The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1903-06-20
OLD AGE AFFAIR OFF
LIES VETERANS WHO RETAINED
YOUTHFUL SPIRITS. r.
Some Remarkable Golden Wedding
Celebrations That Have Been Held
-One Couple Went Back to Prison
Where They First Met.

One of the most remarkable golden
wedding celebrations has just taken
place outside Paris. Every year a
contest in which only those couples
who have celebrated their golden wed
dings during the preceding twelve
months can compete is held, and takes
the form of race, each gray headed
competitor having to carry his wife
on his back. ~'
This year no fewer than nine
couples arrived to endeavor to carry
off the prize of hogshead Of wine
and a couple of hams which is given
to the winner. The course Is $50
yards long, and Jean Demorel, who
passed the winning post first, covered
the distance in 3:17, not bad time con-
sidering that his burden turned the
scale at 100 pounds.
It is probable that more unusual
celebration, as regards those who took
part in it at any rate, will never be
witnessed than that held at Magde-
burg in December, 1897. Herr Will
liam Reid is the leading executioner
in Germany, and on the same day he
attained the golden anniversary OF his
bridal day his only son Frederick
notched his silver wedding. Accord
ingly all the executioners of the Ger.
man principalities were invited to at
tend banquet, and no fewer than 230
arrived upon the scene on the day
appointed, thus forming the most re-
markable assembly of guests on rec
ord.
In La Sante prison at Paris a couple
spert their golden wedding anniver-
sary a few years ago, after having
travelled half around the world for the
express purpose of doing so. 1t was
while undergoing sentence in this
prison that John Dorman, an American
subject, met the young woman whom
he ultimately married on his release,
whereupon he returned to his native
land, taking his bride with him. When
their golden wedding anniversary
drew near they proposed that they
should spend it in this prison, and hav'
ing travelled to France, managed to
bring themselves within the grip OF
the law for some frifling offense. But
had not the facts of the case been re-
vealed their wish would not have been
gratified, for they were sentenced to
imprisonment in different peniten.
tiaries; but the authorities, struck by
the novelty of the request, granted it.
To prove that advancing years had
not taxed his strength, William Cantle,
a Pennsylvania farmer, on celebrating
his golden wedding, offered to wrestle
with and throw a youth for each year
he had been married, two minutes
breathing space only being allowed be-
tween each bout Each competitor was
compelled to stake a dollar, to be-
come the property of the winner; but
after throwing no fewer than nineteen
of the strongest youths in the neigh
borhood could produce Cantle slipped
and broke his collarbone, thus ending
the contest.
Richardson, the veteran tightrope
walker, distinguished himself in a
novel fashion three years ago in order
to mark the occasion of his golden
wedding. He announced that he
would wheel his wife, in a barrow,
along the edge of a railway bridge
which spans the canal at Springfield,
Ill. The track was only eleven inches
w1ue and all went we'll until two
thirds of the journey was accomplish
ed, when the strong wind caused him
ia ho1
with the greatest difficulty that ha
saved his wife from following the bar
row into the canal, $50 feet below.