The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-12-29
wEsr ALRxANDEB, Pa.
It's Matrimonial Fame-The Shrine OF
Cupid No Long and no Mnltitndinonsiy
visited nc that Plaee-A Very RaneifuI

Cupid No Long and NO Mnltitudinonsi
Visited at that PIaco-A Very Rancifr
Article.
Cincinnati Gazette.
II the pagan forms Of religion wereto b
revived by another Julian, were the thin
possible, the temple OF Hymen would Gel
tainly be erected at West Alexander, Il
Washington county, Pa. As 1t is to b
supposed that most OF our married read
ers were regularly married at home or II
their own church, 1t seems necessary I
give tho geography Of the place. It Is sit
uated on spur Of the B. & o. railroad
about twelve miles from Ohio and close 7
the West Virginia line, a convenient local
Iity, as will be seen further along. It is
town OF several hundred inhabitants
and thriving place for business. Bu
the chief glory Of West Alexander is mar
riage; not in the sense in which Salt Lake
City is distinguished, nor is there an or
ganization like our own Society for the
Promotion OF Matrimony there; yet more
couples have been united there for life OF
good behavior than In any other town oi
the size in the country, perhaps. The
laws OF Pennsylvania require no marriage
license, while those Of the two neighbor.
ing States above mentioned do, and this Is
the advantage OF the people OF West Alex.
ander. Il seems the place has been the
goal OF runaway couples troubled
with sympathetic palpitation OF
the heart for many years, the
business falling from the hands OF one
Justice to another successfully. The pres
ent Justice is ]. Finley Mayes, who has
solemnized in the space Of about 10
years in the neighhorhoed Of 1900 mar
riages. Justice Mayes has built a fine
house from the earnings of his Office as
high priest OF Hymen, and this house has
been built with special view to the re.
quirements Of business. A number Of
rooms are set apart for those Of his pat
rons who wish 10 stay all night after the
tie that binds has been tied, and these
rooms are provided with stout doors and
double locks, so that II Is next to impossible
to batter them down, should the pursuers
be so irate as to attempt 1t. The justice
will marry a couple without requiring
them to leave their carriage, and hand
them their license in few minutes II re.
quired. His charges are S. for the mar
riage certificate, or, II the couple stay all
night, he provides room and breakfast in
the morning, charging for everything, in.
Guiding the marriage ceremony and certi-
ficate, SO, which Is cheap enough. Mayes
sometimes has from three to FIVE couple
at time waiting to be made one, and all In
hurry for fear those who pursue will catch
up in time to forbid the banns. Sometimes
an enraged father or terrible big brother
OF the bride arrives alter the ceremony
has been pronounced and proceeds TO vent
his rage to the winds and make dire
threatenings, and even offer violence,
when Mayes' son, who Is his fathers Con.
stable, at once "apprehends them as va.
grom persons" or lays the more serious
charge oil disorderly conduct against them,
At one time a relative, In pursuit OF fee.
ing bride, raised so much confusion and
was 30 violent that 1t became impossible
for the Constable TO arrest him, when the
whole town arose en masse and helped to
putthe offender in jail. A father from West
Virginia arrived alter the ceremony had
been pronounced, and his daughter and
her husband had retired 10 the room they
intended to occupy. The father, after fu.
ming awhile, called for his horses, which
had been put up, whereupon the son.in.
law stuck his head from q window, and
brawled out, "Dont let him have them,
and they did not, for the father bad to
make the best OF his way to Wheeling,
W. Va, where he applied for warrant,
and learned to his discomfort that he was
10 different State He returned the next
day, and was given his horses, his fugitive
children by this device having gained sew
ersl hours on him.
The place is popularity known as " Hard
scrabble" and when John I. Norris, the
well known detective OF Springfield, o.,
from whom We CLEAN the above facts, in.
quired the reason, he was told by an in
habitant 1t was "because It was such q
hard scrabble for runaway couples to get
there before the parents caught up" The
people OF West Alexander are thrifty,
moral, and religious set, and they are de-
Gided friends to matrimony.
The manner in which Mr.. Norris dis.
covered these faCts are as follows; Aaron
W. Morris, q young fellow OF nineteen
years, who lives 10 Noble county, O.,
worked astsummer for farmer OF Charles
town, Clarke county, and fell in love with
the latter's stepdaughter, Bertha NJ. Gard
ner, a girl oi barely fourteen. When thoy
spoke to the old man about marrying, he
laughed and exclaimed:
"Tutl tut! Talk about marrying! You
had better both 90 to school,"
Youthful love ia not always to be balked,
and the lovers laid their plans. The grand
mother OF the girl locked up her clothes
when she accidentally learned the girls
intentions, and the child In her anger
raised club over her grandam's head,
threatening TO kill her, but the old lady
remained "quiet and firm," as the market
reports say, so Bertha had to elope in her
kitchen clothes and mans hat, q terrible
test to put her love TO. She walked eight
miles to Selma In the wrong direction. and
took train which carried her through
her own home, thus throwing her folks of
the scent. Meeting her lover they went 10
Wheeling, then direct to the goal Of their
hopes, were married, and took the back
track Immediately, and having exhausted
their means, were compelled to walk twelve
miles to the home Of the young hus-
bands family. They were married on the
10th. The stepfather OF the girl employed
Mr.. Norris to follow the runaways, 10 see
that the girl did not come TO harm, but
MIR. Norris found they had been married
and returned before he got on the right
track and found them. He had armed
himself with warrant for the girl on the
charge OF assault with intent TO kill, mere.
" as means Of getting possession Of her,
but when he found they were married he
concluded not to disturb them. The
young bridegroom owns farm in his own
right and has Sl,l00 in his guardians
hands, and the guardian promises to see
them settled on their farm Immediately,
SO that "All's well that ends WE'LL" The
marriage certificate which the childish
couple showed was numbered "l,754,"
showing that such, was the number Of
marriages Justice Mayes had celebrated
up TO that hour.
A Famous Old Town.
BosroN, December 2S.-The city OF Cam.
bridge Is to-day celebrating the two hun.