The ledger. [volume] (Gaffney City, S.C.) 1896-1907, April 08, 1897, Image 3
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THE LEDCJEK: GAFFNEY", S. C., APRIL 8, 1897.
OX PATSALAGY 1UDGE.
When Rufus Sandora and His Best
| Girl Turned Out
•'DiUtcd tt Ills Campmortln irlth Fine
Clothes and Fancy Trimming”
—lint n Rcmnlncd Over”
Till Show "Was Oat.
Hit is the gonebj^est most strangest
thing in this round createdAvorld tome
•what a txemendius
big lot of devil
ment one mortal
man can do single-
handed and alone
under the sun. The
meanness w h i c h
vain and fleetin
man docs is more
than probable to
live after him,
■whilst the good
deeds done and the whisky he drinks
is sometimes buried with his bones.
Raley and truly, I didn’t mean to do it,
but oncst upon a time—in my young
and mngnolicmsdays—when I was feel-
in my . eed and gall in around right plen
tiful and promiscus like—I busted up a
whole campmeetin. And oncst upon
another time I busted up the biggestsort
of a woddin match, when I wouldn’t
of done it a-purpose for the finest young
mule in the settlement.
Who Should and Who Shoaldn't
That was years and years ago, be
fore me and mother ever took up a Lo
tion to walk together in the ten com
mandments and work in double harness
for better or for worse. It was way
down in the old Panther Creek settle
ment, where the Sanders generation, of
people had made theirelearins and built
their eabbins in the first settlement of
the country.
Campmeetins was all the go in them
good old days, and indurin that partic-
lar pununer everybody—Methodists,
Baptists and all— went in ke: snooks to
gether and got up one of the biggest
campmeetins you ever heard tell of.
They struck camp in a big shady grove
over on I’atsalagy ridge, and the people
they c me for miles and miles around
—conn in wagonsand on horseback and
afoot- till it did look to me like every
body .’as there.
No\ in that day and generation most
every x>dy had to live at home and board
at tl » same place. They' made their
meat nd bread and raiments at home,
and ven to the highristocraey of the
land most in generally wore homespun
clothes in summer and winter and the
whole year round. And as for us boys,
it took our level blamedest to climb up
in a suit of store-bought clothes oncst
a year.
But, aslwasgoinon to say, right about
that time I was keepin clost company
with Miss Susy Ann Stringer and eut-
.tin the pigeon wing around her every’
Sunday’ the Lord sent, and two or three
nights in the week for good measure.
At the same time my fellow servant,
Bunk Weatherford, he was payin his
Inof-t fervent regards to Miss Rosebud
r CbGtleberry reglar and constant. Well,
if you have ever traveled along that
road you can see how it was. It did raiey
seem to me like I was about the finest
Jookin youngster in the settlement and
I felt certain that Miss Susy’ Ann was
way yonder t he most loveliest girl in the
whole created human rare. Naturally
of course Bunk Weatherford had took
about the same sort of fool notions in re
gards to Miss Rosebud and himself.
So in the fullness of time — between
the two pairs—we bad worked up a fu
rious big rivalment as to who could and
who couldn’t—who should and who
shouldn’t. Now, to tell the gospel
truth, Bunk and Miss Rosebud they’
had got the bulge on me and Miss Susy
Ana along in the spring of the year. By
some shift or turn Bunk had managed
so as to buy him a bran-spankin new
suit of store-bought clothes, and Miss
Rosebud she had likewise broke, out
in a fresh place with two or three white
muslins and poker-dot calico frocks,
with hat and ribbins and plenty of
fancy’ fixments to match. They’ then
took in all the picnics and barbecues
and big meetins together, and cut such
a high and mighty swell everywhere
they went till they laid me and Miss
Susy Ann, and everything else for miles
around, way back in the shade.
next monrun I went to work settin up
the trap*.
Old man Eph Simpkins was then way
yonder LHc most richest man in the set
tlement. He kept store over at the
Cross Roads—owned two or three good
plantations, and, accordin to common
talk, he was plum lousy with money.
