The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1919-04-18
CECIL's GRETNA GREEN.
Two City Reporters Visit The County
Seat and Tell OF the Marriage
Business.

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4 Sundays Baltimore News contained
an illustrated article on Cecil coun-
TVS Gretna Green, Elkton. The
i News reporters were threatened
with arrest by the town bailiff for
taking pictures, but managed to get
Faway with the goods. After telling
of the threatened arrest the article
reads:
So from the above it may be de-
duced that Elkton, the county seat
of Cecil county, is sensitive about its
reputation as Gretna Green. Dill
gent investigation showed reason.
Last year Philadelphia correspond
ent discovered" the town and wrote
a clever satire of it's main industry
4 marriage. Since that time many of
the inhabitants have feared lest pub
lie opinion should drive away a
highly lucrative source Of revenue,
and they distrust city fellers with
cameras and others who ask Ques-
tions
| o0I hOOOoJ Se1Al ottsy AL A1AhtOlA tAhO
better part of day and be ignorant
of the fact that here is the throne
Of Hymen. The original Gretna
Green, which was in Dumfrieshire,
Scotland, has long since lost ats
! quaint character. The one at Elkton,
however, fiourishes unabated, al
though it is generally understood
that the season is late this year and
that the real rush will not come
until next month. Be that as it may,
13 couples took the plunge on
Thursday-an everybody said it
was a dull day.
The marriage laws of Pennsyl-
vania and Delaware provide that a
i marriage license shall have been is
sued SO hours before it may be used.
Also, they require that both the
4 prospective bride and groom be 21
years of age. But not far to the
South, right on the main line of the
Pennsylvania Railroad, is Eikton.
where the matrimonially inclined
couples may be standing before
minister before the ink is dry on the
license. And the bride need be only
| 16 years DID, So from Southern
Pennsylvania and New Jersey and
Delaware there come daily to Elkton
| the young couples who harbor loves
young dream.
The admirer of efficiency must ad-
NIT that Elkton has reduced the
business of marriage to science.
Last month 332 marriage licenses
| were issued there; and in the first
10 days of April there were SO
more. The town would not be able
to care for all this business were it
not we'll organized for it.
The young people literally get
married between trains. They ar
rive at the depot at 10:47 A. M. and
1921 P. M, on the honeymoon
/ specials" Those who arrive at the
earlier time take the 1880 A. M.
train north, while the late comers
depart at 2:27 P. M. A very few
come on other trains, and one or two
from Baltimoreward, but these are
mere exceptions.
| The 1880 steams in. The bridal
couples emerge and stand looking
about in a forlorn sort Of way.
Within half a minute they are con-
scious that there are IA hackmen,
who drive everything from f1ivvers
to limousines, affirming at the top of
their voices that they can provide
| everything from advice to witnesses.
The man and girl select one of the
| vehicles and are whirled to the
| Courthouse, scant two blocks from
the station. The driver, leaving the
bride in the car, pilots the groom
into the Office of Clerk w. G. Pur-
nell, who issues licenses with neat
ness and dispatch. Then they
emerge, and, if the groom has for
gotten the ring, proceed to jewell
er's on Main street. Then the course
is steered for minister. There are
two who divide the lions share Of
the patronage, if the hackman and
ones own observation are to be be-
lieved.
They are Rev. W. R. Moon, Bap-
tist, and Rev. George p. Jones,
Methodist Episcopal. Mr.. Moon, it
is said, is the more expeditions OF
the two. He was not at home on
the day that the Baltimore journal
lists visited the town, and his trade
was being diverted to the home OF
Rev. Henry Carr.
Monday, Friday and Saturday are
the best days for the trade, accord
ing to the hackmen.
The financial side of the ceremony
is complicated. Various hackmen
assert that one of the ministers, who
shall be nameless, pays rake-oif OF
81 for each bride and groom brought
to him. Others charge that their