THE TIMES, NEW BLOOMFIELI), PA., MAltCll 20, 1877.
MARRIED IN THE DARK.
TIIH CASK of Mary K. Knox and n
young nmn named Merrltt, near
New York, h a very singular one, ami
,vct I lie duHt covered legal records; of
Michigan tell of a ease Btlll more ulti
gular. Miss Knox was engaged to a
young man named Merrltt, the day was
set for the nifpllalH, they drove away
together and were married, and now
Merrltt vows lie wan not the bride-groom.
Sho vows that he wan, hut cannot prove
It, and both make out a pretty good ease.
One may well nrgue thnt he ought to
know whether he ever married a certain
young lady or not, and she said lady
may well argue that she ought to know
the man who rode to the clergyman's
with her, stood up beside her, made his
responses In due form, and drove her
hack home. These arguments arc what
mystify the Knox case. Now for one
more singular:
About twenty years ago there lived In
central AKchlgan a curious old Ileuedlct
named Dodsworth. At the age of fifty
he married a girl of twenty, plump and
hearty, and when the burden of (sixty
years bore him down, his wife was only
half his age, Dodsworth was noted for
his peculiarities, but the climax came
when he found himself on his dying
bed. He was worth about thirty thous
and dollars, and lie hadn't a blood
relative living, so far as lie knew. He
wanted to leave his property to his wife,
as the pair had lived very happily, but
yet ho could not leave it without dis
playing pome of his peculiarities in the
provisions of the will. Rome old men
display a mean spirit when making
ilieir wills, and draft in a provision cul
ling the wife oft" with a shilling if site
marries again. The old man wasn't of
that (.lamp. His young wife was good
looking, vivacious, fond of society, and
it was folly to suppose she would mourn
for her ' late husband' any great length
of time. Therefore Mr. Dodsworth
turned heel on tho usual custom, and
sild In his will :
" In crtf eniy wife C'ella does not take
unlo herself another husband within
thirteen months from date of my burial,
all bequests otherw ise made in this will
are to revert to the State of Miehigan,to
be used for building and furnishing a
home forold women."
Whether C'ella was pleased or dis
pleased at this provision deponent saith
not, but the old man had not been under
the sod six months when the widow was
said to be looking out for another man.
If it was singular for the dying Dods
'I worth to urge his wlfeto marry again, It
was still more singular that lie should
desire the ceremony to be performed un
der the following circumstances, viz:
" And it is made, Incumbent on said
Cclia Dodsworth tliat In taking ti new
husband the marriage ceremony shall
lie performed in the big barn on my
farm, on the H road. It shall take
place at ten o'clock In the evening, on
the main floor, without lights of any
description, with all doors shut, and a
free invitation shall be extended to all.
The clergyman shall stand in the stables
and tho bride, and the 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 wag probated, and the twelfth
month had scarcely passed before she
issued an Invitation for the public to at
tend a wedding at the big barn. Just
who the groom was to lie no one could
positively assert, as the widow had been
keeping company with a widower, a
bachelor and two young men, and as
far as any outsider could Judge she loved
one as well as the other. Being ' good
looking and talented, ancUhavlng a for
tune behind her, It was not strange that
she should have a number of suitors.
She seemed to enter into tho spirit of the
affair with great zest, as also did the
minister ; and to further mystify the
people in attendance, the bride entered
the barn alone at one door, the groom
alone at another, and no one knew that
the minister had arrived until his voice
was heard In the stables.
There were at least two hundred peo
ple present, and each one understood
that even a striking of a match would
break the will. Many jokes were passed
, and considerable confusion existed, but
Ht length the minister announced that
all was ready. The ceremony was gone
through with, and at Its conclusion, the
afikir having been a" process," a rush
was made for the bride ; she was kissed
by a hundred men, and was-then carried
home, a distance of a mile and 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 claimed to be her true .and
lawful husband. None of the crowd
could say who was the lucky man, the
minister was at sea and the bride herself
eetned to Lave doubts. The widower
was the man of her choice, but in the
confusion be could bave been bustled
aside, and be did affirm thut an attempt
was made to choke blm and get him out
of the barn. The bachelor vowed that
she had promised to marry him, as also
did both the young men, and each one
was sure that ho held tho widow's
plump hand and was legally married to
her. The four men had a flght,but that
didn't mend matters. The crowd ducked
two of them In a creek, but that did not
decide the question.
