Year: 1876

GAY OUTLAW.


From the Omaha Hcraldl


There is O morbid sentiment in society
that in kind of an abstract manner glori.
fies great criminal, and he who can boast
OF Zone virtue and thousand crimes !" has
a hold upon the memory of the public that
cannot easily be shaken off. In like manner
the plebeian boor who burned the Temple OF
Diana was more famous than the royal archi.
tect who reared it. An instance in point
was the marriage in Council Bluffs yes
terday Of "Sandy" alias George Melville,
whose swindling games and greater crimes,
and his frequent marvellous escapes from
death by bullet and halter, have made him
famous throughout the entire West. Be
witched by the strange fatalities that have
always followed the man, discovering some
good points that cleaned out Of his dark
career Of crime, and admiring in him those
very qualities that have made him an out
cast in society, woman has followed him,
often with her presence and always with
her love, and yesterday she sealed the com:
pact existing between them by marrying
him under most humiliating circumstances.


To those who have not the prior know.
ledge Of him, Sandy will be remembered by
the people Of this community by his at
tempt, IN connection with Clinton, to swim
die an old man by selling him lot Of spu.
rious gold coins in exchange for green.
backs. It will be remembered that the men
were both arrested, and were tried before
the United States commissioner at Council
Bluffs, and "Sandy" sentenced to five
years. imprisonment in the Iowa penitcn.
tiary. While awaiting trial, or rather while
being conducted to the Justices Court for
the preliminary examination, Sandy at
tempted to escape from the officer in two dit.
ferent instances, and was shot at and hit by
the officer; in the latter case being wounded
so badly that it was reported that he
could not recover. AS these troubles col.
lected around Sandy, the love Of the woman
who has at last married him grew the
stronger, and she haunted the Jail like O
spectre; finally gaining the permission OF
the officer, she entered and nursed him
through the hours when his life was de-
SPARED of, and at last when the stern de-
cree Of the law interposed its edict and de-
clared that they should be separated by the
stronger, firmer bars OF the State peniten-
tiary, the woman sought and obtained the
privilege Of the officers to marry him be-
fore he was taken from her. The necessary
arrangements were made, and the two
strangely-matched beings were married in
the Jail, the ceremony being performed by
Justice OF the peace. The witnesses
were the prisoners, who were order
ed to remain ut the rear end OF
the hall, and few persons who were per-
mitted to look inside through the CRATES OF
the front door. 1t was aqueer spectacle,
and shows what woman will do for the man
she loves. There was Sandy alias Melville,
or as she claims, Melody, that being the
name under which she was married, just
ready to be shackled preparatory to starting
for Fort Madison, where he is to serve a
term Of five years. imprisonment. There
was woman, young, and OF rather at
tractive appearance, clinging to a crimi-
nal, willing and anxious to bear his name
and share with him all the obloquy attach
ed thereto. But then such is Woman's ma
ture, and such has it always been from the
time OF Eve. AS they stood there assuming
the obligations Of the marriage VOW the
thought was well defined in each mind how
differently it would have been had the rela-
ton of the party been reversed, and the
woman the criminal instead of the man.
The chances are in case Of that kind that
the man, even il he had been the cause OF
committing the crime, would have deserted
her in the last extremity, and left her to bear
her disgrace alone, and probably have felt a
secret Joy that he was able to place the
blame all on her. But, then, man can't be
blamed; his old forefather Adam set him
the example years ago.