The Washington times., 1902-07-25
WERE NOT MARRIED
IN AN AUTOMOBILE
Rev. A. H. Thompson Denies
a Spectacular Wedding.
CAME HERE FROM BALTIMOR
Minister Declares He Tied Nuptial Knot
of Miss SmithsOn and Mr.. H. Frank
Thompson at His Home-Pair Ar
rived in Street Car.

Marriages that cater to the spec
tacular are condemned by the Rev. A
H. Thompson, 756 Eleventh Street south
east, pastor of Wilson Memorial Church
and he denounces in positive terms the
ministers performing "grandstand' GER
emonies.
The rebuke administered by the pas
tor was provoked by a story published
in Baltimore paper to the effect that
he had ofiiciated in an automobile we'd
ding. the contracting parties being H.
Frank Thompson and Miss Reba E.
smithson. prominent young society peo-
pie of Baltimore. An interview with the
groom depicted in highly interesting
manner the two young people standing
in the motor vehicle and faced by the
pastor from the chauffeur's seat, while
the troth was plighted.
Rev. Mr.. Thompson was seen last
evening. When asked regarding the cir
cumstances of the automobile wedding,
the divine expressed surprise and with
considerable warmth denied that he had
INDUCED in any such thing
Came in Street Car.
why" said he, "the parties came
to my house on sreet car. were mar
ried in my parlor, left on the car and
returned to Baltimore over the Penn
sylvania railroad"
He read the account of the wedding
as published in Baltimore with varying
comments expressing disgust and amuse
ment.
The groom was quoted as saying to
the Baltimore newspaper man: obi l
tell you 1t was something immense, I.
was, to be married in an automobile.
seat, repeating the words which made
MS man and wife"
The preachers comments, upon get
ting that far in the story, ware in the
nature of a vehement denial of the en-
tire proceeding. He said:
Il was asked by Samuel G. Hall, of
Baltimore, II | would be home in the
evening. He said some friends of his
had come from Baltimore and wanted to
be married here. | had an unimpOrtant
engagement. so told him that l would be
at home all the evening.
THE parties came to my house about
9 o'clock. on the street car. The groom
carried n suit case. Afterward we sat
down in the rarlor and talked for
awhile. ! married them. After 1t was
over they went to the Pennsylvania de-
pot, taking the car in front of my door"
According to the Baltimore story both
the bride and the groom arrived in that
city in a most enthusiastic frame of
mind. Discussing in general the we'd
dings bordering on the dramatic, Rev.
Mr.. Thompson said:
Scores Sensational Marriages.
Every day you will see that soma
preacher has performed a ceremony on
GONE stage at street carnival as one
of the attractions of the performance,
n the dome OF the Capitol. by telephone,
or in other sensational manners. But
about the worst of them all was the
preacher who waded out in the surf,
dressed In an abbreviated bathing suit,
ard married a couple similarly cos
tuned. while the crowds on the beach
cheered.
do you know what ! wanted to do,
when | read of that piece of idiocy?"
a sked the preacher. "Why, I wanted to
be where l could hit him with club.
Then to think some one would try to
mix me up in an affair of that kind
Why, | wouldn't do 1t. What pains me
the most is that | came from baltimore.
end have lots of friends there, who will
read that story and think | have gone
wrong since coming to Washington. |
hope you Will make it good, and say I
performed no ceremony in an auto"