So in the next place I went o^r to see
Uncle Eph that day, laid all my plans
and schemes before him, and asked him
if he wouldn’t stand by me till I could
wean Bunk Weatherford, or either
make him Elck on the milk.
“You see that horse, bridle and sad
dle, Uncle Eph?” says I. “Well, they
are mine and paid for. How much
money wedM you say I have got buckled
up there together?”
*T would ywt the figgex at $150,” says
he.
“When ate you goin down to New Or
leans to lay in your fall stock, Uncle
Eph?” say® J.
“I lowed to start for the river landin
to-morrow," says he.
“Well now. Uncle Eph,” says L com-
in right dowai to business, “when you
git to New Orleans I want you to spend
$150 for spend it exactly like I
tell you—*ynd then take a waverly note
on tluit. hearse, bridle and saddle to make
your money dead safe.”
“I will let you have the money, Rufe,”
says Uncle Eph, “or I will spend it for
you and spend it exactly' like you say,
providin you will give me all the pints
of your game as you go on with it—
provklim you will let me be there at the
milkin and the weanin.”
‘‘You are traded with on the spot,”
says I, “and now, Uncle Eph, let me
tell you how to spend the money. In
the first outset I want you to git the
finest and prlttiest dress that money
can buy’ for Miss Susy Ann—no poker
dots, no muslin and no calico. Undo
Eph, but the finest of silks and satins—
somethin that will rustle and whistle
at every step she takes. And don’t go
and git no jrale and sober and serious
lookiu colors. Uncle Eph, but pink and
red and yallrr buff—somethin gay and
gorgeous-like nnd flashy. Then buy her
the finest hat and the shinyest slippers
y ou can find, and fling in plenty of rib-
bins and laces for trimmins and good
measure.
“Then for my own riggins, I want a
navy blue broadcloth suit of clothes,
calfskin, spike-toed boots and a bell-
crown silk hat, which the same like our
congressman wears when he ain’t out
huntin for votes. And I don’t want
no sawed-off, high-water coat, neither
—kt it be a double-breasted calf-wiper.
Uncle Eph. Then I wa nt a ruffle-bosom
shirt, and if the pile ain’t clean gone
by that time you can fetch me a heavy
gold watch chain. I wouldn’t give a
durn for no watch. Uncle Eph, but I
mought maybe need the chain in my
business.”
Of all the hustlin and bustlin, and flut-
tcrin and gigglin and gaziu that ever
went on at one time in this world, it j
was right over there on I’atsalagy ridge !
that Sunday mornin.
Tarcctly the preacher sung out and
stud, with a loud voice:
“Let the congregation come to or
der. Re seated and behave yourselves.
It’s nobody but that rattlen, harum-
scarum Rufe Sanders nnd Susy' Ann
Stringer.”
Then there was a spell of screamin
amongst t he women folks, and when old
Mises Stringer found out that itwas no
body butme. and herown dear Susy’ Ann,
she throwed up her hands and keeled
over and went off in a dead faint. So
instid of broakin up the performajHSe
the preacher only made it worse and
still more of it. Things wen ton at that
lick till Mises Stringer come to, and
•then the leaders of the flock come to
the conclusion that it mought be best to
take out for tw elve and feed. But the
people couldn’t eat any dinner to spetik
of for lookin at me and Miss Susy Ann
and the fineries we had on us. After
dinner the elders blowed the horn and
the preachers tried to go on with the
meetin. But it was all jnhiperfcct vanity
and vexation. The proeeedins wouldn’t
proceed worth a hardly. A few of the
amen corner members went back to the
big arbor, but the mainest part of the
crow d w as busy follow in’around after
me and Miss Susy Ann like a passleof
sghool boys at a Punch and Judy sliow.
AKP’S COTTON SPIN.
Southern Staple Continues to Bo
King of AIL
How It AVna First Span—Dili's Mother
I'sed to I*iek Seed from the Lint
—Then Caine the Gin and Spin
ning Jenny.
Something Had to Happen.
