The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-01-19

he officiated. Asked about his usual fee
he produced a card upon which was
printed the following:
SQUIRE BALES,
Professional Nuptialst,
MARRIAGE FEES.
Common Fee NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. zoo
Secret Service 500
Rich Mans Price. ........ 1000
Printed Marriage Certificates in differ
ent styles and sizes, free. Have nobody
bat Squire Bales. Don't be married at
home An economical bridal tour. e
In addition to circulating the above
price card, the Squire has the following
printed upon postal cards, which he also
uses as all advertising medium:
PINEVILLE p. o., N. CD.
Dear Editor-Please confer a favor on
me by adding this item to the columns
of your valuable paper in the most con
spicuous place possible, and oblige; as
follows: Squire w. O. Bales, of Pine4
VILE z. O., N. c., Residence, York Co,
S. &c. writes us: If there is anybody
in this neighborhood wanting to get
married any time to notify or call on him
1t is a perfect Bridal Tour to go to
sec him. He has had more weddings
this year already than any year previ-
Gus. II is not unusual to see half
dozen couples get married there any
Sunday. He marries over one hundred
couples every year He must be a PHI
lanthropist. He has married more peo-
pie during the last four years than any
Ill IL, h
his reputation. He lives just across the
State line on the South Carolina side
where they have no Marriage License;
anybody Is years old can get married
down there. He gets lot of runaway
couples. The Squire only charges one
dollar, in your case that is cheap. He
lives in an admirable situation, very
convenient to, or one mile west of Pine
Vile railroad station, n c., and eleven
miles south of Charlotte, n. c.
Endorsed by Observation-Disclosures.
Signed .....................
But that is not all, for, in addition to
the postal card advertising, the Squire
gives away what he calls nuptial but
TONS The buttons are made Of celluloid
and are worn pinned to the lapel. They
are inscribed as follows:
eco to Squire Bales to get married
"The greatest of all philanthropists.
p. o. iPneville, S. c. Residence, York
Co, S. c."
Sad to relate. too, the Squire has
poem made all by himself, which he
sometimes circulates. There are twelve
stanzas to this poem. Here are the first
and last SfanZaS.
IF you want to get married do away
with license,
sense,
Enjoy your own money, our State is
free,
My printed marriage certificates are
as good guarantee.
81 am situated most conveniently just
across the State line,
Eleven miles south of Charlotte and one
west of the Vine of Pine.
Call and see me, | am not hard to find,
My ceremony is easy but binding and
treatment kind
| parted from the Squire with mutual
expressions of regret, he cordially press
ing me to remain all night and enjoy his
hospitality. A week later l received
letter from him, in which he stated
that since my visit he had married five
more couples, making his record up to
November %, 522 couples in five years.
In this letter he impaired the informa-
tion that he would not object to enter
ing the married state again himself,
Here is what he said: 81 would marry
if / could get a good-looking young
lady worth q considerable amount of
money, of a good reputation. | don't
drink, good to a Wife, a kind temperate,
moral man of eight or ten thousand
dollars capital l have a pretty place,
as you saw, and | want to improve il
considerably, making it summer re-