Just how it would have terminated
had not the widower keen a man of
nerve no one can tell, ns the other three
had already appealed to the law, when
the widower stepped In and took his
place as hustVaud, and settled with the
others for two thousand dollars each.
One of the young men, now over
forty years old, and having all the wife
he wants, (she weighs two hundred and
thirty pounds), is living In this city,
and, during an Interview had with him
not long since, lit solemnly and earnest
ly assured your correspondent that he
was legally married to the widow Dods
worth that night In the big barn. An
other of the parlies lives In Clinton
county, and he has time and again as
serted that he Is the woman's true and
lawful husband, so help his (lod. The
bachelor is dead, but were he alive and
kicking, he would renew his oft-repeated
protestations
" 1 married her, by gum ! and, by
gum, I ought to have her !''
Old Hundred.
Til 18 unique psalm tune flrstapprared
in John Calvin's "French l'sallcr,"
published nt Geneva in loll? as the
"proper tune" to the 134th Psalm.
Gulllaume Franc was musical editor of
this work. He was a master of music,
yet all that will be found in ordinary
musical history regarding htm is that
he was an "obscure musician of Stras
bourg, of the sixteenth century." The
Church owes him not a few of her finest
melodies, A melody in Ijiither's great
psatler, published from l"i:U to 15(H),
seems to have suggested the ideas of this
inimitable chorale. One of Luther's;
hymns of eight unequal lines, which
was set to a melody of the Moravian or
Waldensian early Church, contains the
elements of the Old Hundreth. Hut
these were reset and remodeled by Franc,
who left Strasbourg and became "can
teur" or precentor to Theodore Howl at
Lausanne. He subsequently settled and
died at Oeneva, leaving as his Imperish
able monument tho music, of tlie"French
realtor." The music was afterward
adapted to the Hundreth Psalm In the
first "English Psalter" ever published,
edited by John Calvin, and printed for
the use of the congregation of English
speaking refugees at Geneva In 1550, of
which at that time John Knox was
minister. The musiclal editor of the
psalter was Claude Uoudimel, of Rome,
who suffered martyrdom at Lyons at
the time of tho massacre of St. Barthol
omew because he had set the English
psalms to music. This Genevan-English
psalter was reprinted in 1503-4 by "John
Day, over the pump In Aldgate." and
Andrew Hart, In Edinburgh, and laid
the foundation of tho psalmody of the
Protestant churches of the world. The
words of this psalter contained first
thirty-seven psalms written by Stern
hold and Hopkins the remainder being
written by ten of the refugees at Geneva.
William Keith, from Aberbeen, wrote
the hundredth psalm. This psalter,
words and music, was for some time
universally used by the Potestant
churches of England and Scotland.
When Oliver Cromwell got the- West
minlstergeneral assembly of divines to
prepare a new version of the psalm In
common metre, for the use of the church
es, the Parllment sanctioned It, the
English church at once adopted it, but
the Scottish people rebelled on the
ground that they had already a better
psalter of their own. . Cromwell had to
come to a compromise with the hardy
Scotts. (The only other compromise
he ever made In his life was with Came
ron, of Lochlel, when he and his army
got bewildered In the wilds of Lochaber.)
This compromise was that In Scotland a
number of their favorite psalms, from
the old psalter, might be published as
second editions. This was done, and
the muslo is thus called "old" the Old
First, Old Forty-fourth, Old Hundredth,
Old Hundred and Thirty-fourth, Old
Hundred and Thirty-seventh, etc.
Boston Transcript.
Wonder of the Waters.
