Newton-Tift County GaArchives News.....ELOPED WITH TIFTON GIRL October 18, 1907
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Phyllis Thompson http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00011.html#0002524 April 9, 2006, 4:48 pm

The Enterprise October 18, 1907
Cecil Bower Married Only a Few Hours When Father Took Possession of Daughter.
     News has been received here of the romantic marriage of Miss Hattie 
Squires, of Tifton, to Mr. Cecil E. Bower, formerly of this city, and the son 
of Mr. A. R. Bower, one of Newton’s influential citizens.
     In speaking of the marriage the Tifton Gazette says:
     Miss Hattie Squires, a most beautiful and modest maiden of sixteen 
summers, living three miles east of Tifton, was married to Mr. Cecil E. Bower, 
a worthy young business man of our city, last Sunday afternoon at the Methodist 
Parsonage, Rev. E. M. Whiting officiating, and the strength of the matrimonial 
tie has been tested by the court of ordinary, restoring to the father his 
beautiful daughter, who as a bride, was in company with the groom but an hour 
or so.
     Arriving in the city, Mr. J. R. Squires, father of the bride, immediately 
swore out “kidnapping” papers for Mr. Bower. Placing them, in the hands of an 
officer, the two men appeared at the home of Mr. A. P. Jones, who immediately 
went on the bond of the groom. Seeing that Mr. Squires was enraged beyond 
reason, Mr. Jones asked him to have no disturbance at his house, to which Mr. 
Squires replied: “I shall not, but my daughter returns to her home with me this 
night, or she or I die.” Believing it best for him to take her, became 
reconciled by morning, Mrs. Bower, though over her protest, and strongly so, 
was persuaded to go.
     Thinking that all would be well, Monday morning, Rev. Miller, Col. Fulwood 
and a representative of the Gazette accompanied Mr. Bower to the Squires home, 
(leaving the groom in the background) hopeful of bringing about a 
reconciliation and returning with the bride. In answer to a question put to her 
there, Mrs. Bower replied; “Yes, if Father and Mother will only give their 
consent, I will gladly join Mr. Bower, for I love him.
     Returning to the city, habeas corpus papers were sworn out requiring Mr. 
Squires to produce his daughter in court, Tuesday. The case was entered into 
and forcibly argued, and at the close of the argument, Judge Walker said; “You 
may draw an order restoring the daughter to the father, in accordance with her 
desires as spoken to me privately.” Before affixing his signature, however, the 
matter was left to Mrs. Bower to make her decision.
     Here was the test of her very soul as the young heart’s blood rushed 
through her weeping, nerve strained form. What must she do? Between whom of the 
two pleading men then before her must she go, the father from her conception or 
the husband to whom she had but a few hours ago entered into a life contract? 
Sad indeed was her picture; trying ____  truth was her task. For fully ten 
minutes she weighed it all, when slowly and seemingly reluctant, she removed 
the ring from her finger and place it into the husband’s hand, then left to re-
enter her father’s home.
     Being a young man in every way worthy of Miss Squires, her father in court 
said that he had no objections to Mr. Bower personally, only the way in which 
he got her.
     Thursday Mr. Squires called on Mr. Bower, shook hands with him, told him 
he had no objection to him personally, and that if he wanted to call on or 
write his daughter he was free to do so, with her consent, and if she wanted to 
see him he would send for him, or if she wanted to come to see him, he would 
bring her. A reconciliation appears to be only a matter of a few hours.
     The young lady, who has acted in the latter part of the affair with rare 
good judgment, is said to have expressed herself at being anxious to join the 
man of her choice when a little time brings sober reflections and this in turn 
brings about a condition of affairs that will be just to both her parents and 
to him.
 

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