ELOPEMENT CAUSES SENSATION
December 2, 1915 - North Vernon Plain Dealer, Page 1
A REAL ROMANCE IN SOUTHERN INDIANA
Young Couple Out-Wit Parents - Walk and Ride to Jeffersonville And Are Married
Leon Stearns, aged nineteen, the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. I. B. Stearns, of Vernon, and Miss Marguerite Sigmon, eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Sigmon, of Hanover, gave their parents a surprise on Saturday by getting married at Jeffersonville. For some time these young people had been friends and associates in the various social activities in school and church at Vernon. After a time the parents of Miss Sigmon began to discourage their friendship as parents will and have a right to do, but whem serious objections were made, it seemed and proved to make the young people all the more determined to outwit them. In September, Mr. and Mrs. Sigmon moved from their farm near Vernon, to Hanover. Unknown to them, the young people carried on their romance and on Friday evening, Mr. Stearns went to Hanover to see Miss Sigmon. At about three o'clock on Saturday morning, Miss Sigmon escaped from her room to meet her sweetheart. She hastily put on her sweater and a heavy velvet cloak on over her night clothing, and instead of putting on her shoes, slipped on her overshoes, and left her room. In a short time her parents realized that they had heard some noise which had aroused them, and being somewhat suspicious of an elopement went to their daughter's room and found her missing. Finding she had not taken her clothing, they were very much worried and at once started to search for her. The young people feared to return to the house and decided that they had better elope at once, instead of having to run so many risks. Mr. Stearns had not expected at this time to bring his future bride home with him so acting on the spur of the moment a hike to Vernon was planned. Avoiding public highways and the rail road, they walked from Hanover to Dupont. Here a conveyance was obtained and at about eight o'clock they arrived in Vernon. Then realizing that relatives were on their trail, Mr. Stearns appealed to his parents as what was best for him to do. As Miss Sigmon refused to return home, preparations were made for them to be married. Friends at once supplied the bride with suitable clothing, and accompanied by friends they went via auto to Seymour and from there to Jeffersonville, where with the written consent of the groom's parents, they secured a license on Sunday morning and are receiving congratulations from their many friends. The parents of Miss Sigmon were notified of the safety of their daughter, late Saturday night, and on Monday her mother paid the young bride a friendly visit. Both Mr. and Mrs. Stearns are members of the Citizens' Band at Vernon and on Monday night they related their experiences and received the hearty congratulations of their fellow musicians. Mr. Stearns is very industrious and his bride has for a number of years been a very fine housekeeper, a good student and an accomplished musician and friends at Vernon hope that their future may be crowned with success and that their youth may be no barrier to their happiness for all time.
December 2, 1915 - Madison Weekly Herald, Page 1
MISS SIGMON
Who Disappeared From Hanover Friday Night
Married in Jeffersonville Sunday to Isaac Leo Stern, of Vernon
Groom Only 19, But Had Consent of His Father-Bride Was 17 Years Old
Isaac Leo Stearn, nineteen years of age, who had written consent of his father of Vernon, Ind., and Miss Margaret
Sigmon, who said she was eighteen, of Madison, it was announced today, were married yesterday morning in Jeffersonville by Magistrate Benson R. Veasey.
A paragraph was published in the Sunday morning papers that the girl, who is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Sigmon, a farmer, and said to be only
seventeen, had disappeared from Madison and it was the supposition she had eloped with "elmer Stein," of North Vernon. The paragraph said Sigmon and
officers were searching for the girl. Nothing was known of this in Jeffersonville, and when the license was applied for it was granted.The girl is large and did not have the appearance of being less than eighteen years of age. They were accompanied by an uncle of Stearn and it was stated they came to Jeffersonville in an automobile. Stearn's father is at the head of a Vernon lumber company. The consent for the license to be issued was written on a letterhead of the lumber company. Stearn said he and his bride were going to locate in Vernon, but they did not intimate they had run away from home. The boy said he was born in Jennings county, Indiana, August 10, 1896/ The firl made an affidavit she was born in Switzerland county, Indiana, November 18, 1897, which if true made her eighteen years old nearly two weeks since. It is the belief in Jeffersonville that nothing further regarding the elopement will be done.-Jeffersonville News.
WHAT HO, LOCHINVAR!
Here's a Vernon Youth Who Claims Your Laurels
Vernon, Ind., Nov. 29-Gay Young Lochinvar would have blushed at the undeserved fame he gained by his method of obtaininga bride had he witnessed the elopement of Leon Stearns, 18 years old, of this city, and Miss Margaret Sigmon, 17 years old of Madison, which gained parental forgineness today after thrills undreamed of in the classic days of chivalry. After the Sigmon family removed from Vernon to Madison several months ago young Stearns made frequent trips to that city for secret meeting with his sweetheart. Friday evening she stole from her home to meet the youth and her absence was detected.
Facing parental wrath if she returned, the girl consented then and there to elope. That her garments consisted of little more than a night dress, a sweater, a cloak and overshoes did not deter her. The couple started for Vernon and tramped about twenty miles, through fields and woods, along byroads across streams, hiding at times to avoid detection. At Dupont they obtained a horse and buggy and drove to this city.
Fearing the girl's parents had sent a warning here, Stearns appead to some girl friends, who equiipped Miss Sigmon with more suitable clothing and the couple, by a dash in an automobile, caught a train to Louisville, Ky., where they were married. They returned yesterday to the home of the bridegroom's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Isaac B. Stearns, and the bride's mother arrived here today to forgive them. They will probably eat Christmas dinner at the Sigmon home in Madison.
Unfortunately the marriage did not last, Margarite and Isaac Leon moved to Ohio, and although I have not found a divorce they both remarried. Margarite in 1929 to Chester G. Whitley and Isaac Leon in 1934 to Cecelia Pauline Amick. S.L.K.
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