The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1900-11-12
OLD-TIME BOY o
low They BnttIed with Each Other
and We'd for Supremacy A
WRahingtonian's Memories.

"The recent agitation over the
right OF boys to enjoy the river and
nearby streams for swimming pur-
poses. reminds me-" said a Washington
born man, according to the Star, "of
my juvenile days and some of the
experiences l shared with other
youngsters in seeking ~natatorial pleas
ure. Along in the early seventies, be-
fore glorious Aleck Shepherd took
hold of the town and did his mag
nificent transformation act, pretty
nearly every boy in Washington who
wasn't a goody-goody kid belonged to
some particular crowd. Every neigh
borhood comprised within, say, eight
or ten squares, had a distinctive
crowd. If a boy from n crowd had
the temerity to go alone into the
territory of another he was very sure
to hear a decided invitation to 'trot,'
and if he didn't comply, to be assist
ed in starting by stones and sticks.
"There were constant fights be-
tween different crowds for immediate
mastery in adjoining small sections,
which sometimes took the form OF
stone battles, or bean-shooter skir-
mishes, but more frequently the
weapons would be chubby fists and
finger nails. To go anywhere with
anything like protection 1t was nee
essary for crowds to travel together,
and when an excursion out into the
country or down to the river was
planned it was customary for several
neighboring crowds to declare a truce
for the time being and go together.
Such combines almost invariably had
to withstand the attacks of other
crowds, banded alike for the time
being.
"EThe canal then ran where B street
northwest now is as far east as Sixth,
and thence cut diagonally across Ar
mory square. The section south Of
the canal was popularity known as
the island and there was a crowd on
the island that fairly reyeled in vic
timizing boys from the north side
of the canal. The islanders guarded
the bridges across the latter, and
many a battle was waged on and
around them. They also claimed abso-
lutte riparian rights from the south
east boundary Of the Monument lot,
about where the swimming beach
now is, and where the canal joined
the river to the arsenal grounds, SO
far as juvenile swimming and fishing
rights were concerned. The favorite
swimming point for youngsters was
along above the Long bridge as far as
Seventeenth street.
Sometimes the island boys, after
the city boys, managed by force OF
numbers to get into the water, would
swoop down and seize the clothes of
the swimmers, and after carrying
them up the bank, where naked boys
wouldn't dare to follow, proceed to tie
sleeves and trouser legs into hard
knots, which were wetted to make
them more difficult to undo, and then
throw the garments down the bank
and enjoy the efforts of the owners
to loosen them up SO they could get
into them. Juvenile teeth were often
necessary to unite those knots. and
from this the practice got the term.
'chawing clothes
"Boys were mighty different in my
DAYS. though, than they are now.
They were more nomadic and had
lustier sports. When l was 20 years
old l don't believe there was a oun
try road or stream in this vicinity
that I wasn't acquainted with. A
walk to Four-1file run to fish " way
out Rock creek to swim were weekly
affairs and nearly all the other lads
enjoyed the same rambles. Now, the
youngsters are neither as gregarious
or as adventurous as they used TO be.
but / reckon they have just as good
a time as we used to think we had"
Fer sale-0ur frame building, 20xl0.