Among the most wonderful fish to be
found in the w orld is the blind Proteus,
which is found only in the subterranean
lakes of Krain, in Austria. Six fine
specimens of this creature have just been
received at the Aquarium in this city,
with a consignment of submarine wond
ers from Europe,and with proper care It
is hoped they will live for a considerable
time. In color they are yello wis h pink.
which, however, on exposure to the
light, becomes mottled and subsequent
ly turns to a dark brown. They have
long flat heads and four short slender
legs, the fore feet ending in two nallless
toes and the hind feet In the three.
Strange to say, coming as they do out
of utter darkness, the creatures have
eyes. They are small, however, and
are ordinarily hidden beneath the skin.
Somewhat similar to .these , fish is tho
Mexican Axoloth, another strange
creature Just received. "Lang Tsing
Yee" Is the name of a beautifully color
ed fish, two specimens of which have
just been sent from China. These are
of a bright golden yellow, tipped on the
fines with black, and , they have each
four lace like tails.
Pretty, or Not.
TO BE PUETTYhTthe great object of
almost every living woman, even of
those who lecture upon the Impropriety
of doing so.
Beautiful women spend a great deal of
thought upon their charms, and homeli
er women grow homelier through fret-
ting because they are not handsome.
Men, at least while they are young, are
very much like women in this respect,
though they hide their feelings better.
There is one comfort to the homelier
ones, however.
After you come to know people very
intimately, you do not know whether
they are pretty or not.
Their " ways" make an impression on
you, but not their noses and ears, their
eyes and mouth.
In time the soul expressess itself to
you, and It Is that which you sec.
A man who has been married twenty
years scarcely knows what his wife looks
like.
He may declare that ho does, and tell
you that she Is a bewitching little blonde,
with soft blue eyes, long after she Is fat,
and red and forty: because the Image of
of his early love is In his heart, and he
doesn't see her as she is to-day, but ns
she was when life courted her.
Of being an indiflercnt husband, lie
may not know she Is the fine woman
that other people, think her.
You have known men M ho married
the plainest women, and think fliem
beauties ; and you know beauties who
are quite thrown away on men who val
ue a wife for her success as a cook.
As far as one's effect -on strangers is to
be taken into consideration, beauty, is
valuable, and very valuable.
So, if you have it, rejoice; but If you
have it not, be content.
Take care of your heart, your soul,
your mind and your manners, and you
will make for yourself that beauty
which will render you lovely to those
who arc nearest and dearest to you.
What it Feels Like to be Guillotined.
WE have heard how it feels to be
poisoned, to be hanged and to be
drowned,butit has been reserved forMpn
date, an Italian gentleman, to let tho
world know, through La Defense, what
it feels like to be guillotined. He was in
1873 condemned to death for a crime of
which be was Innocent, and it was not
the fault of Italian justice that he es
caped. The blade of the guillotine fell,
but the wood in the grooves of which it
ran and had swollen slightly, and the
knife stopped barely two cemtimetres
from his neck. Whllo they were re
pairing this defect a reprieve arrived
the true murderer had been found' and
had confessed his crime. " It was at 8
a. m., August 17, 1873," says M. Mon
date, " that my confessor, Abbe Ferula,
entered my cell to announce to me that
Iinust die. When at the touch of his
hand upon my shoulder I awakened, I
comprehended at once the nature of his
errand, and despite my confidence it
seems that I turned horribly pale. I
would have spoken, but my mouth con
tracted nervously and no saliva moist
ened It.' A mortal chill suddenly in
vaded the lower part of my body. By a
supreme effort I succeeded in gasping,
It is not true 1' The priest answered I
kno'fr not what. I only heard a con
fused buzzing. Then a sudden thrill of
pride shot through me. For some min
utes I felt no fear ; I stood erect ; I said
to myself that if I must die 1 should
show them that an innocent man died
with courage. I spoke with great ra
pidity ; I was horrbly afraid to be si
lent or to be interrupted ; I thanked the
governor of the prison and asked for
something to eat. They brought me a
cup of chocolate, but I refused it. Again
I had become fully aware of the hor
rors of my situation ; I hod visions of
what the scaffold would be like, and me
chanically asked the attendants, 'Does
it hurt much V ' No, not a bit,' answer
ed somebody, and I saw before me a new
person in a gown of black woollen the
executioner. I would bave risen, de
fended myself, asserted my innocence,
but I fainted, and when I returned to
consciousness I waa pinioned in the
cart which was entering the death
place. I cast a shuddering look at the
horrible machine. I bad no more con-
nectedand coherent thought, and the
rights between which the knife runs
seemed as high as the masts of a ship.
