Year: 1878

he married glrl OF twenty, and when
the burden Of sixty years bore him down
his wife was only half his age. Dods-
worth was noted for his peculiarities, but
the climax came when be found himself
on his diving bed. lie was worth thirty
thousand dollars, and he hadn'. blood
relation living, so far as he knew. He
wanted to leave his property to his wife,
as the pair had lived very hapil v, but
yet he could not leave it without display
ing some Of his pecuiarities in the pro-
visions Of the will.


Some old men display a mean spirit
when making their wills, and draft in
provision cutting the wife of without a
shilling if she msrries again This old
man wasn't Of that stamp. His young
wife was good-looking, vivacious, fond Of
society, and it was folly to suppose she
would mourn for her late departed 3"
any great length Of time. Therefore
Mr. Dodsworth turned h. heel on the US
ual custom, and said in his will


" In case my wife, Celia, does not take
unto herself another husband within thir-
teen months from date Of my burial all
bequests otherwise made in this will are
to revert to the State of Michigan, to be
used for building and furnishing home
for old women"


Whether Celia was pleased or di.pleas-
rl ,t Z l,; I 4
but the old man bad not been under the
sod more than six months when the wild
ow was said to be looking ont for another
man. If it was singular for the dying
Dod,worth to urge his wife to marry
again, it was still more singular that he
should desire the ceremony to be per
formed under the following circumstan-
ces, viz:


"And it is made incumbent on said
Celia Dodswoth that, in taking new
husband, the marriage ceremony shall be
performed in big barn on my farm. on
the IL road. 1t shall take place at
ten O'Clock in the evening, on the main
floor. without lights Of any description,
with all doors shut, and free invitation
shall be extended to all. The clergyman
shall stand in the stables, and the bride
and groom on the main floor, and the
principal parties to the ceremony shall
be dressed in black throughout"


The widow announced her intention to
faithfully obey in spirit and letter. The
will was probated, and the twelfth month
had scarcely passed before she issued an
invitation for the public 10 attend wed
ding at the big barn. just whom the
groom was to be, no one could positively
assert, as the widow had been keeping
company with widower, bachelor,
and two young men, and it WAS thought
she loved one as well rs the other. Beng
good looking and talented, and having
fortune behind her, it was not strange
that she shodid have n number OF suitors
She seemed to enter into the spirit ofthe
affair with great zest, rs also did the min
ister and To further mystify the people
in attendance, the bride entered the barn
alone at one door, the groom alone at an
other, and no one knew the minister had
arrived until bis voice was heard in the
stable.


There were at least two hundred people
present, and each one understood that
even the striking of match would break
the will. Many jokes were passed aud
considerable confusion existed, but ut
length the minister announced that all
was ready. The ceremony was gone
through with, and at its conclu.inn. the
affair having been profound success, :"
rush was made for the bride she was
kissed by hundred mon, and was then
carried home-a distance Of mile aud a
half--in a big arm chair.


Now comes the mystery. when the
lady was set down at her own door, the
widower, the bachelor and the two young
men, each claimed to be her TRUE and law
ful husband. None Of the crowd could
say who was :he lucky man the minis
ter was at sea, and the bride herself seem
ed to have doubts. The widower was the
man Of her choice, but in the confusion
he could have been hustled aside, and he
did affirm that An attempt was made to
choke him and get him out Of the barn.
The bachelor vowed that she had prom
ised to marry him, rs also did both young
men, and each was sure that he held>the
widows plump hand and was legally
married to her. The four men had a
fight, but that didn't mend matters. The
crowd ducked two Of them In creek
bat that didn't decide the question.


Just how it would have tormnated had
not the widoVer cen a man of nerve, no
one can tell, as the other three had al
ready appealed to the law, when the wild
over stepped in and took his place AS hus
band, and settled with the others for two
thousand dollars each.


One Of the Young men now over thirty
years old, and having all the wife he
wants (she weighs two hundred pounds,
is living in jackson Michigan, and dur
ing an interview had with him, he sol.
emnly and earnestly assured the writer
that be was legally married to the Wild
ow D0dswoith that night in the big hara.
Another of the parties lives in Clinton
county, and he has time and again assert
ed that he is the woman's true and law
ful husband, so help him God. The
bachelor is dead, but were he alive he
would renew his off-repeated protesta-
tions: +" married her, by gum and, by
gum, I ought to have her -