They married at midnight, the prisoner and his
bride, hands clasped tight through the bars of his
cell window.
She'd sneaked up to the walls of the jail under the
cover of darkness, clambering on to her brother's
shoulders to reach out to her sweetheart inside.
As the minister who conducted this covert
ceremony concluded the service, "some little
inconvenience occurred", reported the North-
Eastern Daily Gazette in 1885. The bride persisting
in kissing and crying over the groom's hand, "until
her brother reminded her that she weighed 135lbs,
and that he was beginning to feel exhausted".
And so 18-year-old Mollie Downes became the
wife of James Fauntleroy, the man accused of
attempting to kill his rival for her affections.
The lovers believed the unfortunate victim lay
dying of his wounds. Mollie was the only witness
to the attack. By marrying, she wouldn't be able to
testify against him in court.
The following day, the town constable in Marion,
Virginia, got wind of the secret wedding ceremony.
He was so disgusted at being outwitted, he took to
his bed, "where by latest account he remains in a
state bordering on coma".
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