Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-06-29
pAeos AND eRlNeos.
Where the Words Came From and How
They Became Popular.

They Became Popular.
| Ihero can be no doubt that th3 word
Dago is derived from 'Ne Portuguese
word Diego (James,) t-e patron saint
of Portugal About 35 years ago an OK
haustive research wac made by tt New
York Leader to ascertain the derivation
of this word, with this result: The first
recorded instance of its use was Gus
toms entry, about the year 1920, of a
ship belonging to Davis & Brooks which
traded between New York and Mediter-
ranean ports. The skipper, after writ
| ing in the entry his name and that of
his mates and American sailors, wound
up with "and three Dagos. He was
asked for an explanation by the custom
house people, showing that the word
and its meaning were new to them. He
replied that he meant three Portuguese,
all of the same name, Diego, which he
had spelled incorrectly, and that he had
shipped them at Funchal.
In those days Italian sailors were sell
dom found out of the Mediterranean,
and Spanish sailors only on Spanish
ships, but the Portuguese sailors would
take berth on any craft without regard
| to the flag it sailed under, SO that il was
three natives of either the Azores.
Canary or Cape Verde islands among tho
crew. They made splendid sailors and
worked cheap, an important considera-
ton in the eyes of Yankee shippers, par
ticularly whalers, who invariably
sought these islands on their way to the
Pacific to complete their crews and catch
the southwest trade winds.
The name Diego was SO plentiful
among these Portuguese sailors that it
got to be the custom to call them all
Diego" or Dago, much as all China
men are called John. As they were a
good natured lot they took it kindly,
until along in the forties the manner of
its application became offensive to
them. Since then it has been applied to
| Spaniards, Italians and all dark skinned
people other than negroes.
An equally interesting story can be
told of the word gringo, so much used
by cur Mexican neighbors. The accept
ed version of this words origin is to the
effect that some American sailors
ashore on the harbor of Mazatlan, get
ting water, sang the old ditty, Green
Grow the Rushes, o." and the natives
took kindly to the melody, ever after
ward calling the Americans gringos
Tho year 1S45 is given as the date of
this happening.
Now, as long ago as 1926 the firm of
Rowland & Aspinwall did an immense
business with the west coast of Mexico.
Their agents in Mazatlan were the
Messrs. Barre 6 Kennedy. There is in
New York city, in the family of Robert
Lonnox Kennedy, a letter from Mr..
Lewis Barre of this firm, dated Mazat-
Ian, 1926, which speaks of an entertain
ment at his house, and that on tho rec
ommendation of one of the captains of
Rowland G. AspinwaIl's ships then in
the harbor, sailor furnished the mu-
sic. The captain vouched for him as
being very talented fiddler, and it
turned out that the fellow played but
one tune, "Green Grow the Rnshes 0. :"
This was his entire repertory. They
danced everything to this tune, singing
| the song at the same time, and the en-
tortainment furnished lots of fun
In subsequent letter he writes that
from this entertainment his Mexican
| friends had evolved a nickname for
Americans that was coming greatly in
to use, gringo, which was as near as
1 Atx-w i II
green grow. 1t is easy to see how
this word could become a word of op-
probrium among people who did not
know its origin. Certain it is that Mr..
Barre. an old and respected merchant
in Mexico, had never heard of it pre-
vious to this time, 1926.