A Notable marriage.
--For some time a portion of the community has been all agog with gossip concerning the past intimacy and probable future marriage at no distant day of a distinguished preacher, lawyer, politician, and military man, to a fascinating widow of this city.
On the 28th of June last
Col. Henry W. Hitliard had the misfortune to lose his former estimable consort.
During the interval from that time to this
Col. Hilliard has been engaged publicly commanding the Legion from this State in
East Tennessee, and when occasionally at home he has preached and administered the sacrament to the
Methodist congregation in
Montgomery.
Recently it was announced that he had resigned his commission in the army, and had been admitted into the Georgia Conference, and would take pastoral charge of the
St. John's Methodist Church at
Augusta.
All this was not surprising to a community so well acquainted with
Mr. Hilliard's versatility of talents and grace and eloquence in the pulpit.
When, however, it was announced on Thursday evening that the reverend minister had actually been secretly married to
Mrs. Eliza A. Mays, on the night of the 7th of August, by
the Rev. Dr. E. Baldwin, of the Methodist Church of
Montgomery,
Madam Rumor was astounded and chagrined that she was so far behind time.
It appears that the parties had intended to make their nuptials public in a year from that date, but in the meantime circumstances prevented the second marriage.
Accordingly, as
Mr. Hilliard was about taking his departure for
Augusta, on Thursday evening several persons were assembled at the house of the former
Mrs. Mays to hear a written revelation of the mystery, which was solved, so far as the public have any insight, substantially as we have stated the facts.
Mr. Hilliard and lady left on the next train for
Augusta.--
Montgomery Advertiser. 
