Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-09-29

THANKSGIVING WIFE TEE hAcHISR-TRIcKs OF
THE SMITHSONIAN RACKExs-sEcTIoNAL BATTLES.
am my young DAYS" said thrse-score-a nd-ten'
citizen few days ago to STAR reporter, "thers
were number OF rowdy gangs In the city, and
they spent great deal OF their time having fun.
what some OF them would do In the way OF mis-
chisf was almost beyond belief wilds should
say 90 The nrst gang I have knowledge OF was
known by the general public Us the seventh Street
Rowdes' but we called ourselves the seventh
street Road AgentA' know that you have an
idea that road agents is q modern term, but we
carried the name over nifty years ago This crowd
nourtshed from the latter part OF the POS till
about 1S40 Their rendezvous WAS then on the
site OF the Patent ONCE, and In that square was
the residence OF q family named Orr, and
on the southwest corner there was an ice-house
owned by the late DIR. Gunton. The road agents
found the high grass in the lot convenient
TO hide In and many or them would sleep In IL all
night when not engaged In mischief The neigh
bornood had not then been built up to any extent.
On the east side OF 7Lh street, was Goldsnith's
restaurant and some other places, the late Capt
Goddard having store near q street. There were
few houses on TIN street some distance apart
and there was tavern with a wagon yard al the
northwest corner OF 7th and Il streets. The street
was devoid or IOotpavements and In the roadway
the Montgomery farmers had made a wagon track
TO the Center Market. Did you ask how we
operated? Well, In party OF perhaps forty, whose
ages ranged from sixteen to twenty-one or two,
! would like To KNOW where IL could be found II
was common thing in fruit season 10
LEVY on A COUNTRY WAGON
for supply OF fruits and melons, and when these
were not 10 be had sweet potatoes were captured
TO MUNICH on. This crowd did not run with any
particular fire company, and on the occasion OF
are would be found scattered among the different
companies, unless, indeed, there was some pre-
concerted act OF mischief on hand for the night
East OF Judiciary Square was settlement mostly
agents often had stone battle I remember that
on 7th street old Mrs. Baptist lived and made
living oy preparing anu cooking souse. l can
smell the Odor OF fried pigs ears now Well the
old lady had In the second story oil the building
large room, where she was accustomed 10 give
parties, but her friends styled them balls. Ihfs
room was reached from the street by a flight OF
rudely-constructed steps On one occasion ball
was IN progress and none OF the agents were In
vited. They, however, determined TO get even
and the plan was matured. A. q signal several OF
the agents approached the steps, gently raised aud
carried them on, and then raised an alarm OF nre.
Then ali vas excitement. First the door was
crowded and then those behind pushing on, down
they came, pell-mell, the women screaming and
the men cursing the agents / wouldn't say that
the agents ever killed any one, nor did they ever
commit crime which would have sent any OF
them TO the penitentiary, but they were a tough
crowd. l was counting up the other day, and
md that at least seven or the forty now liv-
Ing In after years some Of them became leading
citizens The erection OF the Patent ONCE de-
pr1ved the agents or place OF rendezvous and,
IKE the family who had Lived on the site, they
moved on
WITH THE FIRE LApDIEs
In 1910 the Northern Liberty Fire Company was
organized, and the engine house was located on
9Th street, few yards south OF where the fountain
stands In Mount Vernon square. Previous 10 this
the brick yards OF the late Ulysses Ward and Crit
tenden were located there. The Northern Liberty
crowd which ran with the machine took the name
OF the Chunkers,' but why, save IL was up TO that
time q new name In these parts, Is past finding
Franklin Was M
known as The 'Razors; with the Perseverance, the
'Swampers;' with the Union, the Never Sweats,
them on Capitol Hill Most or the 9TH street gang
lroad agents. united with these gangs the major
lily with the Chunkers' and 'Swampers' The
name .haZOrS,' by which the second ward crowd
was known, was adopted for some reason
unknown, and subseQu ntly the crowd was
