The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1882-10-14
A CHAT WITH H. G.. COLTART, ON
THE MARRIAGE GUILDS.
.Draps, Nearly Five Hundred Dollars,
Like the Average 'Smart-YOung-Man'
which Opened His Eyes.
why a Sensible Girl Gave Him the
"B0unce,''

y. 1880
"B0unce,"
Poor Boy.-.!s'Twas Ever Thus
While at the Clarendon Hotel in
Memphis several days ago, we noticed
our friend H. G. Coltart, train dispatcher
of the M. & 7. r. R., looking as though
he had passed through the collapses of
all the Matrimonial Associations in West
Tennessee. The fact is, we were not sure
but that he had received the final mega
tive of "his girl" and was taking in the
chances OF suicide, whether it was best
to go off in the sudden crash Of q pistol
shot, take morphine, cut his throat or
wind up on big bender and scatter in
its promiscious train all the follies of his
past life, and then be a pious young
man. We approached our friend in
pure sympathy, and thought it best for
him to sample his animus, to see what
bore SO heavily upon him, and the fol-
lowing is the result:
Reporter Coltart, l believe you
are General Manager of the r. r. Mar
riage Union of Memphis Tenn?"
Coltart- Eyes sir acknowledge the
soft impeachment.
R-"How is your company standing
the opposition OF the Press?"
C-"We are terribly disfgured, but
still in the ring"
R-"Do you think your company is
organized on safe basis?'
CT do most assuredly. We did not
promise such fabulous amounts per day
as some others did-We promised only
&3 0per day"
R-"Did your company pay many pol
icies at those figuresT'
Give did; we paid ten upon which
the benefciaries realized handsomely
editor of Grenada SENTINEL amongst the
number"
R-"How many members have you?"
C-"93, but would have had a thous-
and had it not been that mushroom COM
: panies commenced promising such large
amounts per day at the same cost of
Annual dues and membership fees, as
the So 90 and S. 90 per day compan-
les"
R-"Have yeu in your minds eye any
companies that offered those fabulous
amounts?"
C-"Yes, several, the Daily King,
Monarch and Bonanza OF Grenada for
instance. The Daily King, took the
whole bakery for offering the biggest
amount per day, $25 co."
R-"Did you take any stock in the
big dailies?"
C-"No-nOt in those mentioned, but
took few ducats in the Golden Connub-
ial Bliss, Vicksburg Day, and DeSoto
Aid-parties married, but as yet no re-
turns on my investments"
R-4"What become of the companies
in which you had sunk shafts"
C-"Some have dissolved and return
ed to their native elements thin air"
R-"Did you expect to realize any
thing in hose companies" ?"
Cob yes; ! confess | had COM
menced to build few air castles. l
pictured to myself an elegant mansion
with a fountain in front of it; spacious
grounds around it-diamond door knobs,
gold steps, silver side walk leading to Il
nickle-plated hen house, stately groves
of magnolias; beautiful animals (ducs)
in the park a pair of $4,000 swans to
float gracefully about i'll II pond filled
with cologne, and few other little III
expensive luxuries but now would be
satisfied if they would only condescend
to acknowledge receipt of my proofs OF
marriage"
R-"What did you and the other of.
fcers of your Railrord Marriage Union
expect to realize on your own compa-
ny ?"
C-"We only expected to receive a
moderate salary for our services"
R-"What do you think will become
of the agents and solicitors of those big
mushroom companies, who has inveigled
their friends into those Pike Peakeon
enterprisesP'
C-"They will be fleeing to the noun
tains of Hepseidam or some other dam
and will be calling upon the mountains
to fall upon them and hide them from
the wrath of the policy holders-who
will be weeping Rachael like because
they (the Matrimonial Companies) are
not, there will be weeping and wailing
and gnashing of teeth"
R-What do some of the companies
remind you OFF"
C-"Of what Henry Watterson said
about them; they reminded him of a
man who wanted to hire fellow to
catch driftwood for him and give him half
Of what he caught" ,..
R-"Did you anticipate an early de-
mise of Marriage Associations ?"
C-"Yes; OF those offering more than
So 90 per day, AS knew policy holders
could not stand the assessments"
R-"Was your company organized on
a sound basis?"
CIT was; and were our assessments
paid up we could pay every dollar OF
claims against us. I"
R-"Then the cause Of your failure to.
meet your obligations, was the failure OF
policy holders to pay assessments
C-"Just so; all the blame is with
them"
R-"JVhere were you located Z?