Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-08-04
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
About the Marriages Performed
by Metropolitan Mayors.

Smith Ely Made the Record as to
Numbers - Records Held by w. l..
Strong and A. $. Notwithstanding
the Bride.
New York, Aug. 8.-tSpecial. This
is the time OF year, IL the dispatches may
be believed, when the matrimonialy in
clined are particularly disposed TO seek
out new, freak ways Of having the mar
riage ceremony performed. This year the
bicycle costume wedding, to which the
bride and groom and witnesses, too. per-
haps, go on wheels. has been more IN evi.
dence perhaps than ever before. From
the comparatively recent introduction of
the bicycle itself the bicycle wedding is
somewhat newer than some other freaks
in that line
Speaking Of odd marriages and out Of
the way ceremonies. there is no doubt
whatever that this town has its fair share
of them, nor that the city hall is the place
of all places TO witness them.
A Mayor with n Marriage Record.
1t isn't the ordinary thing for the may
Of New York to solemnize marriages now
adays. Couples who 20 TO the city hall
to be spliccd these times are generally ac-
commodated by some alderman. but the
time was when the mayor got more mar
rying jobs than almost any one else in
the entire town, whether clergyman or
justice or alderman.
That was when Smith Ely was mayor.
In the course Of his single term Of two
years he married 600 couples Curiously
enough, though he joined the fortunes OF
so many, presumably making most of
them happy, he was himself bachelor
Curiously, too, the majority Of those he
married were Italians. That was due to
the efforts Of his private secretary, a
Colonel Pratt, who, as his name would
indicate, was a native of sunny Italia.
colonel knew that a good many Of
his compatriots in New York were living
together without having gone through
with the lawful ceremony. He didn't
like this, and as often as he would find
couple so situated he would approach
them and threaten legal proceedings I'M
less they were straightway welded. And
he would invariably take them TO the
mayor 10 have the knot tied.
Ely's big record as a marrying mayor
might have subjected him to some crit
icism had he received fees from the we'd
ded, but Dee didn't. The salary Of his
office was Increased az about the time he
with it the abolition Of various fees,
those for weddings being included. But
he made the bridegroOms pay all the
same, only instead Of pOcketing the mon
ey be put it into a fund. from which he
relieved the necessities Of certain per-
sons who called upon the mayor for fnan-
cial assistance As far as possible he re-
stricted benefactions from this fund to
destitute widows and wives whose hus-
bands did not provide properly for them.
In all he paid out more than $1,000 from
the wedding fee fund to unfortunates Of
these two classes while he was in office.
This particular custom has been dis
continued. though whatever is received
by the mayor from bridegrooms has al
ways gone to some charity ever since.
Mayor Hewitt had quite a record for
marriages performed. but neither Mayor
Gilroy nor Mayor Grant performed
many. Mayor Van Wyck hasn't married
a large number Of couples.