Year: 1871

Tho quiet community round about
Ben Bow, q small town In Marion
county, Mo-, was thrown out Of its GUS
tofnary even channel q few days since,
and set In social agitation by the ex-
traordinary matrimonial freak OF q
mighty esteemed young couple, In
which pluck had more to do than mutu-
al attraction. The sensation consisted
In that the parties didnot want to mar-
ry, never intended to marry, and had
| no Idea what they were doing until the
wedding was . fact, the result of o
thoughtiess dare.


The particulars, as obtained from o
correspondent, show that the couple,
Mr. Joseph Chipman and Miss Mamie
Hutchinson, few weeks since were
passing the time In conversation up
on matrirDony, without, however, any
serious import. During the tdte-a-tete,
Mr.. Chipman thoughtfessly made the
boast that he could back Miss uutchin-
son out In getting married. Miss
Hutchinson ret0rted that he could not
do anything Of the kind, and chaI-
lengcd him TO q trial. The young man
declared that he would not go back on
what he had said, and that there would
be q wedding that night unless she con-
cluded TO take back the challenge. The
young lady WAS disposed to defy the
young man, and while neither contern-
plated any serious ending 70 tho affair,
neither would give up.


Tho bridcgroom-to-bo thought that
when the ordeal came the lady would
hesitate; the lady believed, for very
good reasons, that the young man,
when the test Game, would eat his ehal-
leDge, and postpone the ceremony
How much both were mistaken was
recognized before many hours had
passed. 1t 80 happened that there was
no authority nearer than Emerson, four
miles away, where o minister resided.
The young man proposed to go after o
clergyman and have the nuptials cele-
brated that night.


The young lady, not TO be outdone In
proposition, declared, she would accom-
pAny him and save time and trouble
The couple left home in q buggy, late
at night, for Emerson, with no fnten-
ton OF figuring As principals In o
wedding, and leaving their acquain-
tances laughing as what they
deemeda drst-rate Joke. Arriving at
Emerson, neither OF the parties were
prepared to surrender, and each deter
mined 10 see how FAR the other would
go. The minister was hunted up and
got in readiness, and at midnight, Sit
ting togther In the buggy. the words





benedictIon pronounced before they re-
allied the situation. What makes the
aifair more interesting Is, that the
bridegroom was engaged to be married
to young lady OF the neighborhood,
and intended and desired to fulfill the
contract. The bride was engaged to G.
young man in that vicinity, and was TO
have been married to him in May.


The banter which led to the unex-
pected wedding was made al a party ut
which the bride should have been OF
the bridegroom, and the bridegroom to
be OF the bride, thinking at the time
that 1t was good joke. CONSERVATION
prevails among the four most inter
ested, who do not at present see their
way out OF q disagreeable embarrass-
ment. The married couple have not
as yet treated the marriage as a reality,
and arc waiting at their respective
homes until some way shall be found
to release them of their difficulty. The
marriage was regular and legal. and so
far there appears TO be no help for the
parties, who are sorely distressed