I was lifted to the platform ; I liad but
one fixed idea that of resistance. But
how could I resist V I was seized and
flung down upon the plank. I felt as if
I were paralyzed and lay there for an
immense time. Then there was a sharp
blow on my neck, and I falntod again
with .the Instinctive idea that the knlfo
had struck me. It was not the knife but
the upper part of the lunette. When I
came to myself I was In the prison hos
pital." V-4k- . ,
What Is Wrong With the Bees.
H. F. Crlley, residing at Isabella Sta
tion, Wilmington and Beading railroad,
was the owner of six large hives of bees
that stored a great deal of honey last
year, but at present he Is fearful he will
lose his entire bee family. Those in two
hives are already dead, and all the others
appear to be In a dying condition. He
says that he had not taken any honey
from them since last spring, and the
hives are full of honey, showing that
they are not starving. He took the
combs out of one hive and examined
them, without finding a single worm or
Indications of anything else being
wrong. There were 18 combs 11 inches
wide, filled with honey, but all tho bees
were dead. The bees are In patent hives
against the southern side of a board
fence and protected from the northern
winds, occupying the same location they
did a year ago and flourished exceeding
ly well. The cause of the death of the
bees is unknswn.
A Strange Hair Story.
WE HAVE a remarkable circum
stance In halrology to relate. Win.
T. Hayes and lady called at the Reporter
office a few mornings ago, with their
rosy-cheeked daughter, aged between
live and six years. Three years ago the
hair of this girl was cut, by our meas
urment the other day we find It 21 inches
in length, and in great profusion, which
is an extraordinary growth in that pe
riod of time, three years. But the re
markable pnrt is, the parents Inform us
that when their daughter's hair was
cut, three years ago, the mother put a
small portion of it, about one inch in
length in a vial, which had contained
cinnamon drops, but which had been
previously cleansed. In this vial the
little bunch of hair was placed, corked
and put into a chest, and forgotten until
two years ago, when finding it accident
ally, Mrs. Hayes, was astonished to see
the vial nearly full, the hair having
grown all the time, and now the bottle
is full and some half dozen hairs have
found their way out between the cork
and gloss. From the curls in the bottle
we judge they are the same length as
the hair upon the little girl's head at
this time, aud of the exact color. The
bottle we are told has never been un
corked since the hair was put into lt,and
the parents fear to open It lest an en
trance of fresh air might disturb its fur
ther growth. The vial has been left at
our office for a short time, where any
one can see It. Mr. Hayes and lady
vouch for the correctness of the fact,
and we1 have no reason to doubt their
story. Centre Reporter.
Too Well Proved.
A LAWYER bad a case on the docket
XX in which, among other things, he
wished to prove that his client had no
money, and to this end he cross-exam
ined one of the opponent's witnesses as
follows :
" You asked my client for money did
you not V
" Well-yes sir."
" Answer promptly, sir. Let us have
no hesitation. You asked him for mon
ey now what was his answer?"
" I don't know as I can tell."
" But surely you remember."
" Yes sir."
" Then out with it. What was his
answer?"
"I'd rather not tell."
" Ho t ho 1 You are on that track are
you? You won't tell ?"
" I should rather not, sir."
" But I should rather you would I So
sir, if you do not answer my questions
promptly and truthfully, I'll call on
the court to commit you for contempt."
