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Show la l i s r mmm GENERAL. The .Tlurriuffc I.uv. Indianapolis, 28. In e-.so of the htat oi. ri. K. Uueil and sman D. Gilbert, ii, dieted for fornication, Judge Chapman, of Marine county criminal court, gave a lengthy opinion widen in general says: Trie absence ot marriage ceremonies docs no', impair the validity of the union, it only a license has been taken out, uud an agreement been entered into iu presence of any pjraoa thai, the parties will become man and wile. It was not necessary in the casein hand that the duration of tho union should be. stipulated, m the law itself determines this. Tins marriage is Hpecially binding as both parties have testified that they believed it legal when consummated. They sigutd an agreement that they should be delivered lrom ea di other by mutual willingness, but liuell testifies that he knew he could only be separated by a decree of a court; that this clause was only meant as a protest against existing laws. Moreover this was signed after the parties had pronounced themselv( s married. Theretore tho clause can't he considered aa invalidating tho general agreement to become husband hus-band and wife. This is the language used: "Whereas, the courts of law havo decided that marriage is a civil contract, and governed by tho name rules as all other contracts, therefore we hereby ogreo that this contract exist and be in force during our physical phy-sical lives, provided mutual love natures ever blend as now; but to terminate without prejudice, by the wish of either party, if this love ehall ever cease to be mutual, which event we trust and believe never will occur." oc-cur." Their compact showed rather innoranceof some points of law than an idea of violating them. In mast stuteB tho courts have decided in the Isame way that this marriage would I j under the circumstances be binding until death or a competent court dissolved dis-solved the contract. |