If you had went to most any’ sort of a
big meetin anywheres in the surround-
in country’ that summer you would of
met up with me and Miss Susy’ Ann and
a whole passle more of the young peo
ple. But from the general way ir. w hich
t he talk was carried on you never would
of thought there was any young people
on the grounds exceptin Bunk Weather
ford and Miss Rosebud Castleberry,
They flew so infernal high and skimmed
so blame light, and everybody had
somethin to say about how sweet
and pretty’ she was and how smart
and fine lookin he was. To be
certainly I kno.ved golnation well that
it was no.bin but their extra frills and
fineries and fancy trimmins, but at
the same time the general circumfer
ence was pow’erful diggin and hurtin to
me. Bunk jest simply took the day
and swept everything before him,
whilst I had to fall back and hang on
oround the edges as best I could.
“This thing has now gone on jest a
leetle bit further than I can stand and
take it, and I will be everlastinly dad-
smashed if it aint got to stop!” saya I
to myself that night. “Bunk Weather
ford thinks there aint nobody’ in this
country that can wear clothes exceptin
him and his onlyest own, but by the liv-
in and the dead, I have never yet seen
a colt so fiery or so fine but what begot
brought to bis milk and weaned by and
by. I hate to do it. Bunk—honest to
Cod, I do mortally hat* to do it—bat
somethin will have to happen.”
“Flala tfc* Triggers.”
So consequentially I fixed the trig
gers that night, and bright and early
•*JIe Fetched the Fixments.”
Now, in them plain old days we
didn’t have the railroads and telegrams
to make quick trips on, and it was
nearly two weeks before Uncle Eph re
turned bark home. But when he did
come, he fetched the fixments with
him. It was then along in the first
part of August ajid the camp meetin
was comin off about the middle of Sep
tember. I managed some way to blip
the riggio* we. had got for Miss Susy
Ann over to her house, and she had
plenty time enough to set up of nights
and put them together unbeknowauce
to the old folks. The plan was for both
of us to hnd and bloom ar»d bust out
suddent and surprisin like and take
all the shine off of Bunk and M i<-s Rose
bud the ier>’ first lick.
The big camp meet hi opened up on
a Sunday. Wc didn't lia .e many bug
gies then, and when the young peo
ple went about they had to ride horse
back, or either take it afoot and w alk.
I was to give the old folks time to git
off to meetin and then ride fey after
Miss Susy Ann. And I do wish in my
soul that you could of seen me when
I got into my new clothes and come out
in full bloom that Sunday mornin. My
navy blue coat bad a velvet collar and
brass buttons on it. It was not only
a calf-wiper, friends and fellow citi
zens—it was a double-breasted ankle-
knocker. And that bell-crown bat
which I wore. My, my, my! It was a
wind splitter and a sky scraper. Then
with my ruffle-bosom shirt aud spike-
toed boots on, and a heavy gold watch
cliain danglin from the brow band of
my breeches—dadbiame it, I felt like
I wouldn’t give more than half of the
road to a governor or a president.
When I got over t lie re to the Stringer
place Miss Susy Ann’s horse was stand-
in hitched to the rack in front of the
gate. I rid up and liailed with a
grand salute. Presently here come Miss
Susy Ann skippin and flutterin out
of the house. Man, sir, there was a
sight which was worth livin a long life
time to see. Her pink sMk dress was put
together and built up accordin to the
latest fashions, with tucks and flounces,
and laces and ribbins and beads and
other fancy trimmins, from her milk-
white throat to her high-heel slippers.
It didn’t raiey seem to me like she was
walkin human fashion, but sorter skim-
min over the earth like a bird, and
blamed if her riggins didn't screak and
whistle as she went like a high wind in
a canebralte. I helped her to mount,
and away we went till we rid into the
camp grounds with a wide sweep a
mighty swash.
The “Terrible Cemfaaienoiemt.”
But then, when we marched hand in
Land through the crowd and up under
the big hreah arbor, we did raise the
dadblamdest flutter and flurry that had
ever come to pass in all that skirt of
the woods. The show was wide open
then and the gonebyest most terriblest
oongurionment you ever read about was
goin on around there presently. The
preacher had Jest got into a weavin way
with a powerful and atirrin sermont,
but he had to givo it up and turn loose
to catch hin breath. On the first flush
soma of the people thought I must bo
Goa. George Washington, or King
deems, or some other royal monarchy,
with n queen tor a wife by his sU*
Late that even in the preachers and
the deacons and the elders got together
and helt a little private confabulation.