" Well, if I must tell tales out of
school here you have it. I asked him
yesterday if he couldn't lend me half
a dollar, and he told me he could not."
"And you believed him did you
not?"
" Yes, sir ; for he said you had robbed
blm of every cent of his ready money,
and if he didn't get out of your hands
pretty soon his wife and little ones
would come too."
"That will do, sir. You can step
down off the stand."
Fortune's Changes.
. A Washington letter says : In the
rotation of fortune incident to our re
publican form of government, families
who are living in affluence and ruling
society this year may be next earning
their own support or living in depend
ence npon ' friends. This ' is a fact so
forcibly impressed every day in this city
that it has not the benefit of, a single
doubt, ' 1 frequently meet Mrs. Ex-
Governor Ford, of Ohio going to or
from the Treasury w hero she holds an
office, and is as eager for her monthly
salary as the untitled, uneducated
woman who works In the same room.
Ohio people will recall Mrs. Ford as a
woman who adorned tho Executive
Mansion, and Is still, as she was then, a
strikingly handsome woman. In an
other office In the same Department is a
daughter of a former Secretary of the
Treasury, Walker, and in all the De
partments we find women who have
been rulers In society, and been described
as wearing flvo thousand dollar dresses
and giving ten thousand dollar parties.
DK. 8CIiE.VCKS STANDARD REMEDIES
The standard remedies for all HiaaakA f i
'lings are Schenck's Pulmonic Hvrup, Kchenck's
Hea Weed Tonlo. and Kchenek'ft Mandrake fills,
and It taken before the luug are destroyed, a
leedy oure I effected.
i o tnese tnree medicines i)r. J. ii, Rchenck, of
Philadelphia. owe hi unrivalled anonaim i ik.
treatment of pulmonary diseases.
inn ruimomu nyrup ripens me morula matter
In the lung j nature throw It off by an easy ei
pectnratinn, for hen the phlegm or matter I
ripeaslight cough will throw It off, the patient
ha rest and the lungs begin to heal.
To enable the piilmoulo syrup to do this, Dr.
Schenck Mandrake rills and Kchenck's Hea
Weed Tonlo must.be freely used to cleanse the
stomach and liver, Kchenck's Mandiake l'llls
acton the liver, removing all obst met ions, relax
tiie g ill bladder, the bile start freely, and the
liver is smin relieved.
Kchenck's Sen Weed Tonic Is a gentle stimulant
and alterative; the alkali of which It I composed
mixes with the food and prevents souring. It as
sists thedlgestlon by toiling up the stomach to a
healthy condition, so' that the food aud the J'ul
monio Syrup will make good blood: then the
bums heal, and the patient will surely get well if
care I taken to prevent fresh cold.
All who wish to consult Dr. Schenck, either
personally or by letter, can do so at his principal
olllee, corner of Sixth and Arch 81s.. Phlladel-
pma, every Monuny.
Kchenck's medic'nes are nold bv nil rlrtirririafa
throughout the country. (inch & apr.
V E G E T I N E
PURIFIES THE BLOOD,
Renovates and Invigorates llie Whole
Njstem.
Its Medical Properties Arc Alterative,
Tonic, Solvent and Diuretic,
VEGETINE Is made exclusively from the iuiees
of carefully selected baiks. roots and herbs, and
so strongly concentrated, that It will elfeotiiiilly
eradicate from the system every taint of Scrofula,
fcrofulous Humor, Tumors. Caucer, Cancerous
Humor. Erysipelas. Salt llheuni. Syphilitic Dis
eases. Canker, Faintness at the Stomach, and all
diseases that arise from Impure blood. Sciatica,
Inflammatory and Chronic liheumatism. Neural-
f;ia. (lout and Spinal Complaints, can ouly beel
ectuallv cured through the blood.
For Ulcers and Eruptive Diseases of the Skin
Pustules, Pimples, Blotches. Bolls, Tetter, Scald
head and King-worm, VEGETINK has never
failed to effect a permanent cure.
