Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-05-15
TOLD BY PREACHERS.
Queer Experiences of Some Noted
 New York Ministers
pr. Howard Crosby's Encounter with 9 EDrunken Passenger - Funny Wedding Fees-How an Episcopal Clergyman
 Was Buncoed by 0 Groom.

The duties of clergymen often lead to strange experiences and most preachers who have spent large portion of their lives in their profession could tell of many quaint happenings in their intercourse with | their fellow-men, says the New York Jour- nal.
 Dr. Howard Crosby says of himself thata horse-car, when a drunken man entered and began to use profane and offensive lan- guage. Some of the passengers told him to ''shut up," but the fellow became worse, and pr. Crosby went over to him and began talking to him soothingly. The fellow in- stantly quieted down, and as he got up to leave the car scowled on the men who told him to shut up, but turned with an amiable expression on his face to Dr. Crosby and said, batting his back famihsrly: ...,+.
 II like you, old feller; you know how 1t is yourself"
 well-known clergyman in New York City was one evening belated when return | ing home from 0 pastoral visit to sick | member of his congregation on the West side, at Eighty-fourth street, near Eleventh | avenue. The night was very dark, and he struck into 6 number of vacant lots and | finally lost his bearings. He saw man short distance before him and asked him | the nearest way to Ninth Avenue Elevated | station. The man proved to be drunk, and l the clergyman thought he would improve | the occasion by giving him a short lecture on the evils of alcohol Bracing himself | against lamp post the man said: "You're preacher, aincherp The clergyman admitted the sallegation, and the man, shaking his forefnger un- | steadily, said:
 "See that, now. You're tryin'-hio-to l show me the road to Heaven, an' has ter | ask sinner like me fur the road ter New York. Why doncher larn the roads on | earth fust9" Rev. Robert s. McArthur, tho pastorNf Calvary Baptist Church, has had some | unique experiences. He Is sometimes asked to unite in marriage an Irish or German girl and Chinaman. In such cases he always institutes rigid inquiry to find that all is right before he unites the pair. l On one or two occasions when the bride was Irish he has been asked to give the Chinanan an Irish name in performing the ceremony, as the girl did not want her friends on the other side to know that she had married Chinaman, and he found 1t difficult to impress on them the fact that 1t would be wrong.
 It is in the wedding fees occasionally ten dered that the greatest oddities of human nature are illustrated MT. McArthpr told | the writer that be knew Q country Clergy l given bag of potatoes as g fee. On an- other occasion this clergyman was given @ valuable colt as wedding fee. A brother clergyman received g present from @ grateful bridegroom of 8 dog for tying the nuptial knot
 A kiss from the bride is now and then offered. Rev. W. s. Rainsford, of St l Georges Episcopal Church in this city, says that once when he was curate in Canada l hiS tfyae oa11e6 fn a in marriage and was asked by the bride | groom to take as fee the first kiss from the bride, This would usually be thought a privilege, but the good rector didn't look at 1t in that light. The fact was that the hap py pair were both full -blooded negroes. MT. Rainsford in telling g the story to the writer, said,
 "We always keep the identity of the couple dark.'
 | A very mean trick was played by groom < on the pastor of a Mariners church in New York City, whose name the writer has been requested to withhold. The groom was a respectfully dressed young fellow, and his 1 wife dapper, smiling young girl, who did not appear the equal in station of the groom After the nuptial knot was tied the groom slipped a paper apparently containing 8 gold coin into the clergyman's hand, and wept away with the expression on his face | O4 u udu WuO udO uOu6 u SSuSiOuS dCG.
 After the couple had gone the clergyman unwotnd one paper. Then another envelope appeared, and then a third, which was tied over the coin. Two more papers were un- l rolled, and shining new one-cent piece was revealed
 A more dishonest trick was, however, played upon prominSnt Episcopal clergy man, at present living in this city, by a bridegroom. This clergyman is well known in social circles, and to prevent his friends keeping up perpetual joke at his expense his name, by request, is not given.
 The pair who came to be married were an honest-looking young fellow of handsome appearance and good address and @ young girl scarce out of her teens.
 The bridegroom, after the ceremony. pro duced fifty dollar bill and said, in shame faced way:
 1T would like to give you this bill as fee for making me so happy, but feel as if could not afford 1t. I could spare ten dol ars. Would you-would you-er-mind giv- o