The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-05-14
TAMMANY'S PLANKED SHAD.
PERPETUAL Ton OF THE CHIEFS
MEMORr DUE TO THE FISH.
The GOOD Fellows" OF Philadelphia
Wanted an Excuse for n Registering
Time and Formed n Tammany Society
Fashion Spread Thence to New York.

The GOOD Feliowa" of Philadelphia
Wanted an Excuse for n Registering
Time and Formed n Society
Fashion Spread Thence to New York.
PHILADELPHIA. May 6.-There is a ong-dis-
lance connection between PHILADELPHIA planked
shad and Tammany Hall. II 10 no fish
fable. 1t was because shad In the Delaware
River ran 30 large and tasted 30 sweet in the
month OF May that King Tammany was intro
duced into history. To-day he is known as a
wise old Indian. He was borrowed to furnish
both inspiration and appetite to the early shad
roasts in the city Of William Penn. a.
The drst week Of May was shad week. There
Is a tradition that Tammany himself was the
inventor OF planked shad. for he was the CEN
trail figure at all the planked shad fensts on
the banks Of the Delaware River. Later the
feast OF Saint Tammany was announced in
the almanac. He had been canonized by the
good fellows about town" His feast day no
longer appears in the almanac. 1t was some-
what OF a movable feast and 1t was "a celebrated
almost any time from May / to May II. Phila-
delphia favoriuE the former date and New
York the latter.
They did not have Dewey days and Grant
deys one hundred years ago. Honors were
divided then between Christopher Columbus
and Chief Tammany. the memory OF both fur
nishing the inspiration for Tammany Hall
ana tne IOlum pan DOrletT. IL was more lOr
an excuse TO have a holiday that Chief Tam
many found ~eulogists after his death. Phila-
delphians lionized Tammany and drank his
memory to death; New York tiGerized him
and the beast has had many. many lives.
himself was a mysterious charac-
ter and a good biographer is needed for him.
He is supposed to have been one Of the chiefs
that signed William Penn's celebrated Elm trea-
ty. at the time Mrs. Penn gave the braves an
apple dumping lunch. but records do not con-
firm this. His great act was to prevent the
Delaware Indians from going into a fight
with the French and Hurons against the early
settlers. He is credited with this speech:
I'VE AMI the Christians Of this river have
always had q free roadway to one another.
and. though sometimes a tree has fallen across
the road. yet we have still removed 1t again
and kept the path clear. and we design to
continue the old friendship that has been be-
tween u.s."
The great deeds OF Tammany were the IA
vorite themes 70; campfire yarns OF the off,
GERS Of the Revolutionary War and many a
bumper was drunk to his memory. The GUS
tom became so general in Philadelphia and
neighborhood that at every inn and tavern
was the toast Here's one to Tam
The good fellows about town" were the
Sons OF King Tammany." and on May l. 1872.
the soDs gathered together at James Byrnes's
house and formed the Tammany Society.
Tammany coasters spranG up in New York.
and there we're a number OF taphouse organi-
%zations. When the tri-centennial OF Columbus's
discovery was celebrated in 1902 the Column
bian Order was organized and the PHILADELPHIA
Tammany came into the organization. In
fact. branches were established in all Of the
thirteen States.
The acts Of the Philadelphia organization
are gathered only from the columns OF the
early newspapers. PHILADELPHIA. after the
Revolutionary war. was full of red-ho politics
and rabid factional %quarrels. In 1893 the
Tammany men met on May - and ate planked
ing strong sympathy with tie French and au
enthusiastic preference for democratic prin-
ciples." In 1901 they ,paraded on March ! to
celebrate the success of dc mCcratic PRINCIPLES.
All the men.bers represented braves and sach-
ems. The rhiladelphia society was principally
active in moulding public opinion and not so
active in. controlling elections. The character
OF the MAY celebrations can oe learned from
The May meeting Of 1906 was the greatest
OF their many events. A newspaper account
The Tammanv Society had its meeting in
May, proceeded in, great state to the wigwam
be n2si lne general enei9n fla s Of the G fearaeh csosufneIi
of ,Sachems. the flag OF each tribe. and the pc
cullar insignia Of the society. the great KEY
s h tomahawk. The affair was rem.
dered, more imposing by the appearance OF a
z bullb. VI hiuSlN.,Noiiil cSCi u ltIlollHtTS
upon six clarionets. four flutes. two horns, two
bassoons; one base drum. a p~saItery and one
Among the ,toasts offered was the following:
The clodroles OF PENNSYLVANIA! They
s sSsce sHIin in r%e Mds uae'r T hen1 e'S %tk be IS
friend. George ILL.,. and the Sons of st,
William Duane gave a long talk in May. 1909.
All the State tags were decorated. except
that tt,a Of Fl r mosrg}Dsl Seco Tsis ,S Maf stan, msf se1,. and
from dishonor. In 1911 the celebration was
and there We're seventeen toasts: George ".
Bartrum offered a strong personal toast aimed
# Li .as iSIiio SSsH f bV the T BEAD r's %s4eh SAND snd
%sTam%eny showed its patrlq9ti.m in the year
ish would come up the Delaware and capture
the city. 30 a general appeal was made for
Many ORGANIZATIONS volunteered in the WORK.
Tammany turned cut in a body and for sey.
biiIiisters on their hands. The. Goserpment
many issued a manifesto to all who worked on
the Qualifications. which read:
In. it is hoped that every man will retire
During the year 1914 Tammany had sew
eral lively celebrations. one Of them being a
iree Which Is said to have been Tammanv's
Quaker TammaEy. A. few years later n few
Of the survivors established the .Tammany
fish house in. New Jersey at n place called
Fish House, where TO this day great shore din
ners are given. 1t lie now devoted to spring
aud summer outings.
Nobody has ever told with any certainty Of
authority where Tammanv was born. II Is
said that he once lived upon the site of the
present. city Of Easton. that he lived in the
State OF Delaware. that his tent was pitched at
a romantic place in Damascus township. Con-
n%ecticMt. called by the early settlers Tammany
fiat. There is a tradition that he was buried
on, the site Of the present Nassau Hall at
Princeton. The burden Of documentary proof
points to a place In New Britain township.
Bucks county. near Prospect Hill. on the bank
The tradition on the farm as well as the rec
ords show, that this WIS an Indian burial
to death or killed himself at that place.
The story Is thar he. in company with a
number of Young warriors. was on his way to
Philadelphia TO n conference. Tammany was
old and a burden to his escorts. The young
men decided to leave him on Prospect Hill
and push on to the conference, They left
him in charge Of q young Indian girl. who de-
CArfoI him nf -iuhf n rnanf har 1ONnr Mr.