New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-10-12
FIN IN FISHkTIL.


They have been having fun in Fishkin. Fol
lowed by trouble. Which is not unusual. There
has has always been more or less fun In FISH
kill great deal Of 1t between Saturday after
noon and Monday morning. There has been
considerable increase in the quantity, without
much change In the quality, OF 1t since the 'rol-
lev srcptcar line began operations when Drought
Fishkll Landing in close touch with Fishklll
village For at Fishkill Landing are thirteen
brickyards which furnish employment TO several
hundred persons. 1t has been the habit OF many
Of these to go TO the village on Saturday after
moons after drawing their weekly pay. and have
fun until Monday morning. This they could
readily do. for they enforced no blue laws In
Fshkill: personal liberty was not infringe1, ana
the citizens were in the practical enjoyment OF
that priceless boon known rs the Continental
Sunday The brickmakers used 10 have great
fun In Fishkill The savings banks being all
closed by the time they reached the village they
deposited their weekly earnings with the saloon
keepers. The Fishkill saloonkeeperS have fine
sense of humor They en- joyed seeing The brick
makers have fun almost as much as the brick
makers themselves enjoyed having it. 1t APP
pears to have been the practice of the brick
makers after hlvng deposited their weeks
wages in the saloons. TO walk home on the rail-
road track. thus saving carfare II was IN I'M
healthy practice In the course of ten years
ninety Of them were killed. Serious minded per
sons. with no appreciation ~ humor. said the
carnage was ont Of proportion To the popnt'-
ton and began to investigate. They made up
their minds that the brickmakcrs were careless,
and that they became careless through their
,Ir, ,l,,ll a
ton Of about $1,000 souls they found that there
were in the nelghb0rhO0d Of 10 places, licensed
and unlicensed. 10 drive dull care away.
This being in the proportion Of one care-ds-
peller for twenty voters or Whereabouts. il oc-
Cured TO them that there might possibly he more
than were absolutely necessary-that the Dusi-
ness Of caredispelng might be overdone II
was remarked however. by persons concerned
in promoting the business interests Of the place
that most Of the brickmakcrs. If whom there
were estimated to be about 300 were not resi-
dents As town official put it: They come
here half naked in the spring. and drift away
dressed in an underShir ana overalls In The
fall They spend all they earn right here.
THE town would be dead without them This
was the business view of The question and. ms
hardly needs TO he pointed ont. was unanSwcr-
able There WAS some talk about enforcing the
Sunday closing law. but as the brickmakcrs had
only that one day for dispclling care it was OPP
posed by some as an infringement Of personal
liberty. by others as a revival ~ blue laws ana
manifestation OF Puriancal blgotry. while The
suggestion that Sunday should be observed as
II had been from time immemorial rs day OF
weekly rest was answered with one accord hy
the care-dispcllers that, so long as they could
make It pleasant for the brckmakcrS or any
body else for that matter-they did not care 20
rest; would rather work than not. So the brick
makers continued to 20 10 Fishkill haf-nakcd
in the spring have fun Sundays. spend all they
earned right there and drift away in undershrt
and overalls in the fall-eXcept, Of course, those
who got killed on the railroad after driving dull
care away. These latter were not much missed
anyway; and they had served an extremely use
ful purpose in keeping Fishkill alive. The town
would have been dead without them.
So there was fun in Fishkill every Sunday
Followed by troubles Of course. Sometimes by
fighting and riot. with blows contusionS and
remorse. and sometimes by death on the railroad
track. Not serlois troubles to be sure; only
and count against the fun But a while ago,
1.-THE New-York Sun" TO which we are indebted
for these particulars OF life in Fishkill. -four
'Of the choicest young men OF the town. three
"of them church members" went up 10 n care
dispelling inn In the neighborhood on n Sunday
and returned 10 the village nj a late hour so
hilariously drunk that they went about the
streets firing pistols and creating a general dis
tlIrbance The trouble that followed that little
outbreak was serious. For some Of the leading
citizens got together and organized a Law and
Order League, the avowed purpose OF which was
10 compel the care-dispellers 10 obey the Sunday
closing law. Naturally this has aroused resent
ment on the part not only Of those who believe
In n liberal Sunday" and personal liberty.
but also Of publlcspirited citizens who are con
cerned for the business interests OF the town
and do not want It 10 be dead on Sunday
Among those engaged in this crusade against
business are several clergymen and many church
members. This intensifes the feeling or resent
ment When George NJ Stearnss client. care
dispeller who had been interfcrcd with In his
calling. said pointing TO church across The
way. 'Thems the darn things. Squire Sicarns,
that are raising h with the business Of This
country" he put into foroelul expression The