Then they sent a committee to soe if I
want willin to take Miss Susy Ann and
go on home, and let the meetin proceed.
Now Uncle Eph Simpkins was there
accordin to our private understandin,
and be had already laughed and
laughed till I raiey don’t think there
was a button left on his breeches. He
saw what was goin on, and callin me off
to one side, lie went on to pay:
“Don’t you do it, Rufe. This is a free
country, and if you and Miss Susy Ann
want to wear good clothes, it is no
body's business. Bunk Weatherford
and Miss Rosebud couldn’t stand the
shine you all put on. They lit out from
here and left the grounds before dinner.
It will never do for you to run up the
white feather row. Never retreat un
der fire, my boy—never retreat under
fire.”
So I made the committee own up that
me and Miss Susy Aim liaun’t done a
blessed thing but went to the meetin
with our own clothes on, behavin otrr-
.selves as best \ye could, and then I give
it out. that we would holt our ground
and remain over and seethe show out.
Well, I didn’t think aboutdoiu anything
that was wrong and wicked, and I
knowed that Miss Susy Ann didn’t mean
it that way, but bless gracious the nest
news wc got seem like we Lad busted
the earn]) meetin higher than a kite.
That night the preacher prayed to the
good Lord to “have mercy upon that
wild and wayward Rufe Sanders and the
giddy young thing with him.” And
then the meetin adjourned for good and
all.
Uncle Eph lowed to me afterwards
that he wouldn’t take three hundred
dollars for the sights he saw and the
fun he had that day.
“You can keep your horse, bridle and
caddie, and also your new clothes,
Rufe,” says he. *T have lost that durn
waverly note anyhow, and I will give
you a hundred years to settle in.”
Uncle Eph Simpkins he died and was
gathered up to his fathers in the usual
run of time, and somehow me and Miss
Susy Ann. never did git married. But
by gatlins. we weaned I’.unk Weather
ford and Miss Rosebud Castleberry,and
we weaned ’em good.
nrrrs panders.
LAFAYETTE’S COURTESY.
Ilia Act of HoniaRc to an American
"Woman.
The visit of Lafayette to America, as
the nation’s guest, is graphically re
called by Jean Fraley Hallowed, who
writes of “When I>afayette Rode into
Philadelphia,” one of the notable series
of articles on “Great Personal Events.”
I The welcome given Lafayette in Phila-
I delphia is said to have exceeded in its
warmth and enthusiasm that extended
to the distinguished visitor in any other
( city. In connection with his riding
into Philadelphia, the central figure of
j g resplendent pageant, an interesting
| incident is thus recalled: “Lafayette’s
barouche was passing, on Eleventh
. street, the house where dwelt the wid
ow of Robert Morris, financier of the
| revolution, a sister of Rev. Bishop
White. Mrs. Morris was at her win-
| dow, and, recognizing her after many
years, Lafayette rose up in his carriage
; and bowed to her. The rare courtesy
[ was instantly discerned by the thou-
I sands congregated at this point, and it
seemed as if the people would go mad.
with enthusiasm. The recognition of
^ Mrs. Morris seemed to set them aflame.
Even Lafayette seemed surprised that
| the simple act should evoke such a wave
| of frantic huzzas. Shout after shout
rent the air; women vied with men in
their efforts to show to Lafayette that
his graceful act touched them. So
great was the furore that the hero had
to rise again and again in his carriage,
and it was several minutes before the
wonderful enthusiasm had abated. But
if the applause subsided at the special
point where it had been waited into a
flame, it was rekindled again and again,
and carried along the entire route of
inarch. By a simple act he had aroused
the people, and the fruits of it remained
with him all through his visit in the
Quaker city.”—Ladies’ Home Journal.
•esrtss Perfumevr«
Plutarch mentions a visit paid by a
Spartan lady to Bernice, the wife of
Derotsrus. tetrarch of Galatia. This
lady smelled so strongly of sweet oint
ment and Bernice of butter that they
could not endure each other's pres
ence.—-Chicago Chronicle.
