Year: 1878

On Tuesday were borne from sump-
tuous house high up on Fifth avenue, for
ntermCnt in II Connecticut town on the
New Haven Road, not far from this CITY,
the remains Of revcrcd wife and mother.
Half "a century ago, when she was the
only unmarried daughter Of an old aud
wealthy family Of the town in whose
cemetery her body now rests, she came to
New York in the bloom and vivacity of
a youth just conscious of its own power,
to visit the friendly household of one of
our first merchants. \ prolongation Of
her SojOurn here did not excite the re-
m0n,trancG Of her parents until they were
surprised by information that her delay
was possibly ucca ioned by the frcQuent
calls of gentleman, lieutenant Of the
British navy, whose attentions seemed
ominouSly serious, when her mother took
the family carriage precipitately for the
city to convey back forthwith the giddy
damsel. Upon arraignment before the
maternal bar the young lady did not deny
the tlCqucnt visits of the alleged suitor,
whom her New York friends had seen no
reason to interfere with; indeed, upon
stepping into the carriage to 90 home
Uhere was no New Haven Railroad them,
she said quite coolly: cts useless to
find fault now, ma, for am married.


Such, indeed, WAS the startling fact.
After short and only finally suspected
summers cOurtship, she and the lieuten-
ant had been clandestnely married, and
before the Mortified mother and romantic
daughter had been in their Connecticut
home twenty-four hours, the bold young
sailor was there, too, to claim his wife!
But he found her prisoner, locked in
her own room, and both parents met his
appeals with steady refusal to acknowl-
edge his authority. The girl was but
child, they said, not conscious of her own
mind, and they should resist with every
possible form Of law any attempt to re-
move her from their custody. The hus-
band, urging that they loved each other,
was told that she whom he had made his
wife, in name only, now bitterly regretted
her sentimental folly, and wished to see
him no more. Astounded ut this as5er-
ton, the young man passionatey i'm
pugned its truth. Would he be gener-
Gus enough to give her up, he was asked,
if she herself assured him of her decis-
ion TO that eifect2 Chivalrously, though
too rashIy, perhaps, he agreed so to do,
confident, undoubtedly, that she would
prove true to him,


And then came the most extraordinary
scene of the little drama. A married
sister strikingly resembling the yet i'm
prisoned virgin wife had been hastily
summoned from this city for the purpose,
aud artfully dressed to intensity the re-
semblance, hurriedly entered the room
where the Lieutenant was present, with
friend for witness, to learn his fate,
and, with simulated sobs hastily hid her
face on her mothers bosom. Supporting
her TO be the wife whom he agitatCdly
called by name, the deceived husband
begged her to 60 with him. II wish to
remain with my motherH' was the appar-
emily fearful answer, without so much us
glance for him; and without another
word, the Lieutenant bowed to parents
and child, and at once withdrew with his
friend from the room and the house. On
his way back to New York by steamboat
favoritc dog that accompanied him
leaped overheard, and he, plunging
instantly over to the rescue, was drowned.