The Republican journal., 1906-01-18
DIAMOND WEDDING IN rHoRND1KE
The New York Suns Report of Notable
Anniversary

The New York Suns Report of a Notable
Anniversary.
The diamond wedding of Harmon W.
Aver and wife took place at the old Aver
homestead at the beginning of the new
year, says Thorndike. Me-, letter in the
| New York Sun.
When the couple stood up before the
! clergyman to go through the ceremony for
| the third time for they had been REMARKED
on the tiftieth anniversary of their wedding
Mr.. Aver wore the coat in which he was
| married sixty years ago. and the garment
| fitted him as well as it did when it was
brought home new from the tailor'S. Mrs.
| Aver wore her wedding dress, though the
| dressmaker had been compelled to insert "a
gore in the back.
On Mr. Ayers feet were calfskin top
| boots which he bought when chosen Cap
tain of company of infantry to go into
the Aroostook war in 1888 After the we'd
to pay the clergyman for his services the
money was taken from an aged calfskin
wallet, with straps, receptacle for cash
and notes and the bills which Mr.. Aver has
carried for more than seventy years.
| "If / had kept all the money that has
passed through that old wallet" said Dir.
Aver, 81 should be the richest man in New
! England today. At times that old calfskn
| case has held as much as $4,000 or $40, 600.
| Then, again, it has been SO lank that a red
postage stamp would have doubled the
value of its contents, but it has never been
empty.
''The most | ever had in it at one time
was a draft for $4,000 in payment for hay
shipped to jobblng house in Boston. [
keep it now when it is frayed and leaking
at the corners because it has always
brought me good luck
"Though | have handled millions of dol
lars do not remember ever having lost a
cent in almost seventy years. | have had
plenty of worthless bills, of course, but that
| is no more than any business man could ex-
pect.
| State banks were failing and dSOWning the
| bills they had issued, my wallet saved me
| considerable money one afternoon. L had
received draft on a bank for $1,000 from
! Boston.
"On reaching the bank late in the day
| learned that the bills which the bank had
cents on dollar. AS my draft was on that
bank l would be compelled to accept bank
| money in payment, which would force me
to lose about 5000.
81 had told the cashier about the draft
and could not back out. Looking at the
clock saw the hands marked quarter to
| O'Clock. In fifteen minutes more banking
! hours would close.
"Of course might have lied to the cash.
| ier and told him that / had forgotten to
bring the draft, but wanted to get rid of
receiving the bad money without telling an
untruth. SO reached into one pocket af-
ter another-doing it all very sowly-to
| find the wallet, and when had secured it
and brought it out, the tongue or hOldiug
strap which bound the compartment for
| holding bills stuck and would not pull out.
"'Take your knife and cut it Open,' cried
the cashier, who saw it was nearly time to
close.
| cat this | became very indignant and
give him lecture about wastefulness, tell
ing him it was the only pocketbook l had
ever owned and the only one l expected to
own. In this way | killed time, and before
| had loosened the strap the clock struck,
| and no more business could be transacted
until O'Clock the next day.
"The cashier shook his fist at me as l
went out OF the door, but that did not scare
me. That evening | called on my wife's
brother, who owed $1,000 at the bank and
who had collected bank notes enough to pay
the debt, and swapped my draft Of $1,000 on
the bank for his note for 1,200 on demand,
and told him to present the draft and $500
in bills in payment for his debt. AS the
bank was obliged to redeem its drafts and
notes at par value for debts due at the bank
! got out whole and saved my brother-in-
| law from losing nearly $500"
Though well to do, the Aver family live
after the ways of old times. Mr.. Aver
uses candlestick which his mother gave
| him to carry to his room when a boy more
| than eighty years ago. Every fall when a
steer is killed to supply beef TOR the family
the tallOw is saved and cast into candles in
ancient tin molds, which have cotton wick
| ing in the middle. Though there are
several kerosene lamps in the house they
are seldom used except when the minister
drops in to take tea, or wheE company ar
riVeS,