MARRIED THE GIRL AND THEN DECAMPED.

Sephemiah Abernathy, of the Stamp Creek district, the aged mail carrier between Cartersville and that point, was in town Tuesday, seeking the location and arrest of a truant son-in-law.

Some time last winter, as the story is related by Mr. Abernathy, his 18 year old daughter Eva, was in town to see a traveling dog and pony show, and while there she met a strange white man, who gave his name as Andrew Fowler. Upon leaving town for home the stranger asked permission to call on her at her home at Stamp Creek, which request was granted.  In a few days the stranger appeared and began paying attention to the girl.  He lingered around until Christmas and the two were quietly married, though against the wishes of the elder Abernathy.

As the man claimed to be a farmer as well as a singing school teacher, old man Abernathy began to make arrangements to put his new son-in-law to work.  He went his security for a $15 mule, rented him some land, and went his security with local merchants for about $15 worth of supplies.  The man went to work breaking up his land and making preparations for a crop.  Although one armed he worked pretty well.  He had also employed his father-in-law’s young son and everything looked sanguine in the Abernathy household.

Last Monday two weeks ago a sudden change took place, that knocked up all calculations for this year’s farming operations so far as the young son-in-law was concerned.  He had borrowed his father-in-law’s Sunday coat the day before to attend singing and upon pretense of going off to look after some plows, he seized his small grip and left the neighborhood and he hasn’t been seen since by the people of the settlement.

Old man Abernathy waited a few days for some word from his son-in-law and not hearing, wrote his uncle in Cherokee county concerning him.  The reply he received wafted away all doubt as to the character and game of the man.  The uncle wrote that the man’s proper name was Andrew Pugh, and that he had been guilty of the same trick two or three times before, that he had three wives in Alabama, and was a bad egg altogether.

Though a poor man, possessing some land, the old gentleman is very anxious to apprehend the man and hopes to be successful. The description is given that he is a short “chunky set” fellow, about 46 years old, red complexion, and looks very much like an Irishman.  His left arm has been cut off midway between the shoulder and elbow.  He claims to be a singing school teacher.

He will in all likelihood drop in to some other settlement of simple-minded people and carry out the same game as he has done three or four times before.  His field is among the country people and could be easily overhauled.