The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-01-12
WHYHEDODGED WAR
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IRAYE4LNe MAN,
GHIIaMA5 aO7

3ussangl5so 7B9Yna veeenyygfesds Hin That
l7M gRglsf n NOt sA Want s. te CO to so7NW5a" War
The traveliagmaf tvhe9 sells hard
ware remarked that he was afraid
thAtlheb M6ubdIolie ofheart diseaselif
mtMas ever idempelle $50 to the
tr9Btg His, friends wanted, to, know
what made him, think sol and, after
Aghtipg,a fresh cigar, he said, -
lIe Tt was FseHeral years ago that I
made, up my mind never to go to war
unless there was great need Of men
and my decision was not changed.
adfBpsines had, been good with me,
and, landing in a certain Pennsylvania
town, one, Fourth. determined to
take a day off and celebrate the day.
The result Was, that I, walked over
half the place attended picnic in
the afternoon danced until my feet
We're weary an d returned to.the. hotel
for dinner pretty we'll tired So far
SelSpo9' gut qlp NO not Know eHy wnere 70
" After dinhef a man of my acduafnt.
Ance proposed that we go out to see
the fireworks. and off we went deter
mined not to- ildse an hour of our holt
day, The fireworks display was to
be- on. top Of a high HILL almost a
mountain, on, the edge of the town,
and. as remember 1t now, that
bin. went almost Straight up and
down. we. followed the big crowd
though, and at last reached the top.
About every one in town was on the
summit Of that hill before 9 o'clock,
when the display was scheduled to
begin, and, we We're crowded and jost-
led on all sides. 9 40! iifo! fa
Io..IIn due season some one put big
rocket III place and touched 1t off. 1t
Started With a rush, rose high in the
afE and exploded While the sparks
We're falling an the women said, .Ah!'
long drawn out, and half the folk
There was a Woman with a big straw
hat right in front of me and was
sidestepping when there WAS a roar
in. the middle of the platform where
the fireworks were lying. Before any
one knew what was wrong a big sky
rocket darted over the heads of a
thousand or so spectators, so close
that they could feel the rush of air
following it?Af 2hilnhlqqu7 ylif1bH1g
IA moment later aeflourpot3 began to
Spout unexpectedly and seeing the
sparks falling all over the platform
most. Of the spectators decided q that
1t was time for them to- go3 Yours
truly was among the number /
started down the hill on run and
was soon making tensfoot Jumps.
Even then was only holding my own
With a big fat woman just in front
of me and there were some in the
crowd who should have been hantlil
capped to make anything like an
even race. tTEQ anlGs 9ht b3YBlU osin
sg'We made a quick trip that is my
friend and myself but the skyroekets
weree going much nfasteroh They kept
passing over our heads constantly and
once big wheel of some, kind sailed
by me going toward the bottom of the
hill like runaway. About "a hum
bred yards from the topnof the hill
there ran stone wall perhaps four
feet high and some of, the high-gear
sprinters went bang into it.. The men
and women who did not olose con.
seriousness groaned or screamed when
they struck 1t and hearing the uproar
in front of me I slowed1up little and
then making out the fence through
the darkness vaulted over it with a
sigh of relief. 0iGYgI 9dt 10 gtTuq mi
But my troubles were not ended.
1t happened that al husky iironworker
had chosen shelter behind the fence
just when / went over and myrf feet
came down fairly I'M heImiddle of his
back when landed. 9dHeo started to
swear like trooper and half rose to
give me short swing when a sky
rocket struck the top, of the wall inn
Ihediately in front of him 1afld stuck
theReswhile it sent Tedt and green balls
back up the hilhfn great ishapelllausu
-istpFhat settled the ironwofl1erylg He
duoked9 down. In Rhuhry eantiIb
he had time to think oftme iagain9d
had rolled ten gfeet awayq and was
stichng1oto the dfeewArd side of the
wall trYingI ito okeep yfny Il heart from
ohokingImeo hsndeeededs but It was
hard work, and sit asdreally weeks
before the effects my Pan9andl the
excitement had9passeds awayy1nre 9dt
"All the men and women who had
passed -me tire stampede were
keeping as close to the wall as they
; could, but there others coming and
the early arrivals had troubles Of
their own. Somehow l escaped, but
few of the others were so fortunate.
The ironworker was a notable ex-
ample. Less than ten seconds after
the heels of my patent feathers had
TscTaped along his back he suffered
!! another accident. This time he had
an encounter with a man of near his
own weight who came over the fence
dragging aIsmall boy with him. s
They both landed on my would-be
~ N a hn -
Il couldEbe heard above the noise of the
explosions and the cries of those IN
the crowd, Every one who could not
. see him concluded that rocket had
struck him and, the women and girls
screamed with renewed energy. No
; sooner had the man and his boy made
their escape than two half-grown girls
yplunged over the wall and once more
the ironworker yelled. One had land
ed on his head and the other on his
outstretched arm. The ironYorker
would have fought them, but ID one
ventured to say a word while he held
forth. He was a marked man, though
and the persons neaf Aifn FhaHA haste
to give him wide berth ffey
content that he should suffer alone
Or course, gthere wefes 6t6eU persons
tfampled- uPoHs but H@seemed to me
that he had more than his share Of
hard lpcknob snoos lliW Il
"The next morning l. learned that
, one young women 9sd been killed by
a skyrocket, While several other per-
sons had been hurt. A one-legged tin
horn gambler was declared to be re.
sponsible for the premature explosion
Of the fireworks. After lighting a
cigarette it was alleged he threw the
burning match into -hox of. rockets
on the platform. Nnews nothing