The mean temperature of Greece is
64 degrees Fahr.
“Cotton is king!” I don’t know who
first said that, but it is a fact. It is the
most useful and most important prod
uct in thu world aud has the most in
fluence on its commerce. I was rumi-
natiPg about this because of some let
ters of inquiry’ tliat from time to time
I have received concerning cotton. The
last one from an old friend, Col. Saxon,
says he cannot learn from the depart
ment at Washington when cotton cloth
was first imported to this country.
And so I will venture a few remarks
on this subject in general, for it is full
of remarkable facts and illustrates the
kindness of Providence to His crea
tures. Providence is always kind and
whenever we need anything lie unlocks
another door of His treasury and says
here it is.
There is no doubt at all that the cot
ton plant was created “in the oegin-
ning,” and with n. design for the use
and benefit of mankind when it should
be needed. Attention was attracted to
it away back in. the centuries. Four
hundred and fifty years before the
Christian era Herodotus wrote about
it os a plant bearing fleeces more deli
cate and lieautiful than those of sheep
and of the Indians using it for the man
ufacture of cloth. From India it was
introduced into Greece and Rome, and
Caesar used it for his army tents amt
covered the forum with it. The cotton
fabrics of the Hindoos have been ex
celled only by the most perfect ma
chinery of modern times. We read of
a Hindoo princess who came into n
court reception and the king said: “Go
lionnu—go home, my child—you are not
decently covered.” And she replied:
“Father, I have seven suits on.” But
they were of cotton muslin so thin and
delicate that the king could see through
them. The famous muslins of Decea,
in Calcutta, were called “webs of woven
wind,” and when a piece vas laid upon
the dew-covered grass it was not dis-
‘cernible.
Imagine the wonder of these fabrics
when there was not a spindle, but the
distaff and only a loom that the weaver
carried alx>ut with him, setting it up
under a tree and digging a hole in the
ground for his feet to work the treadle.
But the manufacture of cotton for the
common people was smothered during
all these centuries and only wool and
flax were used for elotliing. The an
cient Egyptians used it to some extent,
spinning it with tlie distaff aud weav
ing it with the primitive looms, but
the plant was not cultivated. It was
indigenous to that country and the
fleece was gathered from the wild
stocks. It was not until the tenth cen
tury that the cultivation began, and
that was by the Moors in Spain. The
Venetians engaged in it in the four
teenth century’ and the English in the
early part of the eighteenth. But its
use was very limited, for the seed were
in the way.
But now comes the evolution of cot-
ton; the revolution that in a few years
made it king. Nothing so wonderful
has ever .transpired in Commerce and
manufacture. There was a conjunc
tion of tlie three tilings that were neces
sary to bring about this revolution:
The cotton gin by Whitney in 1703, the
spinning jenny by Arkwright in 1787
aud the power loom by Cartwright in
1789, all startled the world about the
same time and gave an impulse to the
growth and use and manufacture of
cotton tliat was pregnant with great
results. One of tliese results was the
fixing of salary as an institution upon
the southern states. Up to that time
it was not considered either safe or
profitable to encourage their importa
tion from the northern states. But of
course, it took several years for these
inventions to become generally intro
duced. My mother told me t hat os late
as ISIS she used to spend most of thu
winter evenings picking the seed from
the cotton by hand—with half a dozen
or more of the family servants sitting
in a circle around the fire. She vied
with them in trying to excel in tlie
quantity seeded. This was in Liberty
county in this state, and the cotton was
probably the long staple variety.
