The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-16
.D|NED UNDER THE VINES,
Iroquois Braves Feasted Upon
Bulls Heads and Roast
Lamb.
A TWELFTH ANNUAL DINNER.
They Ate, Drank and Made Merry,
but Were Not Allowed to
Make Speeches.

Ihey all went DOWN TO San LeanQrO-
the members of the Iroquois Club, their
wives and daughters and few of their
friends. and there they dined upon bulls
heads. beef tongues, lamb and chicken,
and cracked many bottle in honor of the
braves of the tribe. 1t was the twelfth an
nual bullshead breakfast given by the club,
and the memory of former successes inthe
same line had brought out crowd quite
big enough to fill the five long tables laid
out under the vines.
Some came by the electric. cars from
Oakland, but most of the guests came over
on the morning train and each one brought
an appetite beftting the occasion. Early
enough in the proceedings to allow the
guests to properly fill them out, tags were
distributed to the diners-they had space
for the name and residence of the wearer-
and printed upon them was a request to
the finder asking that he mind the bearer $
watch, take care of his pocket-bOok, send
him to the address given and explain that
it was only another attack of THAT old
stomach trouble" These cards were cher
ished with care that suggested that they
were more valuable than mere souvenirs.
The feast opened at o'clock. Big smok-
ing, hairy heads were raked from the
hot pit and carried in to the diners. There
was a lot of them eaten, but still the pit
seemed full when the attention of all was
turned to roast lamb and sleeps head.
Brains were in great demand and also
tongue, but both delicacies were forsaken
for the chicken which followed and the
hard-boiled eggs. Black coffee ended the
feast.
Throughout the dinner the committee
devoted itself to the welfare of the guests.
Fred Raabe was the loudest, if not the
most energetic of the lot, and he took d.
rect charge of the walters. He relaxed his
supervision over that department only at
intervals, and then for but time enough
to mount chair and demand that every
body continue eating until due honor had
been done the bill of fare. l.. Y. Merle,
Alex Laidlaw and T. P. Burns also wore
committee mems badges and devoted them
selves to the service of those at table.
The scene where the tables were laid
was. by itself sufficient to arouse all the
latent hunger in the breast of man. Over
head the laden vines locked arms so
tightly that only suggestion of the SUM-
light without and above filtered through
them. Down between the timbers of the
arbor the big punches of slowly ripening
grapes hung thick as buds on a rosebush
and the sight was almost as tempting as
what was laid upon the table for more
practical purpose.
All the o1d-time braves were there.
James Denman beamed down from one end
of the center table, between long row of
faces, to John A. Wall, who sat at the
other end. Jefferson G. James spent all
his intermissions IN telling one end of his
table how he ran for Mayor, and how it was
that he received wreath of willow instead
of garland of laurel. Louis Metzger, in
hand painted suit and light hat, for
sock all his friends for the npnn GINS
Pratt. whose linen buster dallied with
what little wind could be spared from the
rich brown bunch of spinach upon Mr..
Wellin's lower jaw, ran here and there as
if the weight of the banquet was upon his
shoulders. e. P. Troy sat quietly and ate
steadily until his physician became appre-
hensive. Zemansky, Mike Kerwin of the
wards, Eugene Cavanaugh, the mascot;
John P. Dunn, Henry Heyman, Ashworth
and James Gilleran, all were there, and all
did full justice to the viands. In fact, it
was said of Gilleran that he, of all the
Republicans, saw chance to have good
square meal at the expense of the Democ-
racy, and was found equal to the occasion.
The dinner ended because the guests
were more than satisfied. They had had
no speechmaking and they were glad of it,
although several had prepared extempo-
raneous remarks for the dinner, and were
waiting to be called on. They took to
dancing instead, and so prolonged the
festal occasion until shadows began to fall.
Then the braves uttered their farewell
whoop and went home.
The committee in charge of the affair
was composed of Louis Metzger CHAIR
man), Alex Laidlaw, T. P. Burns, w. J.
Bryant, L. V. Merle, L. ]. WEIGH, M. ].
Flynn, A. D. Pratt, Fred Raabe, D. Nc
Henry and d. J. Gordon