Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1900-09-26
HIS BOYHO0D HISTORY
HOW ABE JONES WENT TO SEA
Some Interesting Incidents of the
Early Life of Our Cores
pOndent.
ED. PUBLIC OPINION:

ED. PUBLIC OPINION:
have frequently been asked to give
some of the incidents of my early life,
but never should have thought any
more about it had not the editor of
this paper kipped off unbeknown to
me for New York. And / mistrusted
he had gone down to hunt up my
early record, so take time by the fore
top and have the first say.
About one hundred miles from New
York is where L first saw the light of
day, and with genuine yankee pro-
clivity for asking questions, the first
thing l said was, "How long before
breakfast will be ready?n Although /
spoke in a language of my own inven-
tion the nurse who had never seen the
inside of a college and did not know
the difference between diploma and
a theatre ticket, instantly understood
every word 1 said and governed her
self accordingly
1t will readily be seen that my
native place is the land of wooden nut
megs and Eastwood hams. Some
quack doctors claim that kind of diet
is unhealthy and use another great
long word, Latin suppose, which
they call indigestable, but after long
experience l can certify that the hams
and nutmegs when properly mixed
with corn cider and Atlantic CLAIMS,
agree with the internal arrangements
of mankind to perfection. But for the
benefit of the uninitiated, 1 will say
that the nutmeg should be grated. l
have recently understood that 1 was
mistaken in the object of the editors
visit to New York and that he went to
look after republican fences judging
from his solemn and woe-begone look
He found the posts rotted off and the
old fence just ready to topple over.
Ah, my boy, you have my sympathy.
for the G. o. p. is gone, simply gone
'where the woodbine twineth" and
saltpetre no matter how thickly it may
be mixed with gold can't save it. /
have been politically licked so many
times that know just how you feel.
But for an early episode, every old
down fastener knows that near the
sea coast nearly every youth of the
male persuasion sometime in his
youth has an uncomfortable banker
| fn pyn fn hn
me when about seventeen years old in
full force; so like some business men
who couldn't or wouldn't pay one
hundred cents on the dollar, / quietly
walked out between two days, went to
New York and shipped on board the
Liverpool packet, "New World" then
an ocean greyhound run by wind,
Captain Knight in command. We
have all heard of strangers in strange
land being taken in. had quite
struggle to get taken in, but got there
all the same. Captain Knight was
perfect gentleman and had an eye just
as well suited for OK K)night as day and
could look through youngster in less
than one-fourth of a second, and he
put nae through a catechism more
severe than 1 ever got at Sunday school.
His first question was, "Young man,
how old are your" "About seventeen"
"Where are you from?" "New London
county, Conn" "Young man, have
you run away?" ''Right you are sir,
you have hit the nail on the head the
first pop. Not only that, but I am
going to sea and if you don't take me,
somebody else will" "Young man
have you ever been to sea-" "Yes, sir.n
''Have you ever crossed the ocean?"
mo SIR" "What port have you
sailed from?" "None ut all SIR"
'Then what do you mean by telling
me you have been to sea?" Because
+ have. went to see my best girl the
night before / left for New York"
''Why did you not ship aboard
whaler at New London near your
homer" Because those voyages run
from three to four years and like
careful doctor thought 1 would take
mild dose at first and see how it
operated New London at that time
was one of the greatest shipping points
for whalers in this country. That was
when the people ''went on their way
rejoicing" under the light of whale oil
and tallow candles when kerosene was
under cover and still slumbering In the
bowels of the earth. When gas was
only heard from the lips of political
speakers or from drawing the cork from
a bottle of small beer. When the
power of electricity was only realized
when it darted into tree, a building
or an animal, and before Cyrus w.
Field run his broom wire across the
ocean and sent his respects to Queen
Victoria, or Edison had invented his
internal machine that allows no one to