The Time to Elope
A lighthearted roundup of elderly Americans' romances, elopements, and society weddings — the sort of gossipy human-interest filler once common in Sunday supplements.
NewsPipe summary
The Sun · November 16, 1913 · Page 38
2 min readWhen is a man too old to elope? You will have to ask some one more aged than Capt. William Rose of Linwood, N.J., who dashed away on a honeymoon trip in an automobile with a sixty-five-year-old bride, Mrs. Mary H. Rucker, the other night. Fuss and feathers were repugnant to the old skipper, and so he took his sweetheart to a minister without notification to his friends. He did everything in the way of preparation in as spry a manner as a youth of six. And yet he is 78.
In Easton, Pa., not long ago Mrs. Clara Medill, aged (whisper) 86, was wooed very ardently by Joshua Ferris, not quite 36. Ferris was a hurry up suitor and wanted the knot tied without delay. Envious ones said because Mrs. Medill had money and lands and Ferris none that there was method in his haste. But friends declared it was a case of pure love.
Mrs. Medill, however, wanted none of this unceremonious kind of wedding. She proceeded with all the forms. The banns were announced three times on successive Sundays, the wedding invitations were engraved, the bridesmaids duly selected, the ceremony rehearsed and a full church choir was engaged.
There was a honeymoon trip to California. And when the couple went housekeeping on their return it was noted that Ferris seemed much more fatigued from the journey and the excitement than his eighty-six-year-old bride.
Probably one of the most notable of old age weddings was that of Robert Munson, aged 84, of Seattle to Miss [...] O'Dare, aged 24, of Detroit. Munson went to Detroit from Seattle to settle his brother's estate. Miss O'Dare was his late brother's stenographer. She was an attractive young woman and young men called on her every night. If they brought her flowers, Munson sent her five times as many the next day; if it was candy, he sent the young donor five times over. He lent one of the young wooers his automobile to take Miss O'Dare for a spin.
One night, while Munson and the girl sat in the parlor, the telephone bell rang and a young man who was to come sent his excuses. The old man grew angry.
"Come out in my car, child," said Munson.
In ten minutes they were driving. They went to the theatre and to a dinner, and finally the old man said, "Might as well go the limit; let's get married." And so they were. Then they rode back home and broke the news. Munson gave a "party" the next night and outdanced, old style, every young couple present.
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