Almost a Wedding

CONLEY, GRAVES, FOX, CROOKS, MCNEAL

Posted By: Lynette Edsall (email)
Date: 3/23/2006 at 12:11:18

Cherokee Democrat, July 3, 1895

WANTED TO GET MARRIED

But the Boy Failed to Get the Proper Consent

Yesterday forenoon about 11 o’clock a young couple entered the office of County Clerk McNeal and asked for a permit to wed. The young man’s name is Conley and that of the young lady Graves, and they came from Willow township. They seemed quite anxious to have the job done up, but struck a snag through a misunderstanding of the law. The young man was not of age, but relied on the fact that is father had given him his time, and through that gave him the right to marry when and whom he chose. The clerk looked the matter up very thoroughly and decided that he had no right to issue the license. Here was a pretty how d’ye do. It was a long ways to the home of the prospective groom’s father, but there was no way out of it but to return and get the old man’s consent. The young man explained that he had met his father that morning in the corn field and asked about his consent. The old man was willing but he thought that as the county clerk was well acquainted with all parties it would be alright. But this didn’t satisfy the county clerk, so the young man and his true love started on the homeward journey feeling a little blue over the result of their trip.

About 2 o’clock a gentleman named Fox came into town at a speed that would leave Crooks’ “hummer” in the distance. He was looking for the young couple who had tried to get married in the forenoon, and said the young fellow had ran away with his wife’s sister. He had met the couple going toward home as he was coming to town. They declared they were married and that it was no use for him to bother about them. Fox came on to town, discovered that the couple were not married, and at once started in pursuit of them.

How the affair came out we will leave to tell our readers next week, and hope that chapter two will show that they got married and forever afterward lived happily together.

Cherokee Democrat July 10, 1895

Not Married Yet

Last week we had an item regarding the heroic efforts of a young fellow named Conley and a Miss Graves to get married. Our story stopped where the young couple were on their way down to Willow township to get the consent of the young man’s father, with the girl’s brother-in-law in hot pursuit. On the way down the young couple were captured by the girl’s two sisters, who tackled young Conley with sticks and bruised him up somewhat. The girl was taken away from him and we are told was sent to the eastern part of the state. The young man is said to be quite indifferent now and says he doesn’t care whether he gets married or not.