davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-03

herring. which start to feed out on the
Atlarfic coast somewhere, gradually
drift up the Chesapeake and into the
Potomac. The "up-river men," who .oper-
ate the famous "seven-mile net" are
satisfied with from 90 to 10000 fish az
a haul in the early season. but now, when
the herring are crowding into the river. 10
is not phenomenal when the men haul In
100000 herring at a time. in addition to
the other fish which are taken. The up
river men" simply sweep the river beforo
them.
Besides the fishermen and the helper0
on the wharf. there Is a crowd of hangers
on. who loaf about all day. They SEEM
TO have no homes. and. IL possible, WIFE
sleep under the fish houses or ur.der a
pile of tarpaulin on the deck of one OF the
boats. When the fishermen have disposed
of their loads and a few miserable speciS
mems of perch or herring. which no on0
wants, are thrown out on the wharf,
| try to sell them for a few ceLfs or cook
| them. Two or three poor old fishermens
| bent over and bound with rheumatism.
spend their days sculling around the dock
| with hand line. trying to catch some Of
| the sluggish fish that live in that part OF
| the raver. A dozen Is good haul for
them. and brings them in a few cents
every day.
They are always busy at the fish wharf.
although the greatest amount OF work 10
done in the morning. Boats come in at
| herring houses are rushed these days. At
night everything is swept and washed
clean, and the tugs start out for tho
string OF morning boats. while the wharf
| hands get to bed early. tired out after q
strenuous day.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-03

hardy and healthy looking man, who can
tell by looking at a fish where it was
caught. There is but slight chance of
getting the better OF him in a bargain.
Housekeepers may blame him. perhaps,
for the extra nickel they pay the market
man or fish peddler.
Now, boys" he says. "how much am I
offered for these roe shade"
Fifty cents"
Fifty cents. do I hear fifty-one?"
Fifty and a half
"Fifty-One. / don't sell fish on a
half cent Fifty-one. Fifty-one. Fifty
one cents for these roe shad with the
privilege of taking the crop" etc.
Handling the Herring.
The fish are sold fast. AS soon as a
purchase is made baskets are loaded and
the wagons which crowd the wharf at
that hour are filed and the market men
drive away. The small fry hang around
until the big lots are sold. and then be-
gin to bargain for small punches or single
fish.
While the shad and other side issues of
the catch are being disposed Of the hands
are working hard on the herring. Ire
.nendous quantities are brought to this
city and sold to the people who deal in
| smoked fish. Between decks two or three
| men are counting herring and loading
| them into bushel baskets, sitting right
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-03
THE HOTEL CLERK HANDS OUT A BRANDNEW
OF DOPE ON CONGRESSIONAL HOTHEADS

gave 1t back to him so many times that
my right arm Is all tired out.
X X
$50 It goes. Larry It's only been a
few weeks back that Senator Davis met
I'D with a leading peace officer. a district
attorney l think it was on prominent
corner of his prosperous and bustling
home city Well, remarks were passed
back and forth Nothing really violent.
you understand: but just a general in
terchange of opinions regarding the issues
of the spirited campaign which they were
having in Arkansas at that time, and al
ways are. The district attorney merely
said that in his humble opinion the SEN
ator was more different kinds OF liar
than a seed catalogue; and the senator
stated that it was a we'll known fact
that the district attorney was SO crooked
he had to live on pretzels. So after that
the conversation began to verge on the
personal. and that same afternoon the
senator was having couple OF inches
of loose scalp stitched back.
But in a couple of days he was up
and about and out and around with a
card to the public saying the foes of lib
erty had again failed in their efforts to
destroy the champion of the masses. He's
he's the mass champion still. He's strong
for what you might call the mass play
And he said in the card that he was still
able to strike one more fierce blow for
the cause of the lowly. And he is
When it comes to fierce blows. he's one
of the fercest blowers you'll find any,
where.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-03

