The Red Cloud chief., 1888-02-17
OLD SQUIRE
b Of1ciating Genius Of the EAmoao
Gretn1 Green Of America.

Gretn1 Green al America. !
The village Of Aberdeen. o.. directly
opposite this city. has become famous
within the last quail ter Of a century rs
the Gretna Green Of America. More
couples are married there in a year
than in many large cities OF the coun-
irt. 1t is the haven of runaway lovers
from Kentucky. although couples :O
there from Ohio. Indiana. Illinois. aud
even New YORK. Aberdeen is u pretty
place of about nine hundred inhabit-
ants. 1t is situated on the Ohio river.
! sixty-One miles above Cincinnati. anil !
is reached by steamer and ferry
boat. The town is 4 leading tobacco
market. Runaway marriages have be-
come so frequent ut Aberdeen that the
! people pay M attention to them. There
are sometimes six or seven weddings II
day. The veteran marry;a" Squire is
| M:;ssie B.a>ley. who is now seventy
seven years old. He has held his pres
ent Office continuously for twenty years.
AMI is always reelected without OppO-
si.ion. Every grade Of society appears
before Squire B,aS!ey IL have the NY
mencal knot tied. He is Il goo,I-heartcd
old fellow. and if the pair have no
money to pay the fee. which is often
the ease. h. dismisSes them will. his
blessing. Some Of the couples arrive
in carriages and are dressed il silks
. and broadc!Oth. Others enter his Office
6aref"Oted and in rags. but the Squire
never turns them away. M matter how
foriOrn or pitiable their condition. He
marries people ut the deal Of night
when they are in u hurry to escape tho
wrath Of pursuing fathers or brothers.
Squire Beasley's office has furnished
many sensations which never got into
the newspapers. On two Or three o.
casiOns the wsdding has been harshly
| interrupted by the arrival OF purSuers
just in time to prevent the ceremony.
TE. age of applicants for his services
makes no difference to Mr.. Eeasley.
| He has united boys of thirteen and
girl. Of eleven. but up to this time he
has never been involved in any troable.
! The Oldest pair to enter matrimony be-
| fore the marrying Squire was Il man
Of eighty AMI Il wOina of scyenry-two.
1t had been a wonder how many mere
children could be welded without
| making the Justice liable IL fine and
Imprisonment. 1t seems that Hr:Isiey
is q: law unto himself. He asks no
questions. and aims to make every holy
happy without regard to age or color.
Most IF hi. patrons are from Kentucky.
and the marriage laws Of tina. Stats
are decidedly crude and indefinite.
Within the last five years West Virginia
has sent many Of her young people to
Aberdeen to 10 married. Squire
Beaslev has tied the knot for 4.153
couples in the sixteen years OF his
career in that time. His predecessor.
Squire Shelton. who has been dead
many years. married 500 couples in
his life. In thirty years nearly lO.OO)
pairs Of lovers have been made happy
or miserable in Aberdeen.
Squire Beaslcy is youthful in spirits.
being a maj Of fine social qualities.
His Office is at his residence. = two
story brick. just on the outskirts OF tho
town. There. with his only son. Cap
tain Tom Beaslsy. he keeps bachelors
hall. The room used for matrimonial
is large and attractive. 1t
contains an old-fashioned book-cas,
and table. cOzy :rm-chairs. abedstssd.
and the 'Squire's pet hooking bird.
The experiences Of Mr.. Beasley prove
that people will undergo almost any
hardship to get married. The rum
aways knock at his doors ut all hours
Of the night in the worst OF weather.
They come on horseback and Oh foot.
frequently being only a few minutes
ahead of the infuristed father.
The records of the 'Squire's Office
show that Lewis County. Kentucky.
sends the most runaways to Gretna
Green. although every county in that
State is we'll represented in his register.
Ohio couples are required to produce y
license. and in this way Mr.. Be:sley
saves himself from being amena5ls to
tie laws Of that State.
Although Squire Beasley is n jorisl
fellow. he is ~agyravatingly reticent
about his career ~ N dispenser OF mat
rimonial bonds. He has refused re-
pea.edly to be interviewed on the sub
iect and will not have his picture taken.
The Squire keeps his records. not in u
book. but on slips of paper He SAYS
it is noboly's business who the people
are that come to him to get married.
and he will not reveal n Of the many
interesting secrets Of which he is the
possesssor. A newspaper man once
offered him a 500. 900 Tor W Of his
pictures and Az interview. but he posi-
lively declined to consider the PROPOSE
ton. Mr.. Beasley has made several
thousand dollars ~ the result OF his
reputation rs the marrying Squire OF
America.-MaysriAe. (Ey.J Con. CHI
cago Tribune.
The coasts Of Lower California
abound with huge turtles. which weigh
f.on, 900 a., lOO nounIS each Dawn NJ