Rensselaer Republican, Volume 14, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 June 1882 — Two Thousand. [ARTICLE]

Two Thousand.

Justice Mayes, the famous marrying Squire, whose readiness with the words which bind is known to every pair of youngsters ‘yearning to be one within a radius of several States, ten days ago celebrated his two-thous-andth marriage. His official signsnature pqw stands at the bottom cf 2,003 marriage certificates, and 4;006 people have stood up before him and thought his plain words the paost eloquent and musical In the language, Irthe domestic hearthstones which he .had created, were piled together they wodld make a very reanectabl quarry; if all the hSppluetwAe had occasioned could but rewound to his own heart, he would be blest above mortals; obuld the divorce feel he has laid the foundations for return to his own pocket, his children’s children might still have .a comfortable patrimony. Marital affection seems to be indiSnious to the soil hereabouts. Tbe wn itself was christened by its founder, Rabert Humphrey, as far back as 1766, after the maiden name of his wife, Margaret Alexander. The marrying Justice himself has not esoaped the Infeetion, or perhaps has been a physician not afraid to take his own medicine. The lady who now presides over his household is his third wife. The town itself lean unpretentious little place, a quiet, old pike town, wearing but few architectural adornments in the way of wedding finery. It is situated in the line of the old National Pike. Its neighboring town, Claysville, helps in a modest way to perpetuate the memory of the Kentucky statesman to whose broad, public spirit the great thoroughfare of former days owes its existence. Joseph Finley Mayes is now close to 66 years old, but oarries his winters lightly. The frosty rime is on his brow and chin, but his voice is cheery and his tongue as ohipper as ever. He has been so much a public feature recently tnat bis history as a desendaut of a line ofknot-tyers is pretty well known. He has now been holding the office of Justice of the peace exaotly twenty years. He has compiled the reoora of his matrimonial work in periods of five years, during the first five years he married 293 oouples: the second.39o: tbe third* 607; the fourth, 834. the record shows the names of the contracting parties, the dates and the tee given for each marriage. Up to the present time Squire Mayee has received for performing marriage ceremonies the sum of $9,262,14, or an average of $8,12)4 P er oouple during the term of twenty years. The fee allowed by law was $2 up to 2865. when it was increased to SB. About half a dozen oouples paid nothing, some paid the regular fee, and others paid aa high as $5, $lO, and one party was so liberal as to fork over a S2O bill. The lowest amount received,as shown by the ledger, was 10 cents. Most of theeouples married here are from West Virginia and Ohio, of course, where the lioense fee is a tax upon matrimony. The Justice shrewdly puts out tne intiolng advertismeut. “No marriage leoense required in Pennsylvania,” and incloses his card. The young couple show it to their friends of course and so the trade is fostered. Thirty oouple of the 2,000 were colored. Fifty of the men made happy were named Smith, and thirtytwo of these were baptized John. Fourteen of the ladies did not ohange their names. Business has ranged in briskness from six couples in one day to several days without any. The two thousandth couple arrived at West Alexander on Saturday, the 13th lust They were Christopher C. Sprowts and miss Martho Defora Martin, both of Beuwood, Marshall” County, W. Va. “I received a letter from a business firm in Wheeling, to be presented, with an accompanying package, to be presented, with an accompanying package, to the two thousandth oouple married by me. I delivered the package and letter which ran thus:

"Wheeling,W. Va„ May 13,1882.To the Happy Two Thousandth Groom—Dear Bur: Accept our congratulations, and with the same a box of our smoking and chewing tobacco. Wishing you and your new wife long life, happiness, and prosperity, we are, etc.. Much more the genial Justice said, never tiring in his talk about what has been the principle business of his life, and when your correspondent said good-by the old man waejamenting,"Business is very dull, I hayen’t married a couple since day befor yesterday.”— Pltsburg Dispatch. Two soldiers of the royal Artillery stationed at Mauritius went out for an excursion along the shore in a little skiff. They were caught in a strong current, ana carried out into the Indian Ocean, where they drifted about for nine days without food or anything to drink except rainwater. Oue eventually died from exhaustion, the survivor was. at last thrown on to the odast of the island of Reunion, aud was properly eared for by the ConsuL They fed on flying flan, and Ming followed all the way by monster sharks, who were nearly level with the boat,must have had a terrific time of It. Vaccination properly conducted is now unquestionably the best preventive of small pox epidemics.. But it must be remembered that impure lymph may charge the body with disdiseases which make life a prolonged misery to which death itself is preferable. If physicians could be held to a s ? rioter accountability there would be little trouble in making the practice of vaccination more general. It is announced that the recent warm weather has much reduced the discouraging outiook for the Illinois corn crop.