The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-09-28
LISTEN TO HIS TALE OF WOE.

Hub Smiths Exciting Experience with the
Connecticut Blue Laws.
Hub Smith, the well-known writer of comic,
pathetic and sentimental songs, chief of which
are the 'Tae of Woe" and ''Swinging in the
Grapevine SWING" has been in New York for
the past four weeks. While there he accepted
the invitation of Mr.. Otis Wood, son
of the late Fernando Wood, to
through Long Island Sound and to points along
the coast of Connecticut. :Everething passed
off pleasantly, and Sunday evening the
party dropped anchor in the pretty harbor of
Lyme, Conn, the resort of all vac htman on
their way from Newport to New York There
was merry party on board, and the chief of the
group was Commodore Kittery, a typical sea dog
and ajovial companion. The party went ashore
in the gig and repaired to the principal hosiery
seated in the parlor Commodore Kittery asked
Hub to sing ''Listen to My Tale of Woen and
the amable composer of the trials of Johnny
Jones and Sister Sue opened up the piano and
dreaming of danger. While thus engaged,
having reached the third verse, huge minion
of the Blue Laws of Connecticut entered the
rom sand aGd ..PPa" placing m his NV hands .s g on
THAT'S sood 4eped are Hub my Who
his friends were playing a practical joke.
on him. "Young man, 1 have no time to fool.
Come with me-" answered the officer, gently
lifting his now alarmed prisoner from his seat.
Here Mr. Wood and Commodore Kittery en-
tered protest against the outrage, but expostu-
lations were of no avail, and Mr.. Smith was
ruthlessly hustled out of the house and carted
off to the solitary lookup of the place. The
Sunday Rest law is in force in this town, and
in singing ''The Tale of Woe'' Mr.. Smith had
violated it. 1t was for this he was arrested 1t
would haye been all right If he had
sung ~ Want to be an Angel" 'Where
is my Wandering Boy Tonight" or
Crock of Ages" but to sing such a
song as the "Tale of Woe,'' with piano ac-
compartment was to much for Connecticut.
The procession to the lookup was a disting-
ulshed one, Hub. Smith, the prisoner and the
big burly policemen were flanked on either side
by Mr.. Otis Wood and Commodore Kittery, and
behind was large number of yachting friends
all denouncing the arrest as infamous. The
distinguished appearance of the crowd had
attracted every roustabout and hoodlum and
hence the procession was long and heterogeneous
On arriving at the Jail Mr. Smith was told that
his case was not bailabe, and that he would
have to remain IN durance vile until Monday
morning. This was a crusher, but all the same
it had to be enforced, and the crestfallen pris-
oner was consigned to a dungeon cell. Mr..
Wood and Commodore Kittery went out to find
the magistrate and after hunting him from
place to place. finally treed him, and
by almost physical force induced him to come
to the jail and hear the case. 1t was midnight
when they arrived The court was opened, the
case stated, fine imposed, and Hub Smith was
released, the judge reading him a lecture on the
gravity OF his crime, and complmenting the
officer on his vigilance. On returning to the
hotel the delayed dinner was eaten in silence,
though there was muttering Of vengeance dire
and dreadful. The next morning bright and
early the party bid adieu to Lyme, firing a sa-
Lutte as they passed out.