DOUBLE TRAGEDY.
THE SENSATIONAL STORY OF TWO YOUNG LIVES.
LOVE, DESERTION AND DEATH.
A Mysterious Marriage Ceremony and the Tragedies that Resulted From it-Death of the Wife and Husband.
MACON, Ga., July 25.-Here is a story of romance and love, duplicity and desertion, imprisonment and death. It is a sensational drama, bordering on tragedy, and full of pathos. The two principle characters are a confiding young woman and a deceitful man. Brief mention was made of the matter in today's Constitution, but it is of sufficient interest to be presented in its entirety.
Miss Barbara Phillips was a handsome and attractive young lady about twenty-two years old, the daughter of Mr. Dempsey Phillips, a highly respectable carpenter of this city. She was a member of the Methodist church, modest and gentle. Her beauty and charm won the admiration of L.A. Drew, a young man twenty-six years old, who formerly worked at the Palmer barrell factory, but lately an employe of the Southern phosphate works. He came to Macon sometime ago from Florida. He was good looking and appeared worthy and honorable.
The young couple became acquainted in June, 1892, and almost immediately an attachment sprung up between them which soon developed in love. At least, that was the emotion that really stirred the heart of Miss Barbara, and Drew professed a kindred feeling for her. He proposed marriage and was accepted, as Miss Barbara's parents favored the match.
Drew boarded with Mr. Henry Isaacs, in Vineville, and Miss Phillips' family also resided in Vineville, not far from Drew. Miss Phillips desired the wedding ceremony performed at the home of her parents but one night, about the 1st of last September, when Mr. Phillips was away from home, having gone to East Macon to attend the marriage of a friend, Drew called to see Miss Phillips and asked her to get on a street car with him to go to a certain little church at the far end of Vineville and be married. At first she refused to go without her father's knowledge, but Drew commenced to complain that she did not love him and that she wished to evade marrying him. Such talk almost overpowered her, and she consented to go with Drew.
A MYSTERIOUS CEREMONY.
They got on the street car, and after riding to a point near St. Stanislaus college, they got off the car, and were instantly met by a man who was standing in the roadway waiting. The stranger said, "Mr. Drew, you are late; I had given you up and was about to go." Drew replied: "The young lady detained me as she didn't wish to come at first."
Drew then introduced the stranger to Miss Phillips as "Parson Jordan," and said that he was the one to marry them. Drew then further said to Miss Phillips: "Barbara, it is no use to go to the church, let us be married right here. I have the marriage license and "Parson Jordan" is ready to perform the ceremony." Drew then took a piece of paper out of his pocket, and opening it said it was a marriage license. Miss Phillips strenuously objected to being married in any such fashion in the night time by the lonely roadside and without a single witness to the ceremony. The hour was about 9:30 p.m. "Parson Jordan" and Drew, by much sweet talking, overcame the objections of Miss Phillips and she yielded and the ceremony was performed then and there. After the mysterious and unusually occurrance Drew carried his wife to his boarding house at Henry Isaacs.
A BOGUS MARRIAGE.
For several weeks Barbara was very happy until one day a friend told her that Drew had been boasting that she was not his wife and the ceremony that united them was bogus. She immediately confronted Drew with the charges she had heard and he declared that the marriage was genuine and he had never said to the contrary. Barbara told her father what she had heard and he immediately commenced a search for "Parson Jordan" in a certain part of Vineville, where Drew said he lived, but no "Parson Jordan" could be found and no one knew him. Mr. Phillips then went to the ordinary's office at the court house and was told that no marriage license had been issued for L.A. Drew and Barbara Phillips and there was no record of any such marriage having occurred.
Mr. Phillips then became convinced that his daughter had been made the victim of Drew's duplicity and a bogus marriage. Barbara left Drew and took up her abode with her father, not wishing to live with him in doubtful relations.
HAD DREW ARRESTED.
At the instance of Mr. Phillips, Justice of the Peace, S.P. Bailey, of the Vineville district, issued a warrant for Drew and had him arrested. Drew, realizing that he was in a tight fix and in order to escape prosecution by the law for his wrong doings, consented to legally marry Barbara. Mr. Phillips went to the court house and Ordinary Wiley issued a marriage license on September, 1892, for L.A. Drew and Barbara Phillips. On page 94 of the marriage record the license is recorded, also the following certificate:
I certify that L.A. Drew and Barbara Phillips were joined in matrimony by me this 4th day of October, 1892.
S.P. Bailey, N P ex-Officio J P
Recorded Janaury 31, 1893.
As soon as the justice of the peace married Drew and Miss Phillips, Drew was released from arrest. Drew then carried his wife home and left her, and did not live with her or contribute to her support.
Mr. Phillips and family and Mrs. Drew soon after this moved from Vineville to Ash street, in Macon, where they now reside. The Palmer Barrel Factory suspended work temporarily and Drew also moved from Vineville to Second street, near the railroad, and obtained employment at the Southern Phosphate Works. Thus Drew and the Phillips family were again residing near each other, but Drew never called to see his wife.
A BABY WAS BORN.
On June 31, this year, Mrs. Drew gave birth to a pretty girl baby. Drew declined to contribute to the support of the child and the sick mother. Dr. John Sullivan, the faithful and efficient city physician, attended Mrs. Drew during her confinement and subsequent sickness.
PLACED IN JAIL.
On the 16th of this month Mr. Phillips had Drew arrested and put in jail, charged with the abandonment and neglect of his wife and child. While in jail and attempting to get up Drew was attacked with something like vertigo and fell heavily to the floor and severly hurt his head. On Tuesday, July 18th, Drew gave bond and was released from jail. A friend advised Drew to contribute some money to the support of his child and in this way he might avoid future legal troubles. On Wednesday, July 19th, the day after being released from jail, he called at Mr. Phillips's and asked to see Mrs. Drew. He was informed that she was too ill to see him for the sight of the father of her child after so long neglect and absence might make her worse and shock her nervous system. Drew then gave Mr. Phillips $2.50 to help support the child, and returned to his boarding house where he was taken quite sick and had to go to bed.
THE WIFE DIES.
On Saturday morning, July 22d, Mrs. Drew died and was buried in Fort Hill cemetery Sunday. She never was able to rally from the sickness attending the birth of her child.
THE HUSBAND DIES.
On Monday, Drew died from heart failure, caused, it is said by a severe attack of cholera morbus. Yesterday he was buried in Fort Hill cemetery by the side of his wife he had so cruelly wronged while in life.
Their baby is in fair health and is being care for by her dead mother's parents.
Source: The Athens Daily Banner, Athens, Georgia, Friday Morning, July 28, 1893; Pg. 1, Columns 5-6
