was approaching
rapidly. Pickens wrote, appealing to
the church authorities to give him some
trace of the man.
The latest record they had of him
was 1896, when an entry in the books
showed that he had resigned a charge
near Murphy. and no further trace Of
him was found.
Pickens hurried to Murphy. The
p~arishioners remembered that Rev. MI.
Miley had been offered a missionary po-
s%ition--they thought in some northern
state-and had accepted. Then Pickens,
getting panic stricken, placed adver-
tisements in scores of newspapers, ask
ing for information regarding the min
lister.
The advertisement brought results.
He found four ministers named j. w.
Miley and nine ministers named Miley
whose first names were not definite. The
week before the date set for the wedding
he received a telegram saying that the
man he sought was preaching heal Bel
fast, o. He wrote and telegraphed, hop
ing to the last minute that he might be
able to get the minister there, and then
received a reply from the Belfast Miley
stating that he never had lived In the
south at all, but would be proud and glad
to come on and perform the ceremony.
For a time Pickens hesitated whether
or not to bring on the Belfast minister
and pass him off as the Miley who was
wanted. Then, realizing that discovery
of such a trick might wreck the life hap
piness of both, le abandoned the idea,
and, going to Miss Hinshaw, he pleaded
with her to give up her plan, and to let
the home minister perform the care-
mony.
Wedding Is Postponed.
Her trousseau was all prepared the
preparations made, the negroes all ex-
cited owe the coming marriage of
missile" Liza, but the girl refused, and
the wedding was postponed.
No definite date was set then, as she
promised to marry him as soon as he
found the minister.
Pickens hen sent an appeal to the
officers of every church organization in
the country asking for information. He
advertised again. Finally he learned
that a Rev. Mr.. Miley had served as a
missionary in India and hen had been
SEN to Africa.
Whether 1t is the same minister or not
Pickens could not learn. He had, &C
cording to the church authorities, in
herited quite a sum of money and had
volunteered for the work, paying his
own expenses and acting as a sort of frea
lance missionary.
Pickens cabled American and English
consuls, wrote to resident missionaries,
tried in every means to get into COM
municatiOn with his man, or the one he
supposed to be his man, but never could
hear directly. He finally learned that
the minister was among the natives in
the French Congo region.
Now he is preparing to start for the
Congo. But there are those who declare
Miss Hinshaw is beginning to waver,
and that she will decide at the last min
ute that any minister will do.
Hunters Thrilling Experience.
Loyal, Wis. - Harry Riddel and
James Cook, both prominent citizens