The record-union., 1893-09-23

general reck leSS06SS ana oAlfdVaSdhCo
on every hand where marriage fees from
runaway English common folk, gentry
and nobility ranged from five to one hum
dred guineas, as they did. with any
amount Of the yellow stuf'' for hordes
of witnesses" handy-men and satraps
who lived permanently at the inns, filled
the rude cottages or swarmed like har-
pies about the then Dusy stableyards.
The present hereditary line OF Bishops
of Gretna" was established just before the
death of Joseph Paisley, who, mass OF
fat and corruption, event his ways" in
1914. He was a terrible drinker OF cognac,
and his advancing age, with his physical
joys and afflictions, compelled him to
delegate his office to other and younger
hands in the person of one David Lang,
an Ulster Irish pack-peddler. His wife
was Paisley's granddaughter, and, be-
sides, he possessed so hard character
and fists that none disputed the legitima-
cy OF the succession. He died III 1877.
The third Bishop" was his son, Simon
Laing, who fattened upon the Increasing
traffic until 1856, when something OF a
check was given Gretna Green marriages
by the passage of the Act before alluded
TO, requiring one of the contracting par
ties to have Scottish residence for twenty
one days Immediately preceding mar
riage. This Simon L4aing died in 1871.
The fourth and present "BishOp OF Gret-
ma" is William Laing. her Majesty's post
man at Springfield and Gretna, little
mite OF an old man II years o. age, " eaz-
ened, ShrlVeled and cauny, unit lg all
the blbulous proweSs OF his predecessors,
with an appalling cunning OF the lowest
order; Tiny ogre in blue and red when
on his official rounds rs postuan a vici-
Gus and runllnatlVe 'GrandiathCr small
Weed'i when "oliciatingh or umbllng
over his oaken chest OF records IL Ills
tiny, umbledOWn cottage beside the I'M
peIuous SQrk.
The old moss-grCwn G;retna Kirk is still
standing. surrounded by cunlbling
headstones Of Gretna "Bishops" and
other worthless, at the northern end 0i
the long, dreary street. The Kings Arms
and the Maxwell Arms, midway 10 the
Sark, are ruiuous and decaycd, and re-
main but filthy dens, whore drunken
kinds and Drawing trampS mold common
ogy. The Struggling street Is ONeigroNE
with rank grass and weeds. Old women,
with bloOdless faces ana barbarlc BARNS
with dirty faces, leer and ho0t at you as
they pass. Down at the edge oi the brae,
forming the last Vestige OF scottish lana
beside the Sark, III lie third cottage from
the stream, live William l-ain;g and his
/ half inlbeclle Old vile, the latter now
deaf Tor more than forty years and with 4
pinChed white face, WRITER than tie tre!n-
/ ling white irllls OF her mulch cap upon
her poor, palsied head.
There Is Just one room III this stone cot
tage, and that not twelve feet square.
IAe street door IS at the house front.
Behind this is q recess aud Il bed. y
back door opens upon little Walied kali
/ ward. Opposite the bed is Il WIue llrc-
place where food is cooked upon ald
against a peat ire as III ancient times.
/ Opening upon the street is one window,
4 wide aud low. Underneath this stands
Il deal table, and benealh The table Is Il
stout, oaken. iIon-bound chest. This
contains the records OF nearly ten tHou-
/ sand Gretna marriages. hey are worth
more than their weight in gold. The uiu
/ man hugs The deluSlOu that he viii SOnle-
! time get their weight in gold. lie never
( permits man or woman 10 set eyes upon
these records. save toI gold, and then
! only in fever OF fright lest harm shall
come 10 these boarded, silent witnesses,
/ or from suspicion that some plot against
him 1or their possession Is in progress. i
accomplished my own purpose OF inspec-
tion only after many visits, after yIeiulng
10 his many direct demands Ior drink,
and after downright bribery. Then, by
inpugning his high office. railing at his
assumption of seml-prlGsIy powers, and
/ contemptuously denying that marriages
were now being performed by him, 50
{
/ duced the registers OF the nearly one
/ thousand couples he had himself mar
ried and also eXcltedly proilered. # there
/ was "SiIler ahInt It," 10 illustrate iae
/ ceremonial then ami there, Win myself
1or the bridegroom and his lee,erlug, to-
tering Old guidwite, Elizabeth Lang as
/ bride.
! The old man, half wild with liquor and
| Indignation, slapped his horn bowed
Z of.lG OF a ii
Bible with one hand from the table, and,
with the other, clutched his poor old
spouse from her chair and Whirled her
upon her feet before him.
"Stan' oop! STAN oop tgitherp' he al
most shouted. "Clap hands t'gither," was
! his next command. We Joined hands
and the little old ogre projected.
"Ar' ye a single mon? Ie ans'er aye,
ye KEN"
answered aye.
"Ar' ye a single wuman? 'Spak oop,
noop' he yelled at the trembling yet pitt
| fully smiling Old guidwiie beside me.
! "Ye ans'er aye?"
She gurgled and cackled assent.
"D'ye ken ony reason why ye shudna
tax this wumman y be yer Lawful weeded
wife? Ye gle in T. that, ye Ken" he said
impatiently, and l answered, No"
"D'ye KEN" this to his wife, "ony rea-
son why ye shudna talk this mon t. be yer
! Lawful weeded mon? cpak oop. moo, ye
auld bohoi Gle in t. thati'
| She gurgled and cackled again.
"Ye bath gle in' "a o. that?'
| We both assented.
''Then," said the old wretch savagely
and triumphantly, we've bund yerseIs
mon am wife afore thae witnesses an ;"
he added in an ugly underlone. as he
seated himself from habit at the table to
fill out our certificate OF marriage, "th
dell tax bath o. yep
This is what l got as evidence of the
grotesque ceremony: