The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1915-08-27

ter Sunday celebrated the forty-third
anniversary of their wedding nuptials
which were held Aug. %, 1872, at the
old Engelman homestead on North
Middle street, little north of Broad
way.
The Judge, who is known to every
one in Cape County as the ''verteran
Justice of the Peace" has been living
in his present homestead since 1858,
when he came to the Cape with his
father He was a five-year old boy
at that time.
Since his marriage he has been City
Councilman, City Assessor and Squire,
holding public office continuously
from the year following his marriage.
The Judge and Mrs. Willer spent the
day quietly at their home, greeting
| friends who passed their place, ana
in the afternoon, both talked with a
reporter for The Tribune about their
wedding and the Judge discussed
changes that have taken place in the
Cape, changes that have passed before
his scrutiny in panoramic manner.
The Cape was a town of about 1000
when the Judge was married. 1t was
in the Steamboat" days after the war.
The days of wildcat" banking in the
Southwest.
There was only one bank in the
Cape them" the Judge remarked, "the
Sturdivant Bank, and it was the finan-
cial power of Southeast Missouri.
There were lots of banks in those
days scattered around. A man had to
carry little book around with him
to tell how much paper money was
worth.
"Some banks over here in Illinois
put out money that was worth about
so cents on a dollar, some 25 cents
and some of them down in Tennessee
weren't worth anything.
"a lot of that fractional currency
still was passing around from the Con-
federate Government-'shin plasters,
we called them"
The Judge is 81 years old and Mrs
Willer is 63. He was born on a farm
about 7 miles southeast of the Cape
June %, 1S48, and Mrs. Willer was
born just over the line in Perry COun-
ty, at place known as Disson, or
December 7, 1852.
The Judge says he recollects pretty
we'll when his father moved 20 the
Cape and took up the place now in
Haarig, because it was Grounding
Day, Feb. 2, 1853. Mrs. Willer came to
the Cape when she was 10 years old
and lived at the place on North Mid
die street.
Our wedding was a great event,
Mrs. Willer related. "They don't have
weddings like that around here these
days, do they, Henry
mo. that's right, they don't the
Judge assured his spouse.
There were more than 400 people
there" Mrs. Willer went on. People
came from all over the city and county
and it was big event"
Had eight kegs of beer" interpolat-
ed the Judge, land the celebration
kept up till about 4 o'clock in the
morning"
1--WE all went to the church at
o'clock-the Lutheran Church." Mrs
Willer continued as she smiled at the
Judges interruption.
at was where the old tobacco fac
tory used to be, round the corner here
on Williams street"
"Rev. Pollack did the job" the
Judge said. "What was his first
name?"
"Gustave! Rev. Gustave Pollack,'
his wife told him.
1--WE had a big celebration on our
silver anniversary" Mrs. Willcr con-
tinued again. There must have been
200 people there and the tables filled
most all the front yard"
| The Judge was a son of William
Willer and he was named for his
grandfather who died at the age of
So, few years ago.
Mrs. Willer was Miss Helena Engel-
mann, daughter of Edward D. Engel-
mann, former Mayor of the Cape, and
for 20 years Clerk of the Court of
Common Pleas.
At the silver anniversary of the
wedding, all the bridesmaids returned
and all except one of the groomsmen
were there. Judge William Paar, pre-
siding County Judge at Jackson, fail
ed to get in town for the celebration.
The bridesmaids were Sarah Engel-
| ,,onr tho brides cictar Annie HOIt1