4 T that time in the morning when
~ the average man is just turning
"A over for his final lap in the race
for sleep. and the newsboy.
baker and milkman and others
Of that invisible 'before-breakfast world"
are finishing their work. the hands on
.Riley's wharf. at the foot of 18th street
soufhWegEs Are busy with the first boat
loads of fish., Herring are running heavy
IN the bay and river these days. and from
the time the first string Of boats ties up
until the hands swab down at night and
stow away baskets and knives. a little
colony OF men is busy handling from two
hundred thousand to half million fish
daily.
With the Sunrise Gun.
Fishermen with bronzed faces and
roustabouts with broad shoulders count
the fish. cut them or pass them into
wagons. while group of interested mar
ket men and peddlers bargain with the
bosses for the days crop"
The first tugboat with its string OF little
Scoops and schooners pulls up alongside
the wharf at just about the time when
the sunrise gun is fired at the arsenal
With the sun peeping over the trees and
falling lightly the masts and rigging
of the feet. an artist could catch a pic
ture worthy of the brush of many a
marine painter With fair wind and tide
the boats will sometimes dock before $50,
but the ordinary time for landing Is any
where between and $50 Fifty boats
90 down the river and out into the bay.
each one under command of a captain.
with three or four men for a crew. Some
of the boats go down as far as Monday
VI tynrn mr. hra Ho1,f OIL,
to Marshall Hall and bring in what the
men call ''up river fish,
There Is seining going on every min
ute of the day. The boats stay at the
fishing grounds until they have as much
Of load as they can carry and then
start back to Washington. The tugs
start out from Riiey's wharf as soon as
one string of boats has locked. and pick
up the sailing craft wherever they are
found. The tug captain who is to bring
back six fishing boats will pass five, tie
up TO the sixth one. turn around and
catch the rest of them on the return trip
On the "Up-River" Trip.
In cold weather. when the fish will
keep longer, the sailing vessels. most Of
which are equipped with auxiliary en-
Gines. come up under their own sail and
power. But just now. when the herring
are running heavy and the season Is
short every possible facility for a speedy
arrival at the market is taken ADVANTAGE
Of
AS the boats come up the river the
crews are working to separate the catch
The herring are thrown into the hold and
the shad are piled into a smaller com
partment The roe shad bucks. lacks
and skips are generally separated Of
course. roe shad is the prime delicacy
Of the catch these days. although her
ring is what the men are after. buck
Is not thought so much of. while a jack
or small shad is away down in the scale
a skip is supposed to be a hybrid fish
one captains definition being: "A kind o.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-03

The men working in the herring catch
are typical fishermen. Long days Of
work have covered theIs oilskins and
overalls with fish scales. until they ac-
tually look like a species Of sea animal.
Brown faces and hard hands show that
they have been exposed TO every sort of
sun and weather. The cheerful chant of
the counting makes the onloOker forget
that he is under the shadow OF the Capt.
toll and takes him far down east. where
the sailorman forms the bulk OF the vot-
ing population.
Most OF the herring are sold by contract
to firms who put them through the smoke
house and sell them all the year round to
thousand different merchants through
out the country. A few fresh herring
find their way into the retail market here,
but the great bulk of the catch Isl taken
up by the smokers.
Dexterous Fish Cleaners.
AS the baskets are passed out and
emptied on the wharf in great piles. col
ored boys sitting on boxes begin the
work of cutting and cleaning. With a
sharp knife they cut the heads off and
clean the fish with amazing dexterity One
stroke of the knife is sufficient for de-
capitating and cleaning a fish. and they
fish a minute. AS they sit in circle
around the pile. which is constantly in
creasing, they converse On every possible
subject and never once look at the fish
in their hands. Yet, strange to say. al
though the knives are very sharp, they
never spoil a fish or give themselves an
ugly cut. There is fascination in watch
ing these boys work. They get into a
swing and the fish fash from one pile to
another with incredible swiftness.
Several men take up the cleaned and
cut herring and dump them into huge
barrels of water. where they receive a
thorough washing. After that they are
pc cked into curing tubs. filled with
brine. where they stay several days until
thoroughly cured. and they are then taken
out. packed into ordinary sugar barrels
| and shipped away. To watch the boys
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-03
BY IRWIN 8. COBB.

rs been a quiet week in the realm
- of fistiana, hasn't it?" said the
hotel clerk of the st. Reckless. as
he laid down his paper I've
looked through the sporting page
and the Washington dispatches both, and
there's no mention of jeff having landed
somebody a neat wallop or being handed
one of the same by somebody"
Il thought Jeff was out of the fight game
for good" said the house detective. ''livin'
out there on his little combination farm
and-cafy in California, raisin alfalfa and
Scotch highballs.'
II gather that you mean the former
pugilist." said the hotel clerk. Il was
speaking Of present notable figure in the
sport world, not a mere past performer.
But you said jeff" insisted the house
detective.
so l did," answered the hotel clerk.
Meaning by that the honorable Jefferson
Davis of Arkansas. l called him Jen be-
cause that's the name he Familiarity goes
by among the great common people whom
he so ably represents in the United States
Senate"
who says he represents the great COM
mon people?" demanded the house de-
tective.
He does himself said the hotel clerk
And l guess he's right. They're the
great common people and they must be
dad blamed common or they wouldn't
| stand for JEFF representing them. Blu,
| he's there with the punch"
| Il didn't know he was a scrapper,'' said
| the house detective. WHO did he evel
| hck?"
He never licked anybody" said. the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-03

hotel clerk. but heIs been licked by near
ly everybody of Importance in his own
voting precinct. city. county, congreSsion-
al district, state and parallel OF latitude.
way William of Orange and One-eyed
Connolly dd-by series of mastery de-
feats.
The chief justice of the supreme court
OF the sovereign commonwealth of Ar
kansas drops into the Office Of the leading
physician of Little Rock to have his
bruises dressed.
What ails your says the doctor. as
he reaches for the arnica salve. You
look as If you'd been struck by some
round. dull. blunt Instrument
- The junior senator from this state
just butted me with his head, says the
chief justice.
All. says the doctor. that confirms
my diagnosis. And where is the esteemed
senator now?
You should see him. says the chief
justice, blowing on his knuckles. He's
got an eye that looks like an ear and
his nose would put you in mind of Ger
man pancake with currant jelly. We had
few words down the street touching on
one Of my late decisions. and 1 sent him
home in two hacks and an express wagon
Do you remember the walking cane that
the legislature of our grand old common
wealth once voted him-the one with the
gold head?
Yes says the doctor; what Of it?'
Nothing says the chief justice: only
borrowed it from him In the heat of
the argument. and now 1t has trimmings
of real human sandy hair on it,
Did you give 1t back to him?' inquiries
the doctor.
"'Yes. indeed says the chief justice; i
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-03
sPICK AND SPAN AFTER THE DAYS WORK

counting out these cured herring is a
great sight They put 900 in a barrel.
Standing up to long counter on which
the fish are piled high. two, or, perhaps,
hands through the pile and pick out four
fish at a time. They actually sing the
counting, and work themselves into% a
rhy:hmical and captivating swing. An
other man stands by and sprinkles coarse
salt on the fish as they are thrown into
the barrel. keeping strict time to the odd
and quaint music of the counters.
Count Fish by Music.
1t would be possible to watch these men
for hours at time. and almost impossi-
BILE not to catch the fever of their sing
song 1t is the primitive expression of
tempo and harmony. mixed with just
enough of the salt of Chesapeake bay to
give 1t a distinct character of its own.
Deprive these counters of their own chosen
method of work and they would give up
their jobs in hurry. AS a handful of
fis'l drop into the barrel they chant:
Now there's one gone-there's two
more-make it three. And fo-Hyah's
f1ve-Six. ma baby"-and SO on.
And all the while the man with the salt
shovel is humming subdued obligato.
which Is raised and lowered with weird
accuracy and harmony. and his knees and
shoulders swing with delight through it
all.
Around the wharf are the long ware
houses, where the smaller peddlers and
dealers congregate to buy fresh fish for
the business Of the day. 1t is a motley
crowd that bargains for the shad. rock
fish. cells. perch carp "croakers" and the
many varieties that are scooped up In the
nets They are the men who peddle
fresh feesh" and are willing to work for
a cent a pound profit. and do not carry
many pounds at that. The big men have
bought their days load and gone before
the boats have been in an hour. and the
clubs hospitals and hotels have been sup
piled in short order. with their daily or
weekly quantity. But these nondescript
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-03

street men stay and haggle over carp or
a bunch OF perch. and each one spends as
much time in buying a basketful as the
big dealers do in contracting for several
hundred pounds.
Carp His Speciality.
Some dealers and boat captains make
speciality of the cheap fish for those
who want them. Around one man. who
has no office and who needs no book
keeper. for his trading is on strictly
cash basis. there gathers a crowd Of
pecdlers and housekeepers who buy moth
Ing but carp or catfish. His customers
as they peer over shoulders and handle
his wares. give the passerby glimpse OF
the Ghetto. or as near to 1t as is possible
in Washington. While other fishermen
are selling fine and plumD-looking shad
and tempting fresh herring. his customers
mouths are watering at the sight of the
great big muddy carp.
In another shed a boat load of white
perch is being sold in punches and strings.
Another man is selling cells. Outside there
is man with a ton or more of catfish
sitting on the ground skinning them with
one jerk of pair of pincers. Everywhere
there is the smell of fish. but it as
pleasant saltwater smell. Everywhere
are the fishermen, dressed in blue shirts
or jerseys and big. oilskin trousers. They
are open-handed. Eood-hearted lot.
ready either to lend a ''bunkie' a chew
of black tobacco or TO give him a hand
in unloading his catch of shad and herring.
In all that crowd of rough and uncouth
men you will hardly ever hear an angry
word But when squalls do threaten the
outsider had better take to cover quickly.
for these men seek the shortest way out
of their difficulty. and a blow from one
of those horny fists would disable a prize
fighter.
100000 in a Haul.
Just at present the ''up-river men" are
having the best luck. Their theory is
tbot bo u,bo seines last SeineS hest The
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-03

