ROMANTIC ELOPEMENT

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 3940, 25 March 1930, Page 2

ROMANTIC ELOPEMENT

A QUEENSLAND COUPLE

NEARLY STARVED WHEN FOUND

A romantic Queensland elopement of a lovesick young couple almost ended in tragedy this week (wrote the Auckland ‘ Star’s ’ Sydney correspondent, March 6), when the police just reached the pair as they were on the verge of starvation in low, marshy country. Eva Turner (14) and Clive Taylor (22) were the principals, and they decided to elope on February 21. With,a few shillings between thorn, and a few sandwiches as provisions, they left Lowmead, in the Bnndaberg district, intending to make for Toowoomba on foot.

In a day they were hopelessly lost in the dense scrub that abounds in the district, and sandwiches soon gave out, and for two days they wandered helplessly without anything to eat. Eventually they stumbled into a farmhouse and collapsed. After an hour or two they revived, were given some bread and meat, and directions to the nearest township. On the way to the township they had to swim across Oyster Creek, and on the way the bread and meat were washed away They recovered the bread, dried it. and lived on it until they reached the coast again, having lost their way a secnod time. Here they found further progress barred by Broadwater Creek. It was too wide to swim, and Taylor started to build a raft. The girl adopted an old aboriginal ruse to catch fish, stirring the mud in the pools until the fish rose for air, then catching them. When Constable Riley found them, nine days after they left their homes, they were weak and emaciated, but still very much in love.

Taylor was later charged with abducting the girl, but when released on bail they were married. On the resumption of the case the girl refused to give evidence against her husband, and he was discharged Both have vowed however, that they will nevei leave the main road again.