Telegram-herald., 1890-09-07

hs vas "a cld nans a postmans h43
probably ss8ays hsed - sFraxn=i1
Aac tirslD4 M 9at De very se<s.eealas
ia 4sslslias - alY lnFesE.g gls,9-s. al
4sses1 clm alalniy Il nz eoat8 oss 70
which aftsr ieng tiaes regard - ne
= q 4 ieeS % lnEresiuitf. s1sp.e.oZss
eauBsng aa1 positively pireo0s greed.
ne solsaniv asserted th2s ae aas The
0oiy man AFiag tbat eo4ld g.ve any
one 81 an nqginBg sara ot ulsa4 coai-
pleta iDfgreatoo unon t1e s1alect ~
firefs4 marriages, Hbieh ne Weu s 60 &
/ woul8 JOIN h,m on tae morros at hfs
o8n houss the tnud from zee Sark
brAxe there's sllisE SAINT Is he
eouelaied siHnost savagesy. I assured
b Ia there Hss reasonable amoslus 'saf
silver oehmfF whatever be could 40
for me. whereGpoa TIE old wretch Keat
his xay.
Just one hundred wears ago this VII
lAge Of SEEngGeld was Quilt ~ Sr Wiz
lam MsxBeu. The necessity for the
place bad 9 origin IN the marriage
trade 0f GretQa. which became -
popular under It's originator. Joseph
Paisley, tnat MaxWelps own residence
AT the old village was transformed INTO
an mn. and tins ~ little time was SO
0vercrOWded that other acc0umOda-
tons bad 10 be provided. The Kings
Arms across t0e way from the Max
wells Arms. q which | am writing. by
lseo had become the most famous
posting establishment IN the two
kingdoms From Paisley's marri-
age OF the Cumberland. Eng
land. couple IN l77I. as ehronicled
IN my last article, % the time OF his
death, ~ 1914. IL ; computed that the
traffic brought annually % Gretna and
Springfield el0. 600 IN fees, expenses OF
those who pursued runaway English
couples, outlay OF barrsters who visited
the places 20 establish proofs OF mar
rage. other harrlsteTs who came for
clients who hoped 20 find lack Of proof.
the curious who were attracted 10y the
extraordinary character of the place.
and from the general recklessness and
extravaganza on every hand where
marriage fees from runaway English
common folk, gentry and nobility
ranged from five To one hundred
guineas, a. they did. with any amount
OF the "yellOw stuff" for the hordes OF
witnesses" handy-men and satraps
who lived permanently at the inns,
filled the rude cottages, or swaTmed
ike harples around 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 descendants of Sir William Max
well. He lives IN London, renting the
estate demense at Springfield. some
seven miles distant, to Lord Antrim,
now here for his fourth year, as a
shooting-bOx for grouse shooting and a
summer residence. st $4,000 per year
The wretched habitatiOns of the now
woehegOne village, originally parceled
out on 99-year leases which are just
now expiring. at the present time are
based at m average annual rental of
but 60 4 wear, and house most miser-
able population. So much for the vii
lage whose eastern end is but q few
rods from the boundary line between
England and Scotland, at the old stone
bridge across the Sark, where the
olden Gretua marriages were consum-
mated. many times in less than thirty
seconds, and indeed where there were.
often performed at the bridge-end IT,
self, with old Paisley running alongside
the laundering coach with its foaming
Tracing the successors of Paisley, /
find that their line was established in
this wise: High living, half a gallon of
brandy daily, and frequent debauches
when gallons of COgnac would be night
ly consumed, brought Paisley a mass
of fat and corruption weighing 400, to
his grave IN 1914. For some little time
before his death his physical JOYS and
ls..f laI 20 Iala
his offices to other and younger hands.
The fortunate man was one David
Laing, canny Ulster Irishman, and
pack -peddier, who had mSrried Pals
ley's granddaughter. No one disputed
the legitimacy of the succession, as
David Laing had both hard fist and
character; and though rivals occasion
ally intercepted a trifle of the traffic,
he controlled 1t so effectuaIly and gave
il such eclat that on his death in 1921
having caught fatal cold on his visit
TO Lancaster, England, to give evidence
at the trial Of Lord Wakefield, who WAS
indicted, convicted and punished by
two wears Imprisonment for the abduc-
ton of his betrOthed, their marriage
having been celebrated at Gretna-hIs
memory was thus perpe tuated by
UOuiaS i1OOu-
Sleep. David Lalng.-sleep
In peace, though angry governesses spurn
thee,
Over thy grave thousand maidens weep,
And honest pOst-ooys mourn thee
sleep David. safely and sereneiy sleep,
Bewept by many learned legal eye!-
To see the mould above thee I'm heap.
browns many a lid that heretofore was dry
Especially Of those that. pIunging deep
In love. would ride and tie."
4 fSr
ways
In chaIse and pair-and lain in Pere Ia Chase /
The thlrd "Bishop of Gretna," Simon
Laing. son Of "auld DAVE" :nducted
himself into Office Immediately after
his fathers death, and continued the
Gretna marriage business until his own
death IN 1871, a fact not generally
known, with a constant increase of the
traffic until 1856. In this year, by per
mission OF Scottish representatives IN
the British parliament, an act was
passed making clvil-contract marriage
impossible in Scotland unless one OF
the contracting parties became resi-
dent Of scotland for 2l days immedi-
ately preceding marriage. With this
mod ification the old law stands intact.
But the prevailing idea, which exists
even IN Scotland, that Cretna marriages
were thus abolished Is totally incorrect.
as 70 my smazement was discovered on
my visit 20 the old pOstman. There
found not the ogre IN blue and red, bat
a venerable old wretch of 6S years,
with white locks, great horned specta.
cies half hidden behind that wonderful
nose, and bis weazened form clad In
threadhare suit Of clerical black, whose
name was William LANG. This man "a
the fourth Bishop OF Gretns. having
succeeded his father on the death Of
the latter in 1871; and who. IN addition