Whitney became involved in inter
minable law’ suits and his gin, which
was for only the short staple cotton,
was not in general use for many years
after it was invented. My father put
up the first gin in Gwinnett county in
1828, and seed cotton was hauled to it
from all the adjacent country. Previ
ous to the use of the gin it w as cou-
ridered a fair day’s work to seed enough
to make a pound of link But the gin
with two attendants picked 400 pounds
in a day. At that time the old-fashioned
spinning wheel was in general use and
a day’s work for the spinner was six
cuts—a cut being 140 rounds on the
reel, but the first spinning jenny with
one attendant did 80 times as much
and did it better. Later on it did 2,000
times as much. The saving in weaving
by the power loom was in similar pro
portion and hence it suddenly came
about that ten men could do the work
of 10,000. No wonder that Hargroves
and Arkwright were driven from their
homes by the spinners and the spin
sters. Excuse me for telling the girls
just here that a spinster is the feminine
for spinner, and used to mean a mar
riageable girl who had made herself
eligible and fitten to be married by
spinning and wearing enough cloth for
her own trousseau, and sheets and cov
erlets for the bed and table cloths and
napkins tor the table. This was the
dowry she brought her husband. But
these inventors went to Nottingham
and pat up their mills and made a mo
nopoly of the business. They and their
associates grew rich so fast that they
determined to exclude all mankind from
acquiring a knowledge of thch* Inven
tions. The doon* were kept locked and
the operatives sworn to secrecy. New
England trial in vain, to buy tlie right
and could not compete with English
yarns.
But deliverance was not far off. Sam
uel and John Slater, who had worked
for Arkwright in England for seven
years, saw large money on this side
of the water. They came and brought
with them a full knowledge of all three
of the inventiens, and how to use them
and bow to build a factory. Of course
t hey met with a warm reception, and in
1S0G they erected a mill and plant
ed a town and named it Slaters-
ville. They soon mad© a fortune.
'When John died fie left his mil
lions to his son, and when John Jr. got
ready te lie he bequeathed a million to
our Dr. laygood in trust'for the edu
cation of the negroes of the south. It
was a gif t fit to be made, tor the fathers
and mothers of these negroes grew the
cotton tliat made the Slaters rich. The
Slaters not only spun tljeir yarns, but
wove them, and the cloth was called
homespun, because it was woven at
home and not brought from England.
But, although cotton woe now king
commercially, it was ranked socially
by other fabrics. It was not so beau
tiful as silk nor so strong os flax oor so
warm as wool, and henoc for years It
was woven, only into the common fab
rics for the common people. Thecal ieoes
that were imported from Calicut in Tur
key were spun with the distaff and,
woven with the old-fashioned hand
loom. The nankeen cloth that came
from Nankin in China was made by a
similar process. I remember that my
father, who was a merchant, bought
some of that nankeen when I was a
lad, and my mother made me o pair of
pants and a round jacket out of it, and
I was proud and yellow. It was not
until the 40’s when the finer fabrics,
such as musins and lawns, were (made
of cotton. In 1842 a machine was in
vented of so delicate a nature that a
single pound of cotton was spun, to a
length of 1,100 miles, and hi 1851 some
cloth of exquisite fineness was woven!
expressly for a dress for the queen of
England, and was exhibited at the
Crystal Palace fair in Loudon in that
year. But it is still asserted that no
machinery has ever surpassed the bond
work of the Hindoos, and that Montezu
ma presented Cortez with robes of cot
ton interwoven with feather work that
rivaled the delicacy of the finest paint
ing.
But notwithstanding the inventions
of the spinning jenny and the power
loom, our country people continued for
years to spin and to weave their own
cloth, and the female slaves were made
to do so by their masters. The spin
ning wheel was the first to surrender,
end the factory yarn, or “spun truck,”
as it was called, came into general use
along in the 40's. In a few years more
the homemade loom had to go, and
since the war the wheel and the loom
haue ceased their music in the homes
of our people.
It was not until after the close of the
war of 1812 that even the northern peo
ple bought any cloth from England.
Until about 1816 England had none to
sell or export, but from that time until
1824 its exportation increased very rap
idly and almost paralyzed our New
England mills. But in that year and in
1828 and 1832 congress placed a duty
of 25 per cent, ad valorem on all Eng
lish cotton goods, and this protection
greatly revived our own. manufactures.
This tariff was reduced in 1840 and the
outside world given a fairer chance to
compete.
But cotton is etill king 1 —king in the
southern fields and in the factories aud
in the carrying trade of the ocean and
in Liverpool'and other great markets
of the world. Whether we make large
crops or small ones, it is still the great
est factor in the world’s comfort and
prosperity. Long live the king.—Bill
Arp, in Atlanta Constitution..
HIS ROMANCE.
KING OF THE Mi.
