The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1882-07-27
Two Thousand WeddlAgs. t.

/ 49, fIfi "
| A letter from West Alexander p,
| to the Pittsburgh Dispatch saws; ,jusi;cs
Mayes, the famous marrying ,Sonj,s
whose readiness with the words, IFbisb
bind is known to every pair of young.
sters yearning to be one within q radm
OF several States, ten DAYS ago cels.
brated his two thousandth iharuaes
His official signature now stands At "a
bottom of zoos marriage certi6cates
and 4.006 people have stood up ,beio.s
him and thought his plain words the
most eloquent and musical Id tie ha
guage. If the domestic hearthstonu
which he had created were piled toeeth
err they would make a very respecfsbls
quarry; if all the happiness he had d.
casioned could but rebound 10, bis "a
heart, he would be blest above morsk
could the divorce fees he has laid III
foundations for return to his own bod.
ct, his children's children mi1ht i'll
have comfortable patrimony.
Marital affections seems to- Be nd.
genous to the soil hereabouts, ns
town itself was christened by its found
er. Robert Humphrey, as far bo,k
1876, after the maiden name, of his .wis
Margaret Alexander. The marrying
Justice himself has not escaped The Il.
lection, or perhaps has been physician
not afraid to take his own medicha
The lady who now presides over his
household is his third wife. The town
itself is an unpretentious little place, Il
quiet old pike town, wearing but isSI
architectural adornments ii the ward
wedding finery.. 1t is situated on as |
line OF the old National pike. ltsneigk
boring town, Claysville, helps ID amol :
est way to perpetuate the memoryo |
kentuckian statesman to whose brosd |
public spirit the CREST thoreughlats
former days owes its existence. ..
Joseph Finley Mayes is now eIos
sixty-hve years old, and carries y
winters lightly. The frosty rime i a
his brows and chin, but his voice
CHEEKY and his tongue as chippusI
ever. He has been so much q publ
feature recently that his story as ! d
scendent of line of knot-tiers Is pFetII
well known. He has now been holding
the Office of Justice of the Peace exscdyb
twenty years. He has complied lk
record of his matrimonial work b
periods of five years. During the ar
fiyesyears he married 293 couples; "
second, 1863; the third, 507; the fours
834. The record shows the names
the contracting parties, the date, al
the fee given for each marriage UpkI
the present time Squire Mayes has
ceiyed foGt performing marriage esrI
monies the sum of Sc, 262.14, 0r N
average Of S3. 12a per couple during
term of twenty years. The fee allo*d
by law was 81 up to 1865, when tFnl
increased to So. About half-a-do'dI
couples paid nothing, some pad y
regular fee and others paid as high |
SIS, SO, and one party was SO liberals
to fork over $780, Fhe lowest amel1 |
received, as shown by the ledger, w
90 cents. Most Of the couples mst il
ried here are from West Virginia w. |
Ohio, of course, where the license re- Il
a tax upon matrimony. The lusN
shrewdly puts out the enticing adssf I
,tisement: '.No marriage license =
CURED in Pennsylvania" and inelox
his card. The young couple shov !
their friends, of course, and - Y
trade is fostered. Thirty couples q Y
two thousand were colored. fihI VI
the men made happy were nam
Smith, and thirty-two Of these Wy
baptized john. Fourteen OF che isa
did not change their names Buap
has ranged in briskness from =
couples in one dayto several days WV
out any. ..a4af Eta
!. Michigan has very STRINGENT y