Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-24
OLD-TIME BOY CROWDS
EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD USED TO BE
THE CAMP OF ONE.
flow They Rattled With Each Other
and Wed for Supremacy-A WASH
ingtonian'H Memories.

1.-THE recent agitation over the right Of
Boys to enjoy the river and nearby streams
for swimming purposes. reminds me- said
Washington born man. of my Juvenile
DAYS and some OF the experiences l shared
with other youngsters in seeking natatorial
pleasure. Along in the early seventies. be-
fore glorious Aeck Shepherd took hold of
the town and did his magnificent transfor-
nation act, pretty nearly every boy In
Washington who wasn't a goody -goody kid
belonged TO some particular crowd. Every
peghborhood Comprised within, say, eight Or
ten squares had a distinctive crowd. II a
boy from one 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 assisted
in starting by stones and sticks.
When Crowds Would Combine.
There were constant fights between DIFF
ferent crowds for immediate mastery in ad-
joining small sections, which sometimes
took the form of stone battles, beam
shooter skirmishes, but more frequently the
weapons would be chubby fists and finger
nails. To go anywhere with anything like
protection 1t was necessary for crowds TO
travel together. and when an excursion out
into the country or down to the river was
planned ii was customary for several neigh
boring crowds 10 declare truce for the
time being and go together. Such COM
bines almost invariably had to Withstand
the attacks of other crowds banded alike
for the time being.
The Island Boys.
1.-The canal then ran where street
northwest now is as far east as 9th. and
thence cut diagonally across Armory square.
The section south of the canal was popu-
larry known as the island and there was
a crowd on the island that fairly reveled in
victimizng boys from the north side of the
canal. The islanders guarded the bridges
across the latter. and many q battle was
waged and around them. They also
claimed absolute riparian rights from the
southeast boundary Of the Monument lot,
about where the swimming beach now IL,
and where the canal Joined the river to the
arsenal grounds so far as juvenile swim
The favorite swimming point for young
sters was along above the Long bridge as
far as 18th street
Chawing Their Clothes.
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, pro-
coed 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 30
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
/ was twelve years old l don't believe there
was country road or stream in this vi
entity that I wasn't acquainted with A
n IA n 6Rh
Rock creek to swim were weekly affairs
and nearly all the other lads enjoyed the
Same rambles. Now. the youngsters are
neither as eregarious or as adventurous as
they used to be. but I reckon they have
just good q time as we used to think
we had"