Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1913-07-22
Jersey City Girl Tells OF
Marrying Staten island Man
lust for a Dare"
INTOXICATED AT TIME
Met Paul P, White First
Time at SChutzen Park Ger
emOny the Same Night
special 10 the EVENING NEWS.


Trenton, July 22:-One evening
IN June, 1910, Miss Catherine
Higbee, OF l6 Stevens avenue, Jersey
City, feeling warm and restless, went
TO Schutzen Park, in the Greenville
section of the city, where she met
Miss Maize Frazier, OF 23 Greenyiue
avenue, her chum and workmatei
Dennis J. Mccarthy and Paul P.
White, of New Brighton, Staten
Island.
The latter three were seated at a
table drinking. They called Miss
Higbee to join them, introducing her
to White, these two never having
met. This was the most momentuus
period in Miss Higbee's life, for be-
fore the night was over she and
White were married under circum-
stances which 1t is doubtful have had
their counterpart in the state. The
revolving story of the wedding is told
in the suit brought In the Court of
Chancery by the girl for annulment
of the ceremony. The case was heard
by Special Master John s. McMaster,
of Jersey City, and he has recom-
mended that the marriage be set
aside. Chancellor Walker has allow
ed the decree nisi, which will become
permanent in six months.
The marriage Is annulled on the
ground that Miss Higbee was so in
toXicated that she was incapable of
consenting to the ceremony and was
temporarily deprived of the power of
choice. The events connected with
the wedding are graphically set forth
in the report filed In the Court OF
Chancery by the Special Master.
At the time the ceremony took
place Miss Higbee was only eighteen
years old, while White was twenty
four. The date of the occurrence
was June 26, 1910. According to
the events in the case the four young
people spent the evening in Schutzen
Park, during which time Miss Higbee
had three or four wines" Then
they took cab and drove to the
Grand Restaurant, at Montgomery
and Washington streets, Jersey City,
where they spent some time in fur
ther drinking. Miss Higbee testified
that here she drank about nine
cocktails.
BY this time all excepting Nc
Carthy were intoxicated, he not
having drunk anything. At this
juncture the party was quite hilari-
GUS and Mccarthy and Miss Frazier
dared White and Miss Higbee to get
married, although they had not met
until few hours before. They re-
fused to be dared and at about one
O'Clock in the morning started again
in the cab to hunt a justice OF the
tn
Two or three Jersey City police
men were appealed to, and finally
one of them directed the party to
Justice of the Peace Edward Mark
ley, of Henderson street, Jersey City.
Markley was in bed, but the police
officer admitted the party to his
house.
The testimony shows that McCar-
thy said to Miss Frazier: II dare
you to pull the justice of the peace
out of bed"
Miss Frazier Immediately went to
Markley's room and pulled him out
of bed. Then he came into his Office
partly dressed and performed the
ceremony. Miss Frazier ana Nc
Carthy both testified before the spec
ial master that Miss Hlgbee and
White were both so intoxicated they
were barely able to stand up during
the ceremony.
Miss Higbee testified that she had
no recollection whatever Of the mar
riage as she was In an intoxicated
condition throughout the night Az
ter the ceremony Miss Higbee was
taken to the home of Miss Frazier,
where she spent the remainder OF
the night. The next day when she
came to her senses she found the
marriage certificate in her stocking.
what does this mean?" she ask
ed Miss Frazier
That means you and Paul were
married." was the reply.
Testifying in her own behalf as
the reason why the ceremony should
be annulled, Miss Higbee said:
when we got into the carriage to
hunt a justice of the peace all of our
party seemed to be drunk ana what
you might call stewed, except Me-
Carthy, who didn't drink."
The evidence showed that the
couple never lived together, White
returning TO Staten Island the next
day. After having sobered up. he
admitted he had no intention OF
making Miss Higbee his wife. Miss
Frazier and Mccarthy treated the
whole thing as a huge joke. The
marriage was kept a secret until this
suit was brought.