"Stop that!" he yelled at the bridal chamber door

This is one of those entertaining little stories that weekly newspapers once specialized, published in The Chariton Democrat of Jan. 4, 1870, under the headline, "Marrying Outside of Jurisdiction."

Two of the principal players are Capt. Emmett B. Woodward, 40, an attorney, justice of the peace and among Lucas County's most highly regarded Civil War veterans; and Capt. Nelson B. Gardner, 43, clerk of district court and another highly regarded veteran.

Here's how the story goes, courtesy of Democrat publisher, editor, reporter and typesetter John V. Faith:

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On last Friday evening, a very amusing circumstance occurred at one of our third-class hotels with first-class pretensions. A couple had come from Osceola for the purpose of getting "spliced" and Squire Woodward was called in to do the little job. The ceremony was gone through with, and the squire went to the bar-room and was about to sign the certificate of marriage.

Old Squire Morris, of Des Moines, happened to be there, and knowing that the married parties were from Clarke county, rightly concluded that they had been married upon a license issued from that county. He asked Squire Woodward to let him see the license, which he readily did, and then looking deliberately over his spectacles at Squire Woodward asked him to point to the chapter of the general laws which extended his jurisdiction, as a justice, into Clarke county.

"Wood" immediately saw that he had not only made a blunder, but had laid himself liable to a severe penalty, and upstairs he went, probably making much better time than he usually makes. He rushed to the parlor, but that was deserted, and then to the bridal chamber, the door of which was fastened.

The squire thought he heard something inside, and he called out in an excited manner to "stop that! Stop that! It's all wrong; you ain't married at all; it has to be done over again," etc., etc., whereupon the groom appeared at the door, and the squire fetched him out, though the bride insisted that it was satisfactory, as far as she was concerned.

Capt. Gardner, the urbane clerk of court, was hunted up and he gave the anxious bridegroom another license, after which the couple were again married, and are probably twice happy. As a marrying man, Squire Woodward is a success.

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Lucas County marriage records suggest that the twice-wed newlyweds were Francis Blum, 29, a native of Germany and a tinner in the village of Smyrna just west of the Lucas-Clarke county line; and Hester Wells, 28, whose two previous husbands, Robert Rich and Pat Dumfrey, had both died. She had two children by her first marriage, Maggie and John, who were part of the equation.

The couple moved to Phillips County, Kansas, with her children prior to 1880 and Hester died there during 1882. Francis --- Frank --- Blum was operating a grocery store there at the time.