Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-07
GRETNA GREEN.
The Old Kirk Yard Visited-The Graves
Of Joseph Paisley and His
Successors.
William Lains, the Fourth Bishop OF Gretun
Shows His Re ords for tho Seller Ahins
i"-POstmau AMI "Meenester."
DOWNRIGHT 1880.

CaTlysle to Glasgow, from Ecclefechan, where
| Thomas Carlysle was born and lies buried,
| towards the border 10 Gretna Green. So far as
| human eye could discern not soul had housing
within its half dozen ruinous habitations. No.
youthful or wrinkled face pressed against tiny
| window-pane l passed. No dirty children
skuIked like grouse in and out of the pls assnt
| hedges. Not even the snarl of 8 watch
| full cur con tributed to the fact OF arrival or
| conveyed g seuse OF welcome. 1 kicked bravely
| al few doors, without even awakening an
| echo. Where echo is dead it is silent indeed,
| reflected, az broke into the old kirk-yard L
could Not force The door of the kirk itself. Then
| 1pro.. led about the ivy covered manse behind.
! He,e lived, knew. one OF those remn ants OF
| half dead and altogether breathless eccleHiastc
| systematic established hurch OF SEQ land, ex-
| piring from TRANSMISSION OF religious blood and
| life into the vigorous young Free church,
| awakening. Then 1 sauntered among the
| graves. There Yves at least interest if not life,
| Hymen, the first BISHOP Of Gretna,"
| he who had defed bulls OF popes,
bullyings OF lord-chancellors, and cd cts of
| kings, fat old brandy guzz!ing Joseph Paisley,
lies here, and the path 10 his humble grave
stone is worn deeper than 10 that of pUreSt life
or OF highest title who is co mouer in the same
| last mold His Successors as "prie sts'' of the
| Irregular Gretna marriages are buried near; and
their he ad-stOnes are also shrines Tor the Curl
| Gus. / could not but reflect that all the
couples, or the descendants OF all the thousands
| of couples, in England and Scotland, that these
three men joined together. unite in visiting the
| graves of those to whom they owed their
nubial joys or miseries, what
WONDERFUL PILGRIMAGE
| 1t would be. Why, the old coach road would be
massed with folk, score abreast, away back
| over the Sark and Esk to Carlisle. There would
| be lords and earls and real bishops and even
prelates among them, too!
Lettering outside the wall for final glimpse
of the drear and grass gIown place, at last be-
came conscious Of presence. Turning l a
nose of wondrous proportions, with man of no
proportions at all behind it. The man stood
mctionless, but the nose seemed possessed of
life. ltgently swayed pendulum-like, in the
dead and still at Gretna- The man was old and
bumped, and was clad in that beautiful curtsiled
garb of the British postman, with the skirts at
the waist, the waist at the shoul-
ders and tine cuffs at the elbows. with straight
visored cap like trunced ounces cap, and the
whole, Wrinkling and concentrating slywArd;
as if authority had the British postman eternaly
il grip at he nape of the neck to accelerate the
action or his neither exiremitles. The hands of
ing chilly weather; and his two green little
eyes, brighter in green Tor the red and
rheum Of The lashes, seemed Peering over
and around his mighty nose, IS if the intel
lect behind we're having a hard time of it
settling the exact status OF the stranger. II /
could not have anywhere recognized the old
iumkle of clothing and figure as belonging to q
British postman, the environment, the recent
kirk yard musings, and tho unearthly silence at
GretE2, would have conjured the fellow some
gnon. on postal service from another world;
and tue first impulse of the situation was to hold
out my hand Tor the forthcoming MESSAGE. But
restraining that. fell in beside him with civil
greeting. and we trudged on together down the
long street into Springfield. The old fellow
seemed still in deep study. He would not
walk beside me. II I crowded close upon
him at one side he would sud-
denly fall behind, bring in the rear, nd pat
the other side of the way; but always when
could Get GLIMPSE of his wicked little eyes
they seemed fastened on me with glitter of in
tense calculation and vena!tty- As we reached
the edge of the village the sides of the old ram
shackle houses were fringed with suen-looking
binds, filthy and wrangling children and old
danes with short ski Is and mulch caps,
yellow with age and dirt; and all these uncanny
folk, first cycling the old man and then myself.