known as the .Butenders' and 'Peelers'
The Unions allies the Never Sweaus'
took that name on the clam that they could draw
the machine farther without perspiring than any
other crowd. Then the name OF Cum Balls was
adopted by the crowd growing up. Tue "Swamp-
erS ran with the Perseverance and took the name
from the fact that the 'Persy' WAS located at
the Marsh, now Center Market. There was
Also. crowd located in the neighborhood OF AZ
street and Pennsylvania avenue, which ran with
the 'Persy, known as the Rats AS the IRE CON-
panies were friendly unfriendly VITA each other
50 were the crowds that associa ed with them, and
lt was dangerous for one to 20 into part OF the
town ruled by a rival crowd. Besides the crowds
named there were, In the neighborhood OF 9th
street, above K, a crowd or smaller boys, fourteen
neighborhood OF G, from 10th to 18th streets the
Pointers and the usual occupation was stone
battles on the square bounded by @. II, 9th, and
10th streets
TIE SMITHSONIAN HACKERS
In the old seventh ward, back OF the Smithson-
ian grounds, was q gang known as the "Smith-
sonian Hackers" and the prime object OF this
crowd seemed 10 be the breaking up OF sparkling
In the Smithsonian grounds. This gang like the
''road agents" had some apt scholars In mischief
n
paths had been made In the grass, 70 peg down
short ropes to catch the feet or lovers as they
slowly walked, and trip them up. This style OF
sport, II such II may be called extend d to other
parts or the city, but was soon carried too far
In some instances wires were strung from the
Lree-box to the fence at about the height OF the
face, and a rope was stretched across the path at
such distance as 10 cause person, when trpped,
to fall against the wire. This was TOO serious a
matter TO become popular, and IL may be said it
was not tried but once in a neighborhoOd.
THE GREAT RIVAL GANGS
were the 'Razers OF the Second ward and Never
Sweats,' OF the First, each OF which had q Junior
crowd, the But Enders' In the Second and Gum
bois IN the First growing up to take their places
These crowds were always too large for the small
body OF police TO cope with, and they at Tins
had things pretty much their own way When
ground, Which was StterSara the White Ioa
SOUTH OF the Presidents house, they were apt 10
be looking around for some boy, sent. perhaps on
It was almost certain that he would return with
black eye, bloody hose or cut head The weekly
stone battles south OF the Presidents were brok
up Dy the school teachers (who were presumed not
only TO know the scholars then attending their
schools, but former pupils) attending the battles
as spectators giving the names OF participants TO
the police. After number had been arrested and
nned the regular bat les ceased The smith
sOnian Hackers besides pure, unadulteral ed mis-
CHIEF, had some musical talent in It's member
ship. The music pArtook sometimes OF the calla-
thumptan style, and when any one had incurred
the dispeasure OF any OF the crowd IL was pretty
certain that a serenade would follow. Every con.
ceiva0le instrument was used-broken organs,
pans, kettles, horns and whistles.
WEDDING sERENApk
An old fellow somewhere near seventy years Of
age had married q young girl Of nineteen and
taken her to his home near Buzzards Point The
"Rackers" were jealous and determined on revenge.
When the time came, one moonlight night In The
fall full quota or the gang wended their way to
One OF the parties carried under MS arm goose
and piece Of board. WHAT he intended 70 DO with
them was q matter OF conjecture. Finally reach
ing the house, the most unearthly DIN was raised
by organs, horns pans, &C. Then The man with
the goose and board disappeared for q moment,
but simultaneously with shot from the house he
was seen on the comb OF the roof showing the goose
in the chimney and placing the board over the top
causing the entire wedding party TO be smoked
out Of the house. On another occasion the Rockers
CaIlitnumpian Band compnmented an Old German
couple living TIN street. and The groom, taking
| the matter In god part, treated the crowd, and
30 made hosts OF f1end6
"thst We boys In the old times were tribe Wild
SEE FOUND HER HUsBAsD WAS MuLArTo-
Mr. MI ser 11Q2 Atlantic