This Title Now Belongs
Fitzsimmou:-.
rhe FlfrhtlngCnrrcr <>f t ■ -
«*«1 Corn lull muu Who
Out Jumea J. C«>j ...
Carson, Xev.
Robert Fitzsimmons, v ! . i , **• «»
ing James Corbett at C.ii> ,i . ' \
March 17, won the title -.t ■ i ^
heavyweight pugilist of tl . v
born at ilelstou. Cornu;:,;. : a»v
June 4. 1862. “Bob” is i
heritance, his fatherliav::, . '
nized as one of the best d. ••• it u
country famous for its wrc:~ - ; :■» a,, i
pugilists. “Bob’s” brothi rs w a." >r
natural fighters. “F ; tz” n. _t. n-u v* • b
his family to New Zealnnu. .ctic. fi
took up the horseshoe ing •. X
art of boxing was first tang! t i.iiu
his brother Jairet. His first ai ; «
in the ring was at “Jer.;" M.a - ru.
tear tournament, held at T i: V.-.
Zealand, in the fall of 1" a.
but a lad of 19 years. ”Bcb ’ ••?v
out four men that night, thus v. . .
tlie amateur championship of Mi v. //- •
land.
Since that time Fitzsimi ons . • *t •
almost every fighter of r' ii' ::i ll. .-1*
and the United States. !:>t _rr '
meeting before the Carscn *v : • ■*" '
that with Tom Shark* y. r h. " •>.. y
lad,” late in 1896. Refer* 1 .'
that fight to Sharitey on . f'.in •!»
has been, and always wik . lie i u a
on os a robbery. Fit/.-.--s' J
the case in court in San I- nin : sr> *
there received his first ».•
Sharkey was allowed to r -’ain '. c St
000 stake, which it is com e<! *! If/ ?!
never fairly won.
Fitz Is the son of Irish ami I': • k-v
His height is 5 it-.-:
Ilk.
stretch of arms ( > i*
i u .
In fighting style he :.s.
■ A tl S-
14 rounds with Corbet’ • .*<*
clusively, the typical kmx kom hitte"*
of the ring. His averaa- 'tk. .*
weight is 165 pounds. !I ’.i. : ’V .
earnings of battle, if he -p ,■
allowing him, should be i.i';u :y " i.‘ v
?
It Illaatratea the Ficklenciis of Man
an Well an Wausau.
“Of course there’s romance in my
life,” assented Fromer, when it was
intimated that there was nothing of
sentiment in his composition.
“ T felt when I saw her, ’tis she or
none on earth,’ is w hat Schiller wrote in
his ‘Hride of Messina.’ That is exactly
what I felt w hen I met the woman of
my romance. Nobody can describe a
woman. You can rave about her clas
sic features, her speaking eyes, her
neck like a pillar of marble touched
with life, the graceful Psyche knot that
she twists to a crown of beauty and all
that kind of rant, but after it is done
you can meet the woman and not know’
her. When I can picture a soul IT] go
into the business.
“Of course I was young when I met
her. Otherwise I would hav* shown
some slight imitation of sense and sur
rendered by degrees. Love at first sight
is not uncommon, but it is restrained
by a sense of propriety, by pride or
by some other modifying influence.
Every force in my being was coopera
tive. There was no check, and I fell to
the very depths.
“She refused me very prettily and
very properly. I asked her if I could
cherish no hope, intimating that to de
prive me of hope would be immediately
fatal. She gave me a very scant allow
ance. Then I went proudly away to
win a fortune that I might lay it at
her feet as an additional inducement.
In tour years I returned. The woman
was there just as I had left her, but not
my ideal. While I was trying for moral
strength enough to recall my vows,
she was mustering courage sufficient to
tell me she was engaged to another
man. She spoke first. Then I was so
mad at the other fellow, whom I should
have blessed, that I insisted she had
broken my heart."—SL Louis Republic.
starve to Death.
“No man should marry until he is
able to support a wife.”
“In that esse lots of men would starve
to death.”—North American.
ROBERT FITZSIMMONS
The following is a cond-:;.-ed historv
of his fighting record, wiii- .-kould Ik*
saved for future reference:
1SS0.
