A CEREMONIOUS WEDDING.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7527, 30 August 1886, Page 3

A CEREMONIOUS WEDDING.

Extract from a Texas letter: — "An exciting and dramatic incident occurred here last evening. Sunday movnin« two ' njen rode into town. Their remarkable appearance at onoe attracted the attention of everyone. They were covered with mud, and carried a perfect arsenal of rifles, pistols, and knives with them. One was a man over 60, with long grey hair, and blood in his eyes , the other was a man of 30 years, built like a giant, and wearing a terrible scowl on Ins face. They were father and son, William Wod'ord and Sam Woubrd, from the backwoods of Matagorda County. The old man said he was' looking for his 'darter Kate,' who had 'lit out' with her cousin Bill YVofford. Yesterday the' father arid son" discovered the, runaway couple, who were occupying' a small fisherman's tent about half a mile outside the town. When old Woffbrd 1 * found out the location of his erring '-darter,' a largo crowd of curious men and boys followed the terrible r looking pair to the vicinity of the tent, as the old man keptxontinually. examining his gun and saying— 11 Sam, I'm go'en to kill him suali !' As they neared the tent the crowd fell back, whiloth'e old man and his giant son approached with rifles in hand. Suddenly the flap of the tent was violently thrown open from the inside, and there stood Bill and Kate, each holding a terrible Winchester , rifle— ono covering the old jnan, the other the son, Old grey-hair nnd Sam glared like' two wild beasts on the brave lovers, and Bill called out, 'Do you s'pose il'vo "go'n to" give her artey we done and tramped it together all the way from the Colorado to the Brazos? Not much ; she mine's, and you may stan' there now and^ see us married.' .The old man and Sam, under cover of the suggestive Winchesters, slowly moved back, all the time facing the boy Bill and his Kate, who had .the 'drop on them. Meantime a courier had gone to town for a license and a preaelier,. atfd. after noarly two hours, during, which time Bill and Kate never took their eyes oft' the old man and Sani, and thrcatcneilto kill either should lie raiso a hand, the preacher and the license arrived. . "During the ceremony the bridegroom kept his rifle at half ; cock pointing towards his fatlior-in-law. The preacher was so afraid they would opdn hostilities while lie was there' that he could Scarcely finish the ceremony. '• After the marriage the'bjd man delivered a terrible' curse on both j said lie would npare thoir liven now provided they- never set foot ih Matagordn County.' 1 •If you do/ said hoj as'he shook Ins long, dirty;' yellow ]oeics"dn.d. yfoleiirty struck Ma vll|(s wift b'np. hand, ' if you dOj you're both of you dead as soon as yqu cross the line, fqr when I'm gone, bam he's there, You've got the wiiolo world before you, ooptMatagorda County. Now go.' With this phlllipic the old man and sou departed forlorn, while Bill pulled down the flap of the tent," i ' '