Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-05-25
MATRIMONIAL MAYS.
Incidents from ne Book of a Penn
sylvanla Justice.
The Hero Of Two Thousand Ceremonies
Gives Some Figures from His Log
Book-Money No Object
He Wants to
MAKE MAN HAPPY AND HAS DONE IT.


That irrepressible Priest Of Hymen,
Squire Mayes, of West Alexander, prom
ises to take as high q place in American
history as Private" Dalzel or Beau Hick'
man, For the last twenty years has been
nerched upon the summit of the highest
hill between the mountain systems, like
Eiiah's Sc rvant laying for indications about
the size of a mans hand and q woman's
too for that matter, and so far the
indications have run up to about 1000
hands, and the hand-oyers to about twice
that many dollars.
Squire Mayes comes from a marrying
family. He is the third In direct success.
sion of a race ~of'Squires, but the prospects
are that no ''lineal hand" will succeed him.
His grandfather, Justice Alexander, was
succeeded by Isaac Mayes, father OF the
present Justice, who in turn was succeeded
in 1862 by J. Finley Mayes, the subject OF
this sketch. Twenty years ago Squire
Mayes was comparatively an old man, and
his first marriage ceremony was performed
with fear and trembling. But that feeling
soon wore off, and he is now as brave as a
lion in the face of q prospective ceremony.
Squire Mayes was born on the day that
the British burned Washington, ID. C., and
is consequently 6S years OF age. He has
been thrice married. the last time sending
for his principal competitor in business,
Rev. VIII. Lester, to perform the cere-
mony, which took place in this city last
year..
He has compiled the record OF his matri-
monial work in periods OF five years.
During the first five years he married 20S
couples; the second, 500; the third, 5O7;
the fourth, S34. The record shows the
names of the contracting parties, the date
and fee given for each marriage. Up TO
the present time Squire Mayes has received
for performing marriage ceremonies the
sum of S6,262 II, or an average OF 80 l2]2
per couple during the term of twenty
years. The fee allowed by law was 81 up
TO 1865, when it was increased to So.
About half q dozen couples paid nothing,
some paid the regular fee and ethers paid
as high as S., $40, and n party was so
liberal as to fork over a $40 bill. The low
est amount received, as shown by the
ledger, was 80 cents. Most of the couples
married are from West Virginia and
Ohio, OF course, where the license
fee is a tax upon matrimony. The
Justice shrewdly puts out the enticing
advertisement no marriage license
required in Pennsylvania" and encloses
his card. The young couple show it to
their friends, of course, and so the trade IS
fostered. Thirty couples OF the 1000 were
cOlored. Fifty OF the men made happy
were named Smith, and 80 Of these were
baptized John. Fourteen of the ladies did
not change their names. Business has
ranged in briskness from six couples in
one day to several days without any.
The two t~housandeth couple arrived at
West Alexander on Saturday, the 18th inst.
They were Christopher C. Sprouts and
Miss Martha Delora Martin, both of Ben
wood, Marshall county, West Virginia.
"A few days before they came" said the
Squire, II received a letter from a bust
ness firm in Wheeling, to be presented,
with an accompanying package, 10 the two
thousandeth couple married by me. | de-
liyered the package and letter, which ran
thus:
wheeling, W. Va, May -, 1882.
To the Happy Two Tousondh Groom:
DEAR SIR-Accept our congratulations,
and with the same 4 box OF our smoking
and chewing tobacco. Wishing you and
your n~ewly-wesded wife long life, happi
ness and prosperity, we are, &c,
One time an old fellow named Miller, we'll
up in the seventies, took a notion to tie up
IN a frisky maiden of 65, and after negotia-
ting for some time with the geniOus JUS
tice, finally arranged with linn to perform
the ceremony for nothing. Rejecting q
moment, Miller said, Squire, yer got a
second hand pair OF boots that could bor-
row for the OCCASION
Miller was accommodated, the ceremony
performed forthwith, and the couple de-
parted for the Poor House va. a weeks
residence with his son in that vicinity,