Won lightweight compotit.nr.. yro:rote^
by Jem Mace, defeating four • T;:narv..
New Zealand.
18S1.
Wos same competition, !• t n: ‘'Y" J- - ’
Mace, defeating five men.
1^3.
Jem Crawford. 3 rounds: I :ii knvin. T-
“Starlight,” 9.
ISM.
Arthur Cooper, 3 rounds: Jack k. ..
8: Jack Greentree, 3.
iSVklSSS.
Jim Brimsstead, 3 rounds Di i: .SaataiS-
4: Prof. West, 1: “Pablo” Frank. 2. J&cL.
Riddle. 4: J. W. Eager. 2.
1S8:.
D!cl: E!!!s, 3 round*. T tu ■
Queensland and Now Sou:'
which he claims to have put 1 :t " i
liK*.
Jim Hall, 4 rounds. Sydney. " ku. .
Fitz lost and came to AmerPa: FMly '.*<*-
Carthy, 9 rounds, San Francisco, a:
thur Upham, 5 rounds. New otc ar;<
1891.
Jack Dempsey, 13 rounds, N>j»v Orf
this was for the middleweight "hem; vi-
ship, and brought Fitzsiminoi.. ,nto s-t
prominence. Failed to knc. 1: on’ :xe-
“Black Pearl,” 4 rounds, St. ."au!. k : "
fiasco with Jim Hall, St. Paul. Mi:..:.
1892.
Peter Maher, 32 rounds. * .r.. • -.Ti*: .
J New Orleans, which brought Fita-"v*
! into the heavyweight field: Jack -e. .
i 2 rounds, Jersey City, N. J.: Jim F.i-
rounds, Newark. N. J.; Jo.- <3od:r t
round, Philadelphia: Jerry Sk 1 ”. j. t!
rounds. New Y'ork.
1893.
Jim Hall, 4 rounds. Crescent City ji ile.-
letlc club. New Orleans: for :h*..» met' > *V"•
men were promised a purse of ?! v
got but a small portion of It. Wk! .■
rounds, Chicago; Louis Warner. " >v4i
Baltimore; Jack Hickey, 3 round .-. ?.* w
ark, N. J.
1894.
Joe Choynski, 5 roun is, police ,.n
eflce and draw declared, the No*" "be
ater, Boston, Mass.; Frank Kellaw.
rounds. Buffalo, N. Y.: Dan Oret'ti -J. .
rounds, Olympic club. New Orlcar..;. G*:-
Kiordan, hit In. an exhibition with Yitx. t.
proved fatal, and Fitz was arrested-'.rim?.,
aad acquitted.
1895
■m.1 Alllch, 3 rounds, and Mike- Cor.i:oi”«. 3
round, Jacob's theater. New York; tra v
eled about the country with a variety slr-iw*
1896.
Peter Maher, 1 round (time, 1 minut/- otjol
35 seconds), Coahulla, Mexico; Paddy Fr.-s-
nan and Peter Maher, 3 rounds each. • je*
hlbltlon In Madison Square garden, ktew
York; no decisions; accused of assaulttryr
a street car conductor and a tailor: •atltotl
for England, remaining three months^witU
no money-making success; gave a bn:;*;".* v
to sporting writers In New York. cbvJ
lenging Jim Corbett: Tom Sharkey. V
rounds, Mechanics' pavilion, San Francis
co, Cal.; Fitzsimmons lost, Sharkey sea
ting the decision on the referee’s declara
tion of a foul: the limit set was ten ruur>#s>
An Electric Rat Trap.
An electric wire with a bit of ctuwMr
on the end U the latest rat trap, rise-
rat or mouse stands upon a small rurra*
plate aa he takes the bait, and taxlsaw
body becomes the medium for cum
pleting the electric circuit. He is elec
trocuted before he has dore more ttocir.
smell the cheese.
Something Kew In Sonp.
It is said that a French- chemist Smr
made a blue soap which will render- aa
necessary the bluing in the lauudbyt
la ordinary soap he incorporates a mm-
lotion of aniline green in strong aerter
add. The alkali of the soap convewn.
the green into blue.
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