For Pains In the back. Kidney Complaints,
Dropsy. Female Weakness, lucui rhoea. arising
from internal ulceration, and uterine disease
and General Debility, Vegetine acts directly upon
the causes of these complaint. It invigorate
and strengthens Hie whole system, acts upon the
secretive organs, allay Inflammation, cures ul
ceration and regulative the bowels.
For Catarrh. Dyspensia, Habitual Costlveness,
Palpitation of the Heart.lIeada'-he.Piles.Nervous-nes
nnd General Prostration of the Nervous
System, no medicine has given ttch perfect satis
faction as the VKOET1NK. It purities the blood,
cleanses all of the organ, and possesses a con
trolling power over the nervous system.
The remarkable cures effected' by VEOKTINE
have Induced many physicians and apothecaries
whom we know to prescribe and use it la their
own families.
In fact, VEOETINE I the best remedy yet dis
covered for the above diseases, and is the only
reliable BLOOD FUKIFIEK yet placed before the
public
THE BESTEVIDENCE.
The following letter from Bev. K. 8. Best, Pas
tor of M. E. Church. Natlck, Mass., will be read
with Interest by many physician. Also, those
suffering from the same diseases as afflicted the
son of the Kev. K. S. Best. No person can doubt
this testimony, as there is no doubt about the
curative powers of VKOETINE.
. Natick, Mas,, Jan. 1, 1874.
Mr. H. K. Steyims : Dear Sir. We have good
reason for regarding your Vegetine medecina
of I he greatest value. We feel assured that it has
been the means of saving our son's life. He Is
now seventeen years of agei for the last 2 year
he has suffered from necrosis of his leg, caused by
scrofulous affection, and was ro far reduced
that nearly ad who saw him thought his recovery
impossible. A council of able physician could
give us but the slightest hop of his eve, rally.
Ing, tro of the number declaring that he was be
yond the reach of human remedies, that evea
amputation eould not save him, a he had not
vigor enough to endure the operation. Just then
we commenced giving him Vegetine and from
that day to the present he has been continuously
Improving. He has lately resumed his studies,
thrown away his crutches and cane, aud walk
about cheerfully and strong.
Though there I still some discharge from the
opening where the limb was lanced, we have the
fullest confidence that in a little time tie will be
perfect ly cured.
He has taken about three dozen bottles of Veg
etine, but lately use but little, as he declares
that he Is too well to be taking medicine,
itetpectfully yours, K t. BEST.
MK8.L.C. F.BEST.
ALL DISEASES OF TIIE BLOOD.
If VEOETINK will relieve pain, cleanse, purl,
fy and cure such diseases, restoring the patient te
perfect health after trying physicians, many rem
edies, suffering for years. Is it not conclusive
proof, if you are a sufferer, you can be cured r
wny i mis meatcine penorming sucn great
cures: It works In the blood, in the circulating
fluid. It can truly be called the OKEAT BLOOD
PIJkfPIKlt. The great seource of diseases
originates in the blood, and no medicine that
does not act directly npon it. to purify and reao
vat. has any just claim upon public attention.
RECOMMEND IT HEARTILY.
south Boston, Feb. 7. 1879.
Mr. 8tktens: Dear sir. t have taken several
bottle of your Vegetine and am convinced it is
t valuable remedy for Dyspepsia. Kidney Com
plaint, and general debility of the system.
I can heartily reco nmend it to all suffering
from the above complaints. Yours respectfully.
JAVA. MONKOB PAKKEK.
101m 386 Athens Street.
Prepared by H.R.Stevens, Boston.Mass.
Vegetine Is Held by All Druggists.
T EATHER C.
THE subscriber baa now on band at
IOW PRICES,
Good Sole Leather,
Kip of Superior Quality,
Country Calf Skins;
French Calf,
LININGS, ROANS,
.F. Mortimer, 7,
SKW BLOOMFIELD, r.