The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-06-29
WITHAM'S GIRLS
Cashiers and Bridal Pairs From; the
State of deOrgin
START TO do" new YORK.
Keen Competition for $3.50 Prize Of
fered to the First Cashier Who
Marries One Of the Charming
sponsors-visit 'Little church
Around the Corner" @

NEW YORK. June 2S.-WSltam >.
Witham. bank president. cotton plant
er, merchant, miller and matrimonial
promoter, arrived in town yesterday,
accompanied by the four bridal pairs,
forty bank cashiers, thlrty-two wives,
six sponsors" chaplain and the few
other GeorgIans to whom he ls giving
an eastern tour.
II was a great day for the married,
Tor they saw New York, or at least
enough Of 1t to tire them out thorough
~. 1t was a greater day for the bridal
pairs, for they were able to avoid en-
TREY the rest of the party for the first
time on the Journey. Several Of the
unmarried cashiers and sponsors" re-
ported when they came in that 1t had
been the greatest day in their lives.
Banker witham grlnned, The crowd
laughed heartily.
Banker Williams grin meant that he
saw expenses In view not Immediately.
connected with trip to New York. He
had on the way here announced that
prize of $3.50 would go to the first cash
Ter marrying one of the sponsors" The
second would get $3.50. The third prize
would be a dollar and half, Several
Of the cashiers are after the $3.50.
There Are 115 of Them.
There are one hundred and fifteen
persons in this Georgia party. They
came by special train from Asbury
Park yesterday morning, and went at
once to the Gllsey House. where they
had already engaged tifty-seven rooms
for their stay in the city.
Even the equanimity of the Gllsey
House clerk was disturbed by seeing
this remarkable party enter the lobby.
out of Difference to the bridal pairs.
one young man registered for the whole
party. The newly welded ones had
given themselves away TO the Asbury
Park hotel clerk, and they knew few
things when they got to New York,
they said. SIS
The crowd was scarcely in the hotel
before Banker Witham began hustling
them out. He divided them into parties
of ten or fifteen each. Then he would
take some young man who had been
Studying New York guide book, or
who had once been to the city put him
in charge, and away he would send
them.
GO to see Grants Tomb, the Meth
erland, the Savoy. High Bridge and the
Metropolitan Museum, and then come
back to the hotel" Banker witham
would say, with u wave of his hand.
Then he would tell them to so over and
take the sixth Avenue IL" and get
or when they came to the proper
place"
One of the parties said they hadn't
been able to find the Metropolitan Mu-
scum, because the IL" conductor said
he had never heard of it, and that his
cur didn't go there.
Little Church Their Mecca.
An the parties couldn't be induced to
go to the IL" right away. one of them
was for the most part made up of the
unmarried. They had heard of a place
known as "The Little Church Around
the Corner" which had certain associ-
ndons in their minds with Gretna
Green. They wanted to go there the
AFst thing, and us soon as Banker
William had gone into the hotel to get
the next eoterie. they hied themselves
thither The $3.50 was in still greater
danger after that, and there were re-
marks OF extreme felicitatIop that the
Little Church" was so near thEir ho-
tel.
This same party explored the Waldorf
and then boarded Fifth avenue stage.
The sponsors" with their yellow
badges, announcing "Witham Bank
Convention, 1900" attracted notice.
Fifth avenue promenaders were not
entirely accustomed to seeing ochre
ribbons on attractive young women.
The men in the party wore white
badges. Very few Went without their
labels. They said it wouldn't be loyal
to Mr.. withani to do So
These Georgia young women know
how TO economize time. It took than
Just twelve minutes to see the Metro
po!itan Museum. They made dive for
Rosa Bonheurs Horse FAIR" and
then for Turner's Grand Canal" When
some one suggested that the Grand
Canal" cost Cornelius Vanderbilt $780,
OOO one of the sponsors" almost threw
up her hands In dismay.
"A hundred thousand dollars" she
exclaimed. Good gracious alive"
The cashiers wives didn't speak so
wonderlngly OF the big sum OF money.
Probably the sponsors won't next
time they come with Banker William.
Brides and Sponsors Tired.
By the time Grants Tomb was seen
the brides and sponsors" began to
withcr. Gradually they struggled back
TO the hotel. But those who We're
having the "greatest time of their
lives" were not In such hurry to re-
turn. One party largely so composed
next sought the Eden Musee.
The moving picture show here caught
the fancy of this crowd and they rev.
cfcd in It. But the girls thought the
Chamber OF Horrors was perfectly
awful" and they wouldn't stay down
there.
Next they went through one Of the
Sixth avenue department stores, and