Marriage Under Amusing Circum- stances.

Clutha Leader, Volume I, Issue 7, 20 August 1874, Page 1 (Supplement)

Marriage Under Amusing Circumstances.

The Dunbarton correspondent of the: Courant furnishes that paper with the following capital story :—-A somewhat amusing incident occured on board the immigrant ship Dunedin, bound for New Zealand. It appears that a good looking young woman, residing in or near the county of Dunbarton, had been wooed and won by a handsome young joiner, and hailing from Glasgow, and a few j months ago a pledge of their mutual ; affection appeared in the person of a nice little girl. Lothario's adour seems 'to have cooled down a little after this event, and on" a Thursday last the young lady,.having to her astonishment, heard that her sweetheart was about to proceed to New Zealand by the Dunedin on the following day, she lost no time in consulting with a friend on the steps that should be adopted. A lawyer reputed to be somewhat sharp in practice, Was taken into their confidence, who obtained for them afuge warrant against the putative father. Armed with this, the young lady and her friend proceeded to Greenock on Friday morning, where they secured the services of a EdierifFs officer, into whose hands they placed the warrant. All three proceeded on board the ship, where the lady soon discovered her faithless swain, chatting carelessly with some friends. No doubt her appearance was very unexpected and hearing the position he was in— namely that there was no alternative but to go ashore, and be locked up until a satisfactory arrangement could be made—he suggested the propriety of s.eeing the captain on the subject. Captain Whitson at once granted an audience to the parties in his state cabin, and after hearing the circumstances, he suggested- that the young couple, who were apparently worthy of each other,- should get married by special licence, and he would grant them till Saturday at noon to be on board again. The couple were then put into an anteroom, and ten minutes allowed them to make up their minds. On reappearing, they agreed to the captain's suggestion, and accepted each other as man and wife. No time was lost in getting ashore, where the Sheriff-Substitute tied the matrimonial knot in legal form, and Saturday forenoon saw the would-be deserting sweetheart step on board the ship, along with his happy wife and their little child, where the gallant captain had made arrangements to receive them by changing the berth from the single to the married men's quarter. . It is to be hoped they may live long and contented together in their new home, notwithstanding this little episode at their union.