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THEY WERE MARRIED: A Walk of Twenty Miles to Escape Canadian Fees
(Buffalo Express)
[Welland Telegraph, 11 December 1891]
The famous old American hotel, near the foot of ferry street, was the scene of a marriage out of the ordinary on Wednesday.
James Horn, the landord, was dozing in his arm-chair on Wednesday afternoon when Frederick Burger, a six-foot Canadian, made his appearance and asked: “Can I bring a gal in here?”
“Certainly. What do you want to do with her?”
“Git married, by Gosh,” and the room shook with laughter.
“All right,” said Horn; “bring in your gal.”
She came. She was hardly half the size of her future lord and master and showed signs of travel over muddy roads. They were shown to the sitting room and the Rev. L.B. VanDyke, the Episcopal minister, was sent for.
When the messenger had departed Horn asked his visitor if he had enough to pay the minister, as he thought it would cost at least $3 to tie the knot. The man had already spent about half a dollar in entertaining his intended with refreshments from the bar and said that he had but a dollar left.
“Why,” said he, “that’s the reason I came over here, as I can get married cheaper here than on the other side. We’ve walked for twenty miles up in the country. I want to get married cheap. “
The landlord appreciated the situation and agreed to see him through.
Ralph Courter and Mrs. Peck, the housekeeper, were pressed in to serve as witnesses and the knot securely tied, Mr. Horn giving the bride away. She gave him her name as Mary Jane Harkins and her age as eighteen years.
As it was the first wedding which had taken place in the house since the time the beaux and belles of the village of Black Rock used to make it headquarters fifty years ago, Landlord Horn decided to celebrate, and a wedding feast was prepared to which about a dozen sat down. The couple left in the early evening to trudge back their twenty miles.
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