Women Who Abduct Men.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXIV, Issue 7497, 21 April 1899, Page 4

Women Who Abduct Men.

Last autumn, at Leeds, a yonng man, not over-burdened with brains, succeeded, on the death of an uncle, to a sung :ncome. Uespite his mental failings, he was at once regarded as an eligible parti, and assidnous grew the efforts of the neighboring matrons to secure him for a son-in-law. Doubtless he would have succumbed to one or other of these wily ladies had not a widow of opulent cbarm3 and easy conscience, who had lately settled in the vicinity, marked him for her own. Procuring a license, she in due course advised the vicar of her approaching marriage. On tho evening before the day appointed for the ceremony she induce i the young man, who was blindly ignorant of the plot against his freedom, to visit her house. Once there, he was plied with wine, of which, being an egregious simpleton, he so liberally partook that he did not recover such senses as he possessed until the indissoluble knot of matrimony had been tied. In December of 1887 a sianple young fellow, with expectations, while walking' from Crowhurat to Hastings, waa overtaken ' by a carriage from which alighted two women, who, seizing the dumfonnded youth, hustled him into the vehicle, and drove away towards Battle. During the drive the youth must have baen drugged, for he was unconscious when lifted into the train that conveyed him to London. On hfs arrival he was at once taken to a house, whence he waa only allowed to depart conditionally on bis leading one cf hi 3 abductors to the altar. Strange to siy, the marriage has turned oub a success, for, under the guidance of his determined helpmate, the husband haß developed a capacity for business for which, previous to hi 3 abduction, none would have given him credit. But the foregoing are prosaic compared with an abduction which took place a fe • months ago at Scranton, Min., U.?.A., when a Miss Emily Drinton abducted a young man named Robert Fallow, on the eve of his marriage with a Judge's daughterArming herself with a revolver, she rode to his house, and, obtaining admittance to his presence, so terrified him by her threats that he meekly departed under this Amazon in escort, and was married next day to the fair and resolute Emily. A Indicrous incident occurred a few years ago at the fair held aunually at Le Eavre, Normandy. The fat woman, one Mile. Dupont, weighing some 35 stone, became desperately enamored of the skeleton man, who, however, did nob reciprocate her feelings. One night, therefore, when the fair was deserted, the slighted lady, accompanied by several friends, broke into the booth where the skeleton slept, and lifting him from his bed, carried him in her arms to her 'a wn abode, where she so worked upon his I fears as to gain his reluctant consent to her ' with. Fearing, however, that if once loose

he might go bick on bis word, Mile. Dupont kept him in Bafe keeping till the knot was irrevocably tied. A retired hirmingham manufacturer, an elderly valetudinarian, given to the pleasures of the table, was under the thumb of his cook, whose ill humor equalled her culinary skill. One day, driven to desperation by her outrageous conduct, he summoned up the little courage he possessed and gave her notice. To his surprise, she uttered no word of remonstrance, although she was virtually mistress of the house, aod knew it. On the morning, however, of the day fixed for her departure, she burßt into her master a room, and announced that she had made arrangements for guarding against any repetition of his ingratitude by marking him that morning at the neighboring registrar's office. The poor man looked round vacantly for help; none was at hand. He tried half-hearted expostulation and tears ; but in yaiD. He was taken off there and teen, and married out of hand.