The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1909-04-23
MRS. GlLL'S MATRIMONIAL Ex-
PRESS is DUE IN WASH
iNGTON, D. c.
Lads and Lassies Who Are Bent On
Weddings Will be Given An OPP
portunity to Make Good.

RICHMOND. Va, April 23.-Mrs.
James r. Gill, matrOn of the Male Or
phans' asylum, will Monday run her
fifteenth annual excursion to Washing
ton With Mrs. Gill will go the usual
coterie of love-lorn SWANS and lasses,
bent upon matrimony in the national
capital
So many couples has Mrs. Gill
brought together during the years of
her excursion ventures that her train
has now come to be regarded in COM
mon pariance as the matrimonial
train" or "Cupid's express"
Worried with the manifold cares Of
the institution over which she presides
and for the benefit of which these ex
cursions are annually run, Mrs. Gill
says she was called upon the telephone
67 times during the evening following
the first announcement that her train
would run this year as usual During
the past week she has been besieged
with telephone calls, letters and per-
sonal visits from girls and men de-
string information.
Brings Big Love Cargo.
Everybody must have read the pa
per containing that notice. said Mrs.
Gill. "They have been after me all
week-most of them girls. They want
full details of the trip, where the
preachers will get aboard, and if a
marriage license will be issued with
every railroad ticket.
"Now, I'm running these excursions
in order 10 take better care of my or
phan boys. But as it appears to be the
proper thing socially to get married
on these trips, they have become well
established in the cause of right
Mrs Gill says she has been, to her
positive knowledge, instrumental in the
marriage of $50 couples. Of course
there were many other couples who
were married by obscure ministers
without making any official report of
the event.
The marriages are nearly all the re-
suit of runaways. Mrs. Gill says that
girls from all over the state wait for
her excursions in order to make the
trip to Washington, where marriage IL
censes are not hard to obtain when
the guardian parent is not present
1.-TWO hundred and eighty five
couples" says Mrs. Gill. Come along
and bring a girl this trip and make it
2S7. Divorces? Upon my word! The
idea.
why, young man, there has not
even been a cross word, not single
quarrel, not even a threat on the part
of one of the brides to go home to
mother. There is certainly a charm
about it.
Il am thinking of having a reunion,
with all the husbands, wives and accu-
mulated babies present, as a living ex-
ample to all girls who persist in re-
naming single. l would like to have
group picture taken.
Easy for Loveforn.
think of the simplicity of the
thing" she continued. 1.-THE men don't
have to purchase frock coats-or rent
trusseaus There are no carriage bills
to pay, no link buttons to be bought
by the groom to give to his gromsmen
and no flowers.
1.-The only thing they miss are the
presents. And that's a small loss when
you remember that none of these spe
cial brides ever has harsh word
thrown at her.
There is where the value of such a
union comes in. Call it matrimonial
train or whatnot, so that you are
careful in explaining that these are all
blissful matches"
Being a careful student of hymen-
omania, Mrs. Gill's experience has
taught her the value of running her
excursions shortly after Easter and
Lent. 1t is then that the best results
are to be obtained from both girls and
men.
1t is just at that time of the year
that the young mans fancy lightly
turns in the right direction, and the
girls, wearied with their Lenten du-
ties, are willing to lend their ears to
the combined voices of the spring and
of the men. The season is propitious
and Mrs. Gill never fails to corral the
couples.
There were eleven marriages as the
result of her first excursion Is years
ago. 1t was then that Mrs. Gill con-
ceived the happy idea of combining a
matrimonial bureau with the other at
fractions of visit to Washington fol-
lowing the annual Easter festival She