The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-10-12

Reports from Munich state that the
condition of King Otto of Bavaria, who
has been n lunatic since 1870, has
changed for the worse and that his
death is expected:
others, keep thee only unto her so long
as ye both shall live?'
| The bridegroom replied distinctly: 81
will" And fell dead.
| The tragic episode, enacted recently in
| this state, has started an avalanche of
complications. The stricken bridegroom
was a man of wealth. The bride was
| Of slender means, says the New York
Evening Mail.
| Friends of the strangely widowed little
woman declare she has a right to one
| third of Edmund's real property, being
| in their opinion not only morally and
ethically his widow, but legally as well.
BY this IT will'' they contend Edmund
subscribed unequivocally to the marriage
| conract the mere fact that the ceremony
was not completed having no real bearing
on the case.
| Those who oppose this view declare a
mutual VOW is necessary to make a mar
riage legal. A fragmentary religious for
| mula, in which the bride has taken no
verbal part, cannot, they say, be con-
strued a basis for a claim of dover.
| Is Marguerite Mrs. Edmund? Or still
Miss Marguerite?
Minister Gives Up
| The minister who was performing the
ceremony shook his head and declined to
express an opinion, having no precedent
| to guide him.
| A lawyer among the wedding guests
a 1, ...s.
although never had he known similar
case, nor was he posted as to recently
| enacted marriage laws
| Over at the marriage license bureau in
| city hall 1t is the opinion that Marguerite
| is still unwed Clerk Stuart Harris has
| seen many cases of interrupted marriage
ceremonies and thinks no court would de-
| eide that the mere sign1fed intention Of
| the groom is sufficient to constitute legal
marriage.
II believe" said he, through his un-
sentimental little criss-cr wicket, 'that
| a pronouncement by the minister of JUS
| tice that the couple are husband and
wife must be made before marriage is
completed.
Common law marriage, of course, has
| been done away with, only those COM
mon law marriages being held legal
which antedated the new amendment. 1t
Is not enough that two persons simply
| declare themselves man and wife.
| "They may be married, however, by
various forms. 1t might possibly be held
that the statement by the groom that he
| would have the woman for his welded
| wife, to love, comfort and keep, ETC., con-
stituted a. certain form of marriage cere-
mony, but I don't think so.
II have known some of them actually
to run away in the midst of the cere-
mony. These, so far as / know, were
never held to be legal marriages. But
it would take lawyer to pass definitely
upon such an unusual case"
Says They We're Not Married
70. Mortimer Boyle, a prominent law
yer, of 81 Nassau street. says that Mar
guerite and Edmund were not married by
the interrupted ceremony.
I'm the state of New York" says Mr..
Boyle, there is a general rule applying
in such cases that, in the presence of
the magistrate or-clergyman and at least
one witness, both parties to the marriage
must declare that they take each other
as husband and wife.
1T would, therefore seem clear that
the man and woman in this most extraor-
dinary case were no more married than if
the bridegroom had died an hour before
the ceremony was begun
Mr.. Boyle knows no precedent for the
case of Edmund and Marguerite, whose
friends declare 1t will be brought before
a judge and decided once and for all. no
matter what anybody thinsn about it.