The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-26
CUPID RULES TIE Town
ST. JOE. MICH, Is THE FAMOUS
GRETNA GREEN OF
CHICAGO
RECORD OF 1900 MARRIAGES
The Fourth of July Saw EIghty-SIx
Couples Joined in WedIOcI-NO
License Required of
Candidates.

ST. JOSEPH. Mich. Aug. 2I-Au
aboard for G1etna Ireen!"
That's the facetious watchword in Chi
cago WHEN trains and boats have steam
up for St. Joseph
They are marrying men and women
here In blocks of forty It's a fad, a
fashion, a furore. It's a fever, a con-
tagion. delirum.
Perched on a high bluff overlooking
Lake Michigan, this town of 5000 inhab-
nants has been the scene in twelve
months of over eighteen hundred mar
riaGes. At the close of the present sum-
faer season the number will probably be-
Increased to 2.5GC.
Every day steamer loads of people
come from the great Windy City across
the lake, and many CT them fail victims
to the arrows of the infant archer before
the steamer returns to the city.
Marriage clubs are being formed in sew
eral neighboring cities. They charte,
special trains and come to ST. Joseph.
the latest club was formed at Misha-
waka, Ind and twenty-one couples Will
come on 4 special train over the VandaiiA
line next week. Two ministers and one
justice Of the peace have been engaged
TO perform the cermOny fer its members.
The greatest number Of couples ever
married here in one day was eighty-six
That was last Fourth of july.
The most noted man to be married
here this year was Edward F. Corcoran,
assistant county clerk Of Cook county,
I'll. He has issued more marriage
licenses during his long service III C.li.
han
excepting, perhaps. the deputy county
eIerk OF Kings county, n. Y. But ne hat
10 come 10 the American Gretna Green TO
get married. The issuance of his license
and his marriage occupied less THIN ten
minutes He said:
This beats all Cook county records"
Statistics show that slightly more than
per cent of the marriages are per-
formed for people from New York state,
who travel to this distant point TO b.
married in five minutes just Tor the name
and novelty of it.
For this sane reason people come every
day from distant points. There nave
been several couples from Montana and
enc or two from San Francisco.
HOW IT ALL STARTED.
The history of st. Joseph reads lihe a
romance John w. Needham, q poor
country boy, was elected county clerk
this marriage business he has welded a
society faYOrite ami buiit w for himself
handsome competence
The marriage business was first sug-
gested TO him by J. II. Graham, president
of the Graham q Morton TRANSPORTATION
company, which operates several SteaIa,
ers between this place and Chicago.
Needh2m at once saw that the schcme
would take well with Chicago people, 50
he advertised in the Chicago papers quite
extensively. setting forth thu fact that
st. Joe is an ideal place in winch to get
married with neatueSs ana despatch
The Graham Morton company helped
things along ly announcing that they
would furnish free on a Coi tain day
orders on the county clerk for marriage
licenses to any of the passengers who
wished to be married.
This was on July q last var The re-
suit was all that could be expected. The
county clerk was kept busy in his CT
nee Of the court house issuing marriage
licenses His residence across the street
was crowded all day with couples who
were beiE8 married. The number was
doubled the. next Sunday, and it soon
became necessary to set apart a room In
the residence to be known as the Bridal
ROOM
Mrs. Needh9m, the young wife of the
county clerk attends to The marriage
business, acting as bridesmaid in nearly
every case, while her husband sells the
licenses across the street. All day Sun
day one justice Cf the peace and one
minister are kept at the house, and cam
hidates for matrimony can pay their
money and take their choice between q
civil and religious marriage. The re-
suit is about a standoff. the minister
having little the better Of 1t if any,
thing.
OFTEN the county clerk is awakened
from his slumbers at midnight to arrange
far the marriage of people who come into
the city on delayed trains.
BARRELS OF MONEY IN IT.
There are barrels of money In the
wholesale marriage business According
TO the laws of Michigan, the county clerk
Is entitled, besides his regular salary of
F2.OOO to all the fees he receives for mar
riage licenses. The legal price is 81. but
1t is seldom that the prospective bride
groom lays down less than IS for tina
liceEse.
Out of this steady income Ncedham haa
built for himself a handsome house just
across from the court house, and has