Wisconsin herald, and Grant County advertiser. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1844-1845, 1844-12-28
LANCASTER, SATURDAY. DECEMBER NO.

his scruples, and he disposed of his fish
and chickens, almost as fast as he could
count the money. But he paid the pi-
per for it, as it will be seen in the Sc
quel.
In the mean time, the black fellow
after resting awhile and wetting his
whistle at an out of the way place,
where they sold liquor against the stat
ute, sailed out and went todling along
till he came to the principal street,
called Broad street, where he stopped
before the stately house of Burgomaster
Goosander, and pulling out his fiddle
from his little pocket, began to play
i" Molly put the kettle on" The cook
in the Kitchen, who was Just on the
point of splitting pair of the old mans
chickens which the brogomaster had
just brought from the Marketable,
dropped them on the floor, and ran vio-
lently to the front cellar door, where
she staid so long listening to the mu-
sic, that when she came back the chick
ems were Matched into eggs again.
On the opposite side of the street, one
of the old mans fish that was half broil-
ed, jumped from the gridiron, and by
a succession of somcrsets precipitated
itself into the creek which at that time
ran through the middle of Broad street,
where it disappeared. In this manner
the black fellow went fddling through
the streets of the whole city of New
Amsterdam, which to be sure, was not
quite as large as now, playing the very
mischief with the chickens, and fish
all the former Of which changed to eggs,
and the latter all found their way into
the river again, for nobody minded them
now, as they had other fish to fry"
But it was not alone the fishes and
chickens which were bewitched by
this diabolical musician. The whole
city, were music mad, and moth
| ing was heard but the most awful scra-
ping, fran one end of New Amsterdam
to the other. Gourds were for the
first time converted into banjocs; every
carpenter, joiner and worker in wood,
set to work to construct himself a 6d-
die; the little boys provided themselves
with corn-stalks, which they managed
to make squeak most melodiously y; and
and grave burgomasters, and schepens
might be seen torturing musical groans
from sixpenny 6ddlcs, bought at old
Ashputtle's toy-shop. The price Of
these rose so high in consequence of
the demand at this time, that it laid the
foundation for the great fortunes of
that family. But, be that as it may
the whole city was in an uproar, in a
few hours after the landing of the blind
fiddler at the Markctfcldt, and every.
body forgot the loss of dinner, in the
universal consert that followed.
The blind fiddler in the course Of
four-and-twenty hours became SO great
a parsonage in New Amsterdam, that
the burgomastcrs and schcpens, and
other fat men of the city, would doubt
loss have became jealous of him, had
they not been completely taken up with
the music, and in fact it was whispered
around in the higher circles, that Gov
ernor Lubbersen, who had hitherto cs-
capped the infection, by wrapping him
self up in his dignity, was rather morti-
fed at seeing the boys running about
at the heels Of the blind fiddler, saluting
him with old hats, shoes, and divers 9TH
er demonstrations Of respect, while he
himself passed along without the least
notice being taken ofhim. II was not
long before the city began to be in
want of almost every thing. The
butchers were all making music with
their marrow-boncs and cleavcrs; the
bread boys had converted their bread
baskets into banjoes, by putting strings
across them, and using their tallies as
fiddlesticks; and the country people, in
stead of supplying the market, stood,
with their mouths wide open, listening
to the music of the old blind fiddler.
But this was not the worst'ofit. There
was scarcely an article or utcnsil capa-
bic of making noise, that was not APP
parently debauched by the example Of
the old blind fiddler. The bell OF the
old Dutch church in Garden street,
rang night and day, of its own accord,
notwithstanding the vestry ordered the
clapper to be taken out; the pewter
plates and dishes danced and gingled
on the dresscrs, as in times of great
earthquakes; the doors crcaked on their