The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-01-31
DESERTS HUSBAND
And Marries a Very Old Man in
New York City.
A Colored Woman From OrangeLurg
Figures in Queer Marriage Cere,
mony Up North.

| from Orangeburg has taken one hus-
band too much, which may get her
| in trouble. The following is the
story as it is told by the New York
correspondent of the Washington
Herald:
City Clerk Scuily got the biggest
surprise he has had since he went
into the marriage license business
when an aged negro, dressed in cleri-
cal garb walked up to the desk this
afternoon with young negro woman
clinging to his arm, and said he
wanted to get a license just as soon
as possible, because he was in hurry
to be married.
Clerk Scully took no interest when
the old person gave his name as Will
liam Brooks Mason and said he was a
clergyman, but when on being asked
his age, he said, Il am 1873 years
old, and can show you my Bible at
home to prove it," the city clerk
dropped his pen in astonishment.
This is a serious thing the clerk
said, You know you're under oath,
Brother Mason, and if you don't tell
me the truth about your age, 1 may
refuse to give you the license"
Say, brother" replied the clergE-
man, chow do you-all suppose I
could have held George Washington's
horse at Yorktown if I amt as old
as l say 1 am?"
The crowd of waiting applicants
began to grow so large at this stage
that Clerk Sculy filled out the IL
cense and let it go at that. The wo-
man gave her name as Ella Hines, or
les West 122rd street, and said she
was twenty-eight years old. Then
the couple hunted up Alderman Jas.
J. Smith, and were married in short
order.
News of the aged minister's we'd
Daniel Hines, with whom the bride
ding got tc the house of her brother
has been stopping for a few weeks.
before the bride and groom did, and
!, Mrs. Hines, who was running the
Mount Calvary Union Baptist mission
in the front part or on the second!
floor, did not appear greatly pleas
ed.
$50 she said her name was Hines
did she," Mrs. Hines said, WELL she
has got no right to use that name.
.tShe's already -~arried, she Is, and
she's got l .ld and two sisters
| down in Orange Jurg, S. 9. I've been
; afraid she was trying to get that OLD
: gentleman, and I've been trying TO
tell him all about her, but didn't
: get a chance to correct him. My
husband was going to tell him, too,'
but, he's kind of slow and didn't
think it was coming so soon.
Lord bless you, I don't know
whether Elder Mason is 13S years
, old. but he says he is. We didn't
know him until two weeks ago"
: When Brother Hines arrived home
from work late in the afternoon, ne
expressed himself in no uncertain
terms about the marriage. "You just
wait until I see Elder Mason" said
Brother Hines.
, Hes a religious man, and know
how to talk to him about marrying
nv sister when she's already got
: husband and family. III just get
right behind him, and III burn MIN
up with my words.
The old preacher who looks like
well preserved man Of about elghty'
said that his mother married an In
dian in Cuba, and that when he was
voung he went to Virginia with MS
father. who was sailor. He nap
nened to be in Yorktown when Cen
eral Washington was there, and that
is how it came about that he held
Washington's horse while he talked
with CORVALLIS.
Elder Mason said he was in the
ten-year war in Cuba, and was san
or on the gunboat Lancaster during
the civil war. He had an eye snot
ont on the Lancaster, but he can see
with his other eye without the AID
of snectacles. He said that his fath-
or was 142 years old when he died.
his grandmother 143 and his mother
1873. He smokes, but he said the
reason he is so husky at 1873 is thaI
he never takes anything with sugar
in it. and lives according to the
teachings of the Bible.
7. Is also said the aged clergyman
usel to be a policeman in Wasnlns-