South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-04-07
AT
5000 MARRIAGES
DURING 46 YEARS
Has Collected $4,000 for
Services - Has Complete
Record Of Ceremonies.

savage. Omaha's marrying par
son, tied the nuptial knot for the
HFe thouaandth time in his extensive
couping-up career.
rive thousand couples in IS
years, and S35. 900 in wedding fees
me Rev. Mr.. Savidge challenges the
esularly-ordained pastors Of the en-
,ire y, :. 70 match his match-mak-
Ing attainments.
IN three pOnderous tones, written
IN Mrs. Savidge's hand. the entries
INTO double harness via the Rev. Mr..
Havidge are kept 10y a sort Of double
ey system. each bride and bride
~groom being allotted a serial num-
Der. Naive asides. In red ink. re-
count human interest incidents Of
many Of the couples
What rOmances are contained IN
that record OF almost half cen
turyi
No. 1913 Was Disastrous.
AS he thumbcd over the ycllOwed
records. Mr.. Savdge Glanced upon
many interesting episodes.
There was wedding no. 1857. A
young girl, pretty and penniless. ly-
III Of scarlet fever I'm the Emergency
hospital. found life worth living
when her lover, a brave young tar
or the u. s. S. Tallahassee, came all
the way from the west coast 20
Omaha TO marry her. Rev Mr..
baUdge has performed many mar
riages when one or the contracting
parties was III I'm bed. but none at
which he more gladly offciated.
And take wedding No. 1913, a dis
astrous affair. proving cOnclusively
the ink OF the unlucky number. The
groom committed suicide three days
after the ceremony.
Fee Paid in SapIiDgs.
The oldest couple I over married
was No. "a. way back in 80. when
was a pastor at Mankato. MINI"
said Mr.. Savidge. He was SO. she
was u. She was his fourth wife
and he gave me the smallest fee 1
ever received, some saplings Tor the
Nchurch yard. But they got ashamed
% themselves and died!
you just ought to have seen that
coupled" he laughed Funniest
looking pair ever married. He had
been living all alone in a little
shanty on a secluded hillside, but
= ned fixed himself up for the DC
CasiOn the best he knew how. And
so had she. Hair slicked back with
grease, beard parted enc brushed
out. bandana handke. chief tied
around the neck Of a soft shirt. and
a Cut-away cOat-that was the
groom. Funny little old bonnet,
cOTkscrew eurls, a stiff black dress
with hoop skirts-that was the
bride. But they lived happily ever
after, even though they didn't have
long 10 live.
II don't know which was the
youngest couple ever married. But +.
I've married many that had to have /
their parents consent. And. pre- /
sumo. I've married some who He'd .
about their ages.
The largest fee L ever received /
was 500 I prayed eight hours for |
that. 1 needed that amount 70 pay .
for a new buggy. L didn't tell the /
brLSvgroom 80. but I told the Lord, /
and He put It into the heart Of that /
man TO hand me five $40 bills
The most famous man 1 ever |
married was Joe Stecher.
The meanest bridegroom I ever /
married was No. S49. Nice-Rppear- (
ing chap, Charles w. McKown. Told |
me he was a minister's son. But I
Just three days after / pronounced /
the words which made him and Mrs. /
Alice 7. Coffee. OF Omaha. man and /
wife I found out that ne had 13 /
different wives on his trail. And a .
St. Patrick's day wedding Il was. at /
that.
Fifty Double Weddings.
I've officiated at more than so I
double weddings. There are at least /
80 remarriages on my books. III /
tell you that's what does a parsons /
heart good-when people have had /
foolish quarrels and have been di- /
vorced, only 10 find that they can't /
live without each other.
The largest wedding I ever had /
was at Iakeview last July. when .
10 600 people Witnessed the cere- 4
mony. That was also the noisiest /
wedding. My quletest weddings were /
marriages OF deaf mutes. I've Offic- /
lated at 10 Of them.
MY earliest wedding was az 1880 /
IN the morning. a couple from Des .
Rroines, whose train had been de-
layed."
The Rev. Mr. Savidge has many
"regular customers al his matri- /
rnoniaI counter. In several instances f
he has Offciated at a wOman's first
and second marriage. He has mar
rfed whole families Of brothers and .
s4sters. and IN dozens OK cases has .
married the son or daughter of "a
couple whom he married early I'm
his career. Literally hundreds OF
names appear on his books. first as
and later as brides and
-CSrns. For instance. groom No.
1000. entered recently. was witness
~ wedding No. 500. which occurred /
inst four years ago. Thirteen hun
drcd couples i'm three years! Wed
4i,rs have come thick and fast In
,bess later days. and what with a
cushing matrimonial business. a reg
,,lar pastorate. and assisting in the
ceiebration OF dozens or silver we'd
amos. the Rev. AR SavidEe IS a very
busy man
plans 10 Move 20 seattle.
Ru+ now that he has attained his
coal he is contemplating moving 20
Ses.rle wash. retiring from active
49, 20 write a book entitled "Cn-
equally Yoked.' He believes DE
could embody in such volume a
ereat deal OF valuable advice 90 per
sons choosing life partners.
Marriage is the natural state of
r.an-and woman, too, st0uuy de-
cIares the Rev Mr.. Savidge who
docs everything in his power 90 en-