INDUCED in
sHRUGs AND DERIsIvE SMILES
that were disquieting indeed. There were two
inns, the Kings Arm and the Maxwell Arms.
equally forb 'dding and vile, and l chose the
latter at the old man recommendations as it was
the first reached. It's propr etor was a veritable
Meg Merrilies" of awonsn, and the ground
floor, chiefly given over to drunken orgies and
ree4ing with filth, was crowded with plownen,
herdsmen and u amps in various stages of stupor
or elatIon. All of these seemed to regard my
self and my companions in the light of such a
hiiariously fortunate arrival, that not until l
had paid reckoning for two thirsty
Scotch outlets could avoid sundry demonstra-
tionS which savosed oVermGch of hustling and
secure the seclusion of musty, dark and
vermn- filed room. Turning TO close the door,
the wrisI-fpttering hands and the ogre-like
face OF the old man prevented.
moo, We seekin' the meenester?'' he
asked with an uncanny leer.
tine minister2''
"Oh. aye-the meenester o. Gretna."
No, only those VINO were dead whatever 1
could find out about them; and perhaps the old
Gretna records. if they were to be discovered; I
managed TO explain.
':Maun be yer'e seekin' only perteeklar
ains?''
"oh. no, my good man; simply anything of
general interest,"
glitter of calculation flashing diaboiicaIly from
those specks of green eyes; and suddenly, while
his shriveled old hands rubbed nervously to-
seekin'?''
/ subsequently we'll understood the old
wretch's meaning. At that moment did not.
But it flashed over me that he was old man;
a postman; had probably always lived ut Srring-
field and Gretna; might be very serviceabe in
assisting in my Investigations; and asked him
IlsinlY IL he could be, to which, after g long
time regarding me with a look OF incredulity,
sus oicious cunning and positively piteous greed,
he so,emnly asserted tn t he was the only man
living that could give any one OF an inquiring
turn OF mind omplete informa lion upon the
subject of Gretna marriages. which he would do
il won Join him on the morrow at his own
house. the third from the Sark bridge-''If
there's siller ahint it!'' he concluded almost
savagely- l assured him there was q reasonable
amount ''of silver benind' whatever he could
do for me, whe. eupon the old wretch went his
wEy.
Just 100 years ago this village of Springfield
was built by Sir W lillian Maxwell. The neces-
sity for the place has It's oTilin in the marriage
trade of Gretna, which became so popular un-
uGr lLS originator. Joseph EalStey, tlBG MAX
we'll residence a. the village was trans
formed int inn, and this in little time was
so overcrowded that other accommodations had
to be provided. The Kings Arms across the
way from the Maxwel's Arms, in which am
writing, by 1900 had become the most famous
posting establishment
THE TWO KINGDOMS.
From Paisley marriage of the Cumberland
England, couple in I'LL, as chronicled in my
last article, to the time OF his death in 1914 it
Is computed that the traffic brought annually to
Gretna a1d Springfield GI0. OI0 IN fees. expenses
OF those who pursued runaway English couples,
outlay of bsrrsters who visited the place TO es-
tablish proof OF marriage, other bArristers who |
came for clients who hoped to find lack of proof!
the curious who attracted by the |
extraordinary character OF the place. and |
from the general recElessness and extrav- |
agance on every hani where marriage |
fees from runaway English common folk gentry |
and nobility ranged from Eve to 100 guneas. as !
they did with any amolnt OF the yellow stuff
for the hordes of witnesses" handy men snd |
satraps who lived permanently at the inns filed |
the rude cottages or swarmed like harpies about |
the then busy stable yards. The present owner |
of the estate on which Springfield stands is Sir |
John Maxwell, the third Sir John, of the de- |
sceudants OF Sir William Maxwell. He lives |
in london, renting the estate demesue |
at Springfield, some seven miles distant |
to Lord Antrim. now here for |
his fourth year. as shooting box for grouse
shooting and a summer residence, at E2jO1 per
wear. The wretched habitations of the now woe