The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1867-12-18
For the Argus
The First Ward Big Rur Nuisance

MR. EDITOR Il think my good frienc
Mr.. Walsh is correct in some of his state
ments. and makes good and truthful hits
particularly on the street lamps-while OIL
some other points he is wrong. For in.
stance: He says the City Council has built
City Pound. In this he is entirely mistak
en-. No Pound has been built or owned by
the City for the last six years, to my certain
knowledge. During Mr.. Davenport's ad-
mlnistration, flor five years. and before !
was appointed Marshal, he found that the
City had been run in debt for impending
hogs; and when j. L. Smith was Marshal
the Mayor and Council gave him what he
could make ont of the hog business, he
agreeing not to bring the City in debt
since have been acting as Marshal the
Iouncii mas allowed me to do the same
Last spring the City purchased q niece of
ground, and Alderman Fries and myself
were appointed a committee to procure ma
terial to enclose the gro&nd Contracts were
made for lumber and posts, to he -se,iroteu
IN three or fonr days. We then went and
looked over the ground, or looked for it.
We found the place where it was supposed
to be-near the south end of Eagle street,
- Flat Iron," but it was covered with
IN tne we found it impossible to get
water, anu -. of it. The order for lum-
upon any porti0ss countermanded. Bv the
Der and posts was S2ietz of the City Meat
kindness of Mr.. John L>xed to use his pen
Market, have been ALLOW ais own hd~
when it was not occupied by vet s-s,..sarsygs
or sheep. This pen is but l6 feNsqNare, and
was the only place l could obtain in the city,
after a long search.
| agree with Mr.. Walsh in the matter of
the good and quiet department of the inhab-
itants of the First Ward. have been in
that locality often, and seldom see any
wrong doings there.
But, Mr.. Editor, am really alarmed at
Mr.. Walsh's allusion to me as big Bug"
for that is enough to scare anybody, as all
our citizens know Mr.. Walsh is in the "Big
Bug Business" Now, Mr.. Editor / appeal
to you to know if it is not enough to Brighten
even such big Bug as your humble SER
want, to think of being chased Blythe Old Bug
Catcher, dressed in his scare-crow suit of
foppy linen and flourishing aloft his great
minnow net, ready to pounce down on me
'Eke hawk on June bug?" Then to
think OF being showed into glass case with
pin stuck through you and exhibited to the
world as "a martyr to scienceW Why, it is
enough to give anybody the "Big-head,"
and the ''Swell-head" in the bargain.
have no doubt that many well meaning
people think it a very easy matter to be
Marshal and stand on the corners and joke
with the Upper Tens" but such people,
perhaps, don't realize that Is Or 20 hours
out OF the "A are spent on the corners or
streets trying to protect the property and
perhaps the lives Of our citizens, and some
times the lives and property of the very peo-
pie who find the most fault. Though these
are facts which can be verified by good
men, yet, Mr.. Editor, do not think l am
complaining, for / recognize the right of all
people to find fault with public officers
Still, think the "Great Bug Catcher" and
hog-hater would pass very restless nights if
he knew what characters were sometimes
proving about his premises while be sleeps.
And am really sorry that everybody is not
as rich as Mr.. Walsh, for then they could
buy instead of being under the necessity of
raising their own hogs. 1t is quite likely
that some stray pig may have been around
Mr. Walsh's premises and squeezed in side
ways under his garden gate" when | did
not happen to be there. This, If course,
was 'good thing" for the pig, BIT q very
bad thing for me, because | lost my teas on
the sgrunter'' and run the risk of hsinp
pinioned trans6xed by the "Bug Catcs..
er." But, then, | quiet my official con-
science by the reflection that ] cannot be
everywhere at once. l. devote 10 10 ~
hours day to the service the people, and
always where l think is for the greatest good
of the City; and would watch Mr. Walsh's
garden gate all the time, if could do so
without neglecting other, and as | think,
more important matters. Yet, with all Mr..
Walshs censures (which / try to bear pa
tiently) good many hogs have been driven
up from the FIRST Ward and impounded and
sold.
Mr. Editor-I cannot close without offer
ing an apology for appearing before the pub
lie. Letter writing is not my "forten-be
sides, am nearly out of paper. The City fur
nishes no stationery,and pays me so small
salary that cannot afford to keep upa eontro-
versy with so learned and fluent a writer as Mr..
Walsh. | hope, therefore, the public will
excuse me for this, my first, and l trust my
last, appearance in this capacity. And I
now bring my epistle to a close by an hum
BILE prayer to be delivered from the Smoking
hot" supper my learned "Big Bug" friend
is preparing for me.
with great humility, ! am, both Yours
ana the PubFc's Humble Servant,
E. G. CnoppER, City Marshal.
ROCK Island, Dec. H. 1857