The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-01-23
LOVERS PLOTTED
TO HIS RIVALS
Bristol's Marrying Parson
Charges There Is Conspir-
acy Against Him.
oecial TO The Times-DispatchJ

Especial TO The Times-Dispatch)
Bristol. Va, January p. - The
Shylooks are after me-" said the Rev.
Alfred II. Burroughs. keeper of the
Bristol Gretna Green. where upwards
of Eve thousand young runaway cou-
pies have been married IN two decades.
BY this he meant that representa-
tives OF rival ministers were bpsy in
their efforts 20 rob him of business
which he counts distinctively his own.
He told OF number OF incidents since
the FIRST OF the month in which young
couples who had started for his mecca
for lovers had been turned aside by
designing individuals and piloted to
other ministers. And / am told,
said the aged parson. that graft is
being practiced upon the unsuspecting
cupid victims. One fellow. am told.
boarded an outgoing train, met an
incoming train two stations east. found
young couple aboard, and taking
them into his confidence. frightened
them by telling them that the officers
in Bristol were lying in wait TO grab
them, He then proposed, as II has
been represented to me, to pilot the
couple safely past the officers and TO a
minister. After collecting 81 for this.
which was not necessary. for the Off
GERS were not looking for this couple. ne
stood by and witnessed the ceremony,
after which he demanded another fee.
This. IL seems. is the methods that have
been adopted TO undermine me-"
Parson Burroughs declared he would
appeal to the railway officials for pro-
lection against such methods. He has
hnr nf
persistency of agents for other min
listers in the last week or two.
The Bristol post-ofhce. now about to
be divided by the establishment of
separate office ON the Virginia side,
shows a splendid business for the year
1912, for a city of 1900 population.
The total receipts from January 1, 1912.
elusive of the money-order department.
In the money-order department for the
same period there were issued 1871
domestic orders, which totaled, in
Guiding fees. "a .s35.52: foreign orders,
fees included. amounted 10 81, 1887.
Money orders paid by the Bristol
office for the same period totaied
month OF Decent Der. orders paid.
totaled s43,3iso3. being the. largest
amount paid in any one month in the
history Of the Bristol Office. This was
an average of ASS orders paid per day
for the month.
A first mortgage. given by the
Watauga Power Company for s4oo, 900 10
the New York Trust Company and
Mortimer ~. Beckner. trustee, has just
been recorded in Bristol. This mortgage
is to protect the buyers of the bonds of
the Watauga Company to the amount
of $4,000. The company spent $500 900
in constructing its hydro-electric plant
on the Watauga River, near Elizabeth
ton. Tenn. and is reserving $1,000 of
the proceeds of the bond sale for con-
templated improvements. The COM
pany now supplies Bristol with current
for lighting and power. and has leased
power to the Tennessee Eastern Elec-
trio Company, and transmitting lines
are now being extended to Johnson
City. Jonesboro and Grennville. Tenn
Following the adoption of hydro
electric power. the Bristol Gas and
Electric Company announces a redcu-
ton in its rate to all consumers of two
cents per X. ". The reduction is from
IL to 10 cents to consumers using not in
excess of Is h W. per month, and from
10 to per cent to consumers using
bewteen rs and 50 k. W. per month.