Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 January 1875 — Outrage Upon a Bridegroom. [ARTICLE]

Outrage Upon a Bridegroom.

A respectable business man residing in Cortland County was engaged to be married to a young lady who resides at Olean, Cattaraugus County. The wed-ding-day was fixed, and the guests were assembled at the house of the young lady’s parents. The groom was delayed while en route to Olean, but he telegraphed to the family to detain the guests until his arrival, about three hours later than the appointed time. This was the basis for the disgraceful scenes that followed. It appears that a number of the young men of Olean were envious of the Cortland man, and did not like the idea of a stranger carrying his intended bride away from them. Upon hearing of the delay upon the railroad they went to the depot at the hour for the arrival of the train, met the expectant groom, look him to a saloon or drink-ing-place, induced him to drink drugged liquor, and when he had become suffij ciently intoxicated to suit their vile pur poses he was taken to the house of his affianced and presented to the bride, her parents and the guests. This despicable trick worked just as the authors intended it should. The bride’s parents ordered the groom from the house, and the wedding festivities were broken up. Not content with what they had done, the conspirators employed five or six negroes to prepare a coat of tar and feathers and give the groom a ride upon a rail. The victim was taken back to the saloon, more liquor was poured into him, and while the orgies were going on the negroes appeared, hustled the insensible Cortland man out of doors, applied tar and feathers to his hair, face and long whiskers, and then rode him upon a rail. When the scoundrels had finished this fiendish game the stranger was left to himself. The facts were subsequently made known to the young lady and her parents, the arrangements for the wedding were rearranged, and the couple was made happy as soon as the Cortland man had recovered from the effects of the dastardly outrage that tad been committed upon him. Both parties are possessed of a goodly supply of money, and they are determined to punish the persons engaged in this affair to the full extent of the law. The negroes, who were only the tools of the black scoundrels with white skins, have fled from Olean. — New York Commercial Advertiser.