The sun., 1902-12-28
A GREAT YEAR 1909 HAS BEEN
LOVE. AT FIRST. SIGHT RECORD
SMASHED FOR ONE THING.
Then There Was pne Tiniest Bride-Cham.
pion Old COuples-Drummer's Match.
less Career-Great Smokers. Great
Live St0ck-Thc Biggcst stamp sale.

Live StOck-Ihc bi8gest stamp sale.
In diverse and curious fields the record
b eakers We bu y during the year 1919.
The love-at-iirst-sight record WAS ruth
lessy shattered in the early springtime
when Madison Ormsby, aged 50. went down
TO Kansas City from Omaha. and met Miss
Jessie Turner, who evidently still retained
irresist BILE charms. notwithstanding that
her forty-fif h birthday was wound up on
Times relentless reel. They me, by chance
and were introduced by a common friend.
whereupon they hiked away to the court
house and were MARI cd Just as soon as
they could get TIE license and line up in
front of a Judge.
It's just thirty minutes since first we
met. said Ormsby, as pleased as Punch.
'and here We are with the knot tied"
Whether the knot remained tied does
not concern this history
II was in the early weeks Of the year that
the romance of VI 49, Mildred eel of Rich
mond, Va, set new mark for those i'm
portant stages Of life which most women
reckon by years. In the brief space Of
ten minutes she was maid. a wife. and
a widow.
In San Francisco hospital, she beca me
Mrs Richard Miles Stanton while her lus-
band was dying, victim Of fever con-
ted in the service Of his country in the
Philippines. C!asping each others hands,
when il was too late TO summon minister.
tie ung pCople took tie VOWS of matri-
m ny under a c.vl ag eemen which was
duly witnessed by relatives Of both. and
few minutes later Lieut.. Stanton was dead
The tiniest bride of the year appeared
in St. Louis in April. when Miss EcItha
Clark, scarce is years old. weighing only
seventy-five pounds, and attred in short
skirts. eloped with Frank Mccoy. nearly
twice her age, and became his wife. The
year still was young. and so were NJ as
Rose Mason and her fiance. Michael r
McGovern. when they appeared before
the clerk in Chicago and established n new
record as youthful applicants for a mar
riage license. which they obtained The
bride was IS and the bride groom two years
her senior, their combined ages being 80
In connection with Chicago matrimonial
doings 1t may be added that on June II
at the marriage license window in the
County Clerks Office, more permits TO wed
were issued than ever before in one day in
the history of Cook county, the number
being $50. The entire month Of June was a
record b -eaker in this respect. 1900 licenses
being issued, which surpassed the record
Of any former June or any similar period
General prosperity was said to bs the
secret Of the crush at the marriage license
window.
But the matrimonial market had it's cbb
tide. too. and the lowest point Of sluggish
ness seems to have been reached at Carlisle,
Pa, where the County Clerk. to stimulate
business. announced bargain counter rates
for Wednesdays and Saturdays. the local
market days, when big crowds Of country
people are wont to visit the county seat
He cut the price Of the regular 81 license
to 40 cents for bmpecunious couples. with
ceremony and witnesses thrown in.
The record for the oldest married couple
in the United States was said to have been
made last March, by Mr.. and Mrs. Alex
ander Gum Of Harrington, Kan. They
celebrated their diamond wedding in 1900.
and therefore had seventy-seven years Of
welded life to their credit The husband
thought he was ia years old, while his wife
was also past the century mark.
The oldest record in this line. however.
probably belongs to Mr. and Mrs. John
Iams Of Washington county. Iowa. who.
few weeks ago, told their friends that
after sevcnty-four years of married life
they could look back and find they never
had a dispute. much less quarrel They
have ten children. thirty-six grandchildren
and sixty-fve great-erandchildren.
Justice Frederick Brown. known far and
wide as the -Marryin' Squire OF Aurora,
H., has tied the nuptial knot several hum
dred times. but not on this score does he
aspire to any pinnacle among the records
of the year. His proudest boast is that his
marriage knots stay tied. and upon this
distinction he seeks blue ribbon.
Tho secret of his success he thinks Ia
that his form Of ceremony, which is all his
own, is short, sweet and simple. omitting
the obnoxious word obey" and is gen.
orally prefaced by a recitation of the
Declaration OF Independence, which he
regards as the cornerstone Of marriage
in the United States. Divorce. he declares,
is unknown among the couples he has
spliced
Speed records In divorce cases are not
unusual or startling In these days. but
when grounds and speed both are consid-
cred, the crackerjack OF 1909 unques,ion-
ably was the case Of John W. Langley Of
Columbus, Ind. who obtained a decree
in less than fifteen minutes, separating
him from his wife Mary. He alleged that
she had habit Of taking darning needle
to bed with her and jabbing him with it
when he fell asleep. When he protested,
she would get out Of bed, plant herself
in a rocking chair in the middle Of the floor,
rocking violently and bringing her heels
down with a bang at each rock, and for
two hours would sing at the top of her
voice: "Oh. won't 1t be joyful when we
part to meet no more!'
Strangely enough. It fell out that the
champion officeholder whose fame spread
over the earth in 1902 was not an American,
but an Englishman.
William Eaton Of Tilbrook Huntingdon.
holds some fifteen places. public and semi
public, ranging from parish overseer to
church organist, most of which have sal
aries attached. He il not Of the resigning
breed. but has held Office for half CEN
tury, and has assisted in the work Of every
Government census since 1850.
To "a Georgia clergyman belongs the
proudest record in the work Of tho church.
The Rev d. 8. McCurry OF Gainesville,
,b,, lie L., LII.