The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-07-19
HE is NO MYTH.
Rev. Charles X. PIummer Lawfully
Marries Happy Couples.
The Boston Police Are Giving Them
selves Needless Worriment Over the
Knots He Ties.

This mornings issue OF the Boston
Herald has the following:
Captain Warren of police station
would like to meet gentleman who
signs to marriage licenses the name of
Charles ii. Plummer. This individual has
been doing a thriving business in the
Chinese colony, and it has been done In
manner to give rise TO the suspicion that
all things are not as they should be.
The fact was discovered few days ago,
when a white woman was arrested on the
charge OF being idle and disorderly. She
said q Chinaman was her husband, and,
to prove her assertion, produced marri-
age license.
Further investigation shows that there
are a number of these licenses in exist
ence in Boston.
The one which Captain Warren now
keeps in his desk is a formidable look
ing document. 1t is highly colored
piece OF paper, about foot and half
long and about half as wide, and is
made to be framed. The upper third of
the sheet is taken up with an engrav-
ing showing a handsome couple adrift
on the sea of matrimony, standing in a
shell drawn by pair of swans which are
led by half dozen cherubs. Below this
| picture Is heavy gilt scroll and then
| comes a couple of holes cut in the paper,
| which are supposed to be receptacles for
the portraits OF the happy couple.
The whole affair is very sentimental, but
| the part in which tho police are particu-
larly interested is the following:
| This Is to certify that - -, New York N. Y,
| and Nellie bly,. New York, N. Y. were united in
| Holy Matrimony by me according TO the ordinance
OF God and the Laws Of the State OF New York, on
the eleventh day OF October, in the year of Our
| Lord one thousand eight hundred and ni~ety-
| three. CHARLES ii. PLUMMER
| No such person appears to be known in
| Boston, and he Is apparently not con-
| spicuous figure in New York. NO such
| man as Plummer is known to the police
officials or at the bureau of vital statistics
| where the records OF marriages are kept.
A Herald reporter tried to get some in
formation on the matter yesterday, but
he was unable to ascertain anything tan
gible about Mr.. Plummer.
He was given to understand that Mr.
Plummer was a myth, and that the
certificates are obtained through a
nue.. Whether this gentleman misin-
forms his fellow-countrymen or not al
to the character of the pieces OF parch.
mcnt is not known, but certain it is thai
several ofthem are in possession OF them
and show them to the police when there
is any question as to their mode of living
Certificates with Mr.. Plummer's name at
tached to them will not be readily &C
cepted in the future.
For the benefit Of The Herald and tn,
| Boston police THE NEWS would state tha
Rev. Charles III. Plummer is no myth. HI
has substance, lives at 105 John street
Providence, runs sea and land mission
expounds the gospel in highway
cove and has married NOR
people than any other man in Rbod
Island. lie has a large family of his owl
and marries other people because he be
lieves that 1t Is bad for man to b
alone and because his marriage fee
! of his virtues, he has no race prejudices II
the matrimonial question, and all heart
are coupled at five dollars per knot, re
gardless OF the color of the skin unde
which they beat. They may beat unde
different colored skins, 1t makes. no differ
ence. Mr.. Plummer started in business a
| a marrier 30 years ago and has always ker
books in his business and accurate record
of dates and amounts received-some
times there Is a marginal note TO the effec
that the fee was turned over to Mrs
Plummer. As an additional source
revenue Mr.. Plummer has landscape an
still life marriage certificates, which n
sells at anywhere from a quarter up {
s2 n piece, according to the area an
amount of coloring matter. An es
ceptionably good thing may be got fe
75 cents, with Cupids emerging from fou
ing for q common point on the car
where the name OF the "his " and tf
cher" are inscribed in plain or fanc
writing according to the price.
Among the marrier's latest achievmen'
was the uniting OF three Cinnamon {
three white women, the only three Chine
men ever married in Rhode islam
and Mr.. Plummer Is proud OF 1t. III
wives, he admits "might have been trif
fast, but they were real likely Yank'
= girls"
,. These are the particular unions thI
n carried Plummer's fame TO Boston. Or
;, OF the couples, Ching Fook and E'
a Pearl, went TO Boston to liv
IL VS. their license that Capital
= Warren of the Boston police took for
souvenir. But Ching has got anoth'
e one, as he came right TO Providence, ar
' the man who united him to his blushir
bride furnished him with a duplicate.