The Clergyman's Dilemma
Two officiants arrived to marry a couple; the governor yielded to 'give tone,' and the clergyman wed them.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Mr. C. came to my house one day and asked me to perform the marriage ceremony between himself and Miss H. On the evening appointed I went to the house of the bride's parents, but all was not quite ready. Mr. C. was out. Miss H.'s parents were living in the house of Mr. J., who had the Governor to perform the ceremony. It struck me as rather strange... Mr. C. found he was in a predicament with two persons present to tie the knot. He called us both out to explain matters... The Governor was just the kind of a man to enjoy the joke and he immediately said 'I'll give tone.' So I married them and he remained to give tone to it.
“I hardly wanted to tell such a joke on the Governor, but it was too rich for him to help and he told it, so that it was all over town the next day.”
This personal anecdote from a local clergyman provides a rare, candid glimpse into the social rituals and competitive politics of early Seattle. Even in the 1880s, the struggle for social status—or just 'giving tone' to a wedding—remains an oddly familiar civic rhythm.
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