Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-10-28
SOLDIER CRABS FIGHTS.
They Always stop ms Soon as a Claw
Is Lost.
New York SUM


New York SUM
Fiddlers are % cents quart. This may
be startling announcement for musi-
clans, but the fddlers we are dealing
with do not play in orchestras. IN other
words. solder-crabs are % cents quart.
Soldier-crabs are best known to the boat
men and the fishermen. They are among
the smallest species OF crab, and are used
/ as bait for sheepshead and blackiish. II
they have any other utility, nobody so
! fur has found it out. They swarm In the
I swampy places on the coasts OF Long
Island and Staten Island. In the sand 1t
| is easy enough TO catch them. Two
| boards placed in the shape OF a consti-
! tute the apparatus for the capture OF nd
| dlers. When the boards are set. the
! sportsman or marketman, as the case
| may be- simply drives the fddlers before
him, and all that run inside the two
! boards are grabbed by handfuls and tossed
into a pail or barrel. The unfortunate
creatures will live in captivity for week
| or two. In muddy places 1T is difficult 10
/ catch fiddlers, for the simple reason That
| on the approach Of danger they disappear
| in the holes which they make in the mud
! Fiddlers are queer-lookng little things,
| and their habits are interesting. Each one
knows his own home and guards it
| jealousy. In the little holes in the mud
| the married understand they are nearly
| all marrled-liVe happily with their wives
! and families: and when an intruder at
| tempts to climb down the chimney ana
establish hims5 II in the abode OF another
| fiddler the liveliest kind Of night is
| sure to follow. The invader does not 80
| down far; in fact. he appears 10 hOicr at
| the fiddler down below and challenge
| him out To fight, for as sure as he pre-
| sents himself at the top the fellow below
comes up. A fight is then
| !naugurated. 1T is sure 10 end with the
! loss OF a limb. When the fiddler loses his
| claw in the battle he simply gives up the
| struggle and sneaks away; and his enemy,
being chivalrous, never attempts to injure
a wounded foe Unlike other soldiers, the
! soldier-crabs, or hddlere. never have 10
wear artificial limbs. for when one Is
taken off in fight all he has to do is TO
retire to some secluded spot and wait for
another limb TO grow.
There are two kinds Of fddlers, the
chinabacks and the niggers. Some ans-
lers prefer the former. and Others In
sst that the niger fiddlers with the
yellow claws make the best bait.
one fine October morning several years
ago. two well-remembered fishermen,
Captains Van Pelt and Hodges, started
out III a catboat from Stapleton, ). l.,
bound for Coney Island. TO get half
barrel of hddlcrs. In a short time they
captured more fddlers than they could
| possibly use during the remaining trips
OF the season 10 the ROmer nshlng-
grounds They returned in good spirits
made their boat fast and snug, and
carried The barrel Of hddlers ashore.
Hodges intended TO keep them In his
garden, so that no thieving anglers might
steal them from the boat ON the way
home they stopped at lager-beer sa-
loon. where they refreshed Themselves
and met some friends. Late in the even
ming Hodges concluded that II was about
time for him 10 go home. Van Pelt Of
fered to accompany him TO help carry
the barrel of hddlers. but Hodges IN
sisted that he was able 10 manage the
fddlers alone. SO off he started. promis-
ing to meet his friend Van Pet at
o'clock sharp on the following morning
10 go down to the Romer and slaughter
sheepshead and blackiish.
Next morning. at the appointed hour.
Van Pelt was in the saloon equipped
with everything that Is necessary 10
catch fish except, Of course, the bait.
After waiting for nearly an hour Hodges
staggered into the saloon
"Well. you're a fine fellow said Van
y
carly. and where the devil are the fid-
dlers?'
"Fiddless-they-'re e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e."
what 30 you mean|'
'Feilcls put 'em into other fellers'
beds. and the girls IL sweeping EN- out o
tn halls Fiddlers ev'rywhere"
"What'n the world are you gettin' at?'
well, Ttell you. Jake. When | left
here last night it was dead beat to
49,. ON. /
O clear Mike oats pump. and me and
al the hddlers were capsized / got up
and tried to catch some of 'em, but they
was too fresh. and away they went. hell
,er skelter down the street, into stores
md all round everywhere l wasn't
lively enough for 'em. and the whole
barrel full got away. In the saloons and
stores some of the boys got 'em, and
the fellers who don't want TO iish
Nth 'em are havin fine fun with 'em.
Seated at the table in this same sa
Don. with his big stove-ppe hat, ip
which he kept his bandana handkerchief.
n front OF him. was the wel-remembered
md far-famei Justice Garrett Ills
Honor was fast asleep Before Jake
finished his lamentations over the loss
Of the fiddlers two young men entered
the saloon. Seeing that the Judge was
asleep. one OF them went over, lifted
I'D the banddna, ana. pulluS from Ms
pocket "a fistful OF nddlers. he pat them
into the judicial hat and covered them
carefully with the bandana. Then he
woke I'D the Judge. and invited him "a
TO take a drink. His honor was willing
He carelessly put on his hat and ad-
yanccd to the bar with dignity. After
ne had had his drink he felt strange
sensation on the top Of his head. He
removed his hat. took out his bandana
and rubbed his forehead. Some fddlers
fell out Of the bandana. and a swarm
Of them came out OF the hat.
"Jumpin' Christmas! What'n thunder's
them things?' he shouted.
Everybody In the saloon by prearrange
ment, kept his face perfectly straight
and wore a rather astonshed look.
whats the matter. Judge?' said Jake
9TH matter? What-whats them
things"
What things?'
Look at EN- on tn floor, crawln' all
round"
"Oh. Judge. I'm afraid your drinking
too much" said one OF he group.
With a wild expression in his eyes, the
Judge grabbed his hat and flew out
OF the saloon.
About a month after. when he under
stood the trick that was played upon him.
ne was often heard 10 say that II ever
he caught Hodges or Van Pelt before him
he'd give them six months.