The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1903-08-27
QUEER GOLDEN WEDDINGS.
Men Who Were Bound to show How
Young They Were in Spite
of Their Years.

A golden wedding is not such a fire.
quent occurrence that it can be allowed
to pass unobserved, and one of the most
remarkable celebrations lately took
place outside Paris Every year con-
test in which only those couples who
have celebrated their golden weddings
during the preceding IL 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
prizes 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 win
ming post first, covered the distance
in three minutes, II seconds, not bad
time considering that his burden turned
the scale at Is stone.
1t is probable that more unique Gel
ebration, as regards those who took
part in it at any rate, will never be wit
messed than that held at Magdeburg, in
December, 1897. Herr William Reid is
the leading executioner in Germany,
and on the same day as he attained the
golden anniversary of his bridal day
his only son Frederick notched his sill
yer wedding. Accordingly all the ex-
ecutioners of the German principalities
were invited to attend banquet and
no fewer than 230 arrived upon the
scene on the day appointed, thus form
ing the most remarkable assembly of
guests on record.
At Grindelwald, in August. 1897, the
unusual sight was witnessed of an AL
pine guide, Christian Amer by name,
toiling up one of the highest peaks with
his wife on his back. Curiously enough,
despite Almer's fame as climber. his
wife had never previously assembled a
mountain of any kind, so to celebrate
their golden wedding he accomplished
the prodigious task of carrying her to
an altitude of 5000 feet in the presence
of large gathering of spectators.
In La Sante prison, at Paris couple
spent their golden wedding anniversary
few years back, after having travelled
half round the world for the express
purpose of doing so. 1t was while I'M
der6oing sentence in this prison that
John Dorman, an American subject,
met the 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 having travelled to
France managed to bring themselves
triAing Offense. But had not the facts
of the case been revealed their wish
would not have been gratified, for they
were sentenced to Imprisonment in diff
ferent penitentiaries but the autlbri-
ties, struck by the novelty of the re-
quest, granted it
To prove that advancing years had
not taxed his strength, William Can
tie, Yorkshire farmer, on celebrat-
ing his golden wedding offered to wres-
tie with and throw youth for each
year he had been married. two minutes
VI cdIlluS space only D6lUS allowed De-
tween each bout. Each competitor was
compelled to stake half a crown, to be-
come the property of the winner; but
after throwing no fewer than 10 of the
strongest youths the neighborhood
could produce Cantle slipped and broke
his collar-bone thus ending the contest.
Richardson, the veteran tight-rope
walker distinguished himself in very
novel fashion three years ago in order
to mark the occasion of his golden we'd
ding. He announced that he would
wheel his wife, in a barrow, along the
edge of the railway bridge which spans
the canal at Springfield. H. The track
was only II inches wide, and all went
well until two-thirds of the journey
was accomplished, when the strong
wind caused him to lose his balance,
and it was only with the greatest diff
Guilty that he saved his wife from fol-
lowing the barrow into the canal, 1870
feet below.