The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-09-22
THE CITY POUNDMASTHR
He is Nh. William Bays, and
Lives in the Greenyi1le
District.
ONLY ONE IN THE BUSINESS.
His Pound and the Prices He
Charges = Proud of His
Wife and Sons,
ONLY ONE IN THE BUSINESS.

1850 O&-
a queer old domicile with a queer old
occupant. The gentleman is Will
lam Bays. the onIy poundkeeper
in Jersey City at the present
time. Few people know of his exist
ence, but those that do contrive to render
him assistance In various ways from time
to time. He is not a beggat. nor does he
ask for aid, but he takes all the small
jobs that come IN his way and does them
quickly and WE'LL So he is never at a
loss for something to do. Furthermore,
he has. beside the care of the pound, q
market garden to attend to, and so the
old gentlemRn's time is pretty well occu-
pied.
The house faces on Garfield avenue and
Is old and ramshackls. What Is the
sellarin the front of the house attains
The dignity OF a first floor at the rear, for
Garfield avenue at This point Is ten feet
higher than Claremont avenue. Ii the
appearance of the front is ramshackls,
the back represents desolation and decay.
This part boasts no scaly White paint as
does the trout. Here the wood has It's
natural color, a dirty grey, covered with
dust by many a wiud and washed again
by numberless storms.
THE oUND.
Behind this is the pound. an enclosure
about fifty feet square. surrounded by ii
time worn weather beaten fence. Near
this is a gable rooted stable in fair repair.
A row of empty oil barrels topped each
with q milk can frlngeS the southerly
end of the yard. Opposite this row is the
entrance TO the yard opening on Clare
mout avenue
Old William Bays has been ~poundmas-
ter for the last i've years. wnen he re-
ceived the appointment from Alderman
Frye. VINO then represented that district.
Cole, the blacksmith, became the old
mans bondsman. Ever since. though
his term should have ended Within a
twelve month OF his appointment, he has
pursued the eve tenor of a ~Deundmas-
ter's existence. He Is a good old man,
proud OF his excellent reputation, Of the
good name of his Sons. and happy be-
cause the Lord has spared him his wife
SO long q time.
The number of the old mans sons is
five. One is n farmer and works two
farms within a stones throw of the
house. Another is an oil peddler aud
sells as many as fifteen barrels of oil a
week. The other thres- work i'll the oil
yards. a mile further down the avenue.
on the New York Bay shore. Ole of
these is a retiner of oils. Another is a
tester ana gets as high, the old man
claims, as FIVE dollars q day. Two of
these are married ana live Ia one storied
shanties of their own. situated
re,pectively some 200 and 300 yards
further Town the canal bank towards
Greenviile.
HARD OF ARIN
These facts / learned from u long talk
I had with the old IA recently. The
interview was very labored n pro-
longed because of the old mans difficulty
in hearing. This failing was very pro-
nounced and ! shouted myself quite
hoatse making him understand. The old
maj starting off in the direction of
= Greenville wheu l came upon him. l
called To him, whistied to BIN, shouted
at hfm-all III vain. Finally l darted up
to him and tapped him on the shoulder.
He turned quickly aud looked at me in
Quiringly.
rs this Mr.. William Baysa" 1 asked.
"Hey?" he replied. laconically and in
quiriugly.
This is Mr.. William Bays. Isn't ita" I
again asked.
ppm a little deaf. What're you say
ine?"
fare you old Billy Bays?" 1 roared, so
loudly that a cow in tue, meadow TO the
right of us stopped grazing long enough
to regard me with wall eyed amazement.
Two sparrows roosting in the row of
spruce trees near by few away in haste.
"Un, yes. yes, Pm Billy Bays"
Are you The pound masJer?"
Eyes, am" detiantly. as
By this time my voice must have re.
turned to near Its n~aturalstope. for when
Iasked, How do you make out in that
positioa?" he asked, as If | had not
spoken:-
What for do you want to know about
the poundmaster?"
pm a little curious, that's ALL" I re-
piled.
"Hey?"
"Curiosityi" / replied.
ST wasn't when I was young" he IN
swered.
blow old are you Mr.. Bays?"
"Sixty-nine year / are" he answered In
a tone of pride.
offered him a cigar which, he declined
saviug:-
Pm goin' on seventy year of age an
yet / never smoked nor drank for fifty
year nor more, My father never drank
naether, tho he smoked wee bit moo 81
thep."
Are you a church member. Mr..
"Hey?"
"Do you attend any church ?" delivered
vociferouslY with a rising fnf1ection.)
OIL Pun ailus near the stone church
when Pm Oh the farm. I've only TO LUX
up TO see hit. They've got u new paistor
now. e Is only u curate ez their ~raictor
was to 'em away. l goes to church unct
in a while when I feels that way. My
old oman IAN myself goes sometime of a
Sunday. We be Presbyterians but any
church is good enough for me. Idon't
wan no Salvation Army tho. l likes a
quiet church with q good long sermon
putin down the devil m Us ways. Who
are you. anyhow, mistefP"
COULD ELL LOTS OF R
Pm a reporter; newspaper man. you
know
.'Sell 'ems" he asked
mo, write for them. " / yelled.
'Oh, that's it. Wall. l could tell ye
ez many stories ez 'ud fill your paper II
I'd a mind to-" That good old boast OF
all early settlers.
Them there ~trees,' pointing to the
row of spruce referred Co above, and
which some fifty III number standing IN
a single file along the side of Garfield
avenue, and which, seen from the hill
behind, or from the trains of the Central
Railroad before. have attracted more
attention than all other trees In Jersey
CITY, no doubt. He went on:-
'.There war a tsle9raft llneman along
here one day an he war a telling me au'
the fellers with i'm low e planted them
trees fifty year ago."
The old man WAS getting excited and
dropping his his 10 reckless profnsion.
""How old ar you2' Iasked i'm. Afore
'e thought. he sayes. Fifty A. Then l
'ad i'm am / sey 'You war a young plant
or warn't ye."
The old man laughed In great glee at
this recollection.
.i've been here myself fifty year am
they war here when come fust."
.sHow ahour YOUR pound. Mr.. Bavspu