Business Men Kiss Bride

Franklin Avenue Shopkeepers
Form Charivari Band and
Rush In at Ceremony

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Bertsch, 2729 Pillsbury avenue, was the scene of a lively gathering Wednesday evening when their daughter, Miss Elsa Bertsch, was married to Mr. Leslie L. Hughes. Mr. Hughes is a Franklin avenue business man. Several of the business men of that section formed a brass band, and, in automobiles, entered into a spirited chiravari. They filed into the house at 8:15, while the ceremony was in progress, each kissing the bride before they could be turned away. After having been "treated" to their hearts' content, they filed to the front porch, where they sent up a display of fireworks that would rival an average Fourth of July celebration. Only upon payment of $10 would the revelers consent to leave the young people in peace. After the ceremony, however, the bridal couple found that the automobile in which they were to have been driven to the station had punctured tires. Their suitcases had disappeared, too. Cupid failed in this instance to exercise his customary strength, and the young couple were obliged to postpone their wedding trip until today. They were taken to their new home, 1911 Fourteenth avenue south, where another chapter was added to the story of their misery. The brass band, which consisted of 15 pieces, included Olson Earl, bandmaster; W.K. Hicks, tin horn; George Andrews, snare drum; Matt Wittich, bugle; Manley Fosseen, drum; Will Margraff, trombone; E.C. Sonnesyn, bass drum; Steve Rommel, horn; Robert Blinkenberg, drum; Andrew Rogers, bass drum.

If the Bertsch-Hughes nuptials turned into a circus, at least it wasn't the carnival that turned out for this wedding at Rice Street and University Avenue in St. Paul in about 1910. (Photo courtesy mnhs.org)