The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-01-14
SOME SHORT STORIES
Brief Tales and Incidents Picked
Up About the City.
Rehearsing the COrbett-Mitchell Fight
How Client Was Lost When
Badly Needed.

ton whose theme of thought and OF con-
versation at present is the coming Corbett-
Mithcell fight This portion IS not in
fiuential In numbers. but 1t gets great
prominence through its characteristics and
the lives that the individuals lead. This
portion consists of the street Arabs. No
tice them in little groups and you will
rarely miss a squaring off or a hstic ex-
PLANTATION OF how "Corbett swipes VIII his
left" AL nations are represented in the
street Arab. and it is one OF the peculiar
points about them that at least one rep
resentative of each nation in each gang
bears nickname that is suggestive Of
that nation: as for instance Irish" being
the nickname of an Irish lad, or the name
''Sheeny' being the appellate OF a Jewish
boy. Generally these groups or gangs OF
Arabs congregate in the paved alleys In the
reSr OF the newspaper buildings. Prominent
IN the gang that has made the alley in the
rear OF the Journal office their headquarters
are "Hippy" and Indian" Their other
names are almost unknown because they
are never called 10y other than those
names. "Hippy and Indian were at
one time bitter rivals for the leadership OF
the gang. "Hippy" is an Irish lad Of UNI
known age for the wealth OF clothes and
dirt make 1t hard to ascertain. Indian"
IS a colored boy OF the same shortness and
toughness that characterizes "Hlppy." He
was bedaubed Indian" on account OF his
copper color. The squaring off and istic
explanatio are never missed in this
gang, and one day not long since the
merits OF pugilist Jackson came UP in the
discussions. and Indian" offered the in
formation that he thought that jackson
could wipe de stuffin out OF Co'bett."
% pane as n fTg b mould rs sSs af day.
WHO'S 20 calm nigger?' questioned
ssW-baf's ~ 70 x,ar9''
Look hyar. white boy. I'll jump down
20 throat wifi bof feet"
breaf.''
win yo' hghtY'
In course. but not here cause they be
The gang was about equally divided in
color, and each, OF course, stood ready to
make a break. One OF the push OF the
gang suggested that the difficulty be set
power house OF the Indianapolis Light and
Power Company, at the intersection OF the
Nandalia railroad and Kentucky avenue
The suggestion was received with a hur-
rah, and away tore the whole gang toward
, tne oattie ground. Twenty in all, they
Washington street and down Kentucky
avenue, carrying everything before them.
the rush. The numbers were rapidly in
creased by wideawake bootblacks and
newsboys, who noticed that there was
something unusual in the air. so that
wnen the goal was reached the numbers
"Hippy and Indian" stepped out after
seconds had been chosen, and each eyed
the other closely, while their hackers
formed a circle around them, leaving
fatr-sized ring.
hit I'm, Indian" and Smash i'm in
I e Ts epd fshG Tr1 IN many
together with the employees of the mower
house. attracted by the unusual din, rushed
out and urged the boys on by cries of ''C;o
for him" They excused themselves for so
DSoing because they knew that no harm
he rcT,
pg did no good, and finally the rumpus
aTted by one Of "Hippy's" friends
6a1noiuRg and shouting: Best
8 - both 'Hippy" and "In-
urged on the constitu-
<:,t-->szz' g TO allow single point
pc credit OF the other a
- |'<s {nash and crash.
~ tir<~- were soon To be seen
esing of-Syairs while 'Indian's'' nose
+ ~ Bang Right and left" Where
yoaF Sorbetts and your sullivans?'
$se was made din by the shrIeks OF
Spectators number of side fights
herits OF the fighters. In the language of
ne small boy, lit was out er sight"
a nsrSs ae TOD, COP, shouted an observant
fall fly away that four seconds later ore
fould not have told that something un-
lsiance at the faces OF the railroad men
Fno We're colIvulsed with laughter.
day or two after the struggle the gang
pas 10 be seen in the Journal alley quietly
faiklng over the previous fight and pugilis-
sd matters hs Tern In general as though nothing
Hippy' and Indian could not be ascer-
talned. though both We're present and were
Pthe-. e''0ii
"A Hon "Lafe" Pence, POpulist member of
congress from Colorado. was in the city a
Jew days last week visiting old friends
While here he told a good story on him
self and Hon. j. n. Harding, which Mr..
Harding has kept still about for several
years. Ihey were chums in college at
hanover, and after graduation determined
20 settle down in some border town grow
no with the country. and. in time. become
great After careful study Of the map.
they finally hit upon Winfield, Kan, as
just about the proper place to locate and
become great To Winfield they repaired
There was but one decent block in the town.
and the only room they could rent In that
was at the back end of the long corridor.
with half dozen lawyers offices between
It and the stairway. They rented it as
the best that could be had, and SAT- there
during FIVE long months waiting for client
and not a man darkened their door No
body could get past that long double row
: OF lawyers signs that hung and creaked
ominOusly between them and the stairway
ana effectually barred them from fame and
fortune. One day was exactly like an
other TO them, but one particular day Hard
ing pulled out a well-thumbed pack of cards
and n game OF ..freeZeCut' soon in
progress. AS they were playing TREY heard
a heavy step on the stairway. but they had
heard that sort OF thing before and paid
no attention TO IL. But as the footsteps
continued, passing first one office and then
OF hope, long since dead arose
within them The cards were
showed hastily iato their pockets and each
seized law book and began reading as
siduously.
The move was made none too soon, for
In another mJment the door opened and
STRENGTHENING Kansas farmer. faded over
coat. red whiskers and all. stepped in
Lawyers. gents2' he asked.
YES sir, what can do for your
both asked in one breath.
The granger had been wOrsted in a 'hoss
trade" and was thinking about suing.
Pence asked him to state his case and kept
dropping in q word here and there TO en-
coIsrss,e him IN MS good intentions
Its the p,ainest case ever heard Of"
he burst out at last Why, it's the
easiest case 10 win we've had since we
came here"
Thus encouraged the farmer continued
with frequent words Of encouragement
from Pence. Finally IL occurred 10 Hard