cross between a shad and a herrin'.'
The market men and peddlers crowd the
decks of the boats and begin To bid for
the catch. The big dealers get the first
chance and begin to buy the fish i'm lots
Of from 50 to 200. The auctioneer Is
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-03

right at that. He's just suited to fit into
the picture of our National Legislature as
she's at present constituted. / never could
understand why they suppress fighting
here in New York and allow Congress TO
stay in session all winter In Washington
They're the devil-may-care rioters. all
right. those Congressman. i don't mean
the New England members. They're doc
lie in the extreme. You couldn't imagine
Henry Cabot Lodge denting a fellow sena-
tors brow with a large ironstone china
cuspidor as mark of seeming displeasure
during debate. He might get his ascot
mussed. The worst you can conceive of
Henry Cabot Lodge doing, if greatly
aroused would be to snatch the sweat
band out of somebody's hat and dash 1t
at his feet. It's those hot-blooded south
ern members you have to be watching all
the time They're the boys that love a
scrap like a coon comedian loves a gold
tooth. Only they don't scrap the way
their predecessors did in the days when
statesman wore his evening clothes all
day. 1 always thinks of Henry Clay as
party who stood up and talked pieces
suitable for the sixth reader, with one
hand under his swallow-tails and the 9TH
er clutching rolled-up graduation essay,
and then went out the next morning be-
the weeping willows softly sobbed. and
shot the broadcloth polnaises or of John
G. Calhoun with an implement that looked
something like a stomach pump.
but it's different these times. Senator
Tillmans hot blood comes to a boil or an
eczema, or whatever 1t is Senator Till
mans blood comes to when he's irritated.'
and he takes his colleague from South
Carolina firmly by the GOOGLE and chokes
him until his windpipe sticks out at the
back of his neck like open plumbing. Sen
ator Bailey of Texas takes exception TO
the way Senator Beveridge of Indiana's
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-03

i'm the fish and working as IL their lives
depended on getting the boat unloaded.
The baskets shoot out on deck, where a
husky negro sings out Mark one" and
losses the basket TO the wharf. The cap
tain keeps count in dingy looking book.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-03

but JEFF is all right, Lau -he's all
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-03
100000 in a Haul.

Just at present the ''up-river men" are
having the best luck. Their theory is
that he who seines last seines best The
The daily sentinel., 1908-03-31

Would he favor a law withdrawing
from the states their control over
railways and vesting exclusive con-
troll in the federal government? And
II he favors national incorporation
would he be in favor of giving the
railroads perpetual franchise and
a perpetual guarantee of income? If
not, will he explain why he will be
more unjust to the Filipinos than to
the people of his own country?
What chance of reform is there
at the hands of the Republican lead
ers who take the side of corporations
against the people ard act upon the
theory that inducements must be
held out to capital, no matter how
great the burdens imposed upon the
producers of wealth? There is no
doubt that the masses of the people,
Republican and Democratic are in
favor of reform. If we can only con-
vince the voters that the Democratic
party will be true to reform, victory
is assured, and the only way in
which we can convince the public
that We honestly desire to admin
lister the government in behalf of the
people, is to give them an honest
platform, employ honest arguments.
and conduct campaign by honest
methods and through an honest or
ganization."
The daily sentinel., 1908-03-31
FESTIVAL OF THE SPOOKS
Continued from page 6.)

sisters are alleged to have held their
first converse with the spirits. and SO
founded sect that has its devotees
and its churches and temples in ev-
cry city of the land.
That Spiritualism today is not as
strong in membership and influence
as it was two decades ago is general
ly admitted. The National organiza-
ton, while still in existence, lacks
the militant spirit that characterized
its earlier propaganda. Fake medi-
ums have done much to bring Spirit
ualism into disrepute. Twenty or
twenty-five years ago the cult reach
ed high tide in this country. Many
colonies were established in various
parts of the country, including the
famous Spiritualist town of Liberal,
Mo-, founded by Colonel G. II. Wal
ser, a prominent Missouri lawyer, as
Mecca for true believers in the cult.
Iu its character and essence, too
Spiritualism has changed greatly
since the days of the Fox sisters.
The original Spiritualists were re-
cruited mainly from the ranks of
the free-thinkers, men and women
who were "at outs with the church
and held the Bible in abhorrence
Latter day Spirftualism founds
churcheS, OrdalnS preachers, quotes
Scripture and seeks to cover itself
| with the mantle of orthodoxy.
The Spiritualists of today claim
to be religious. They worship God
in their meetings, preach waith from
their rostrums and those who are
true to the belief attempt to live
moral and helpful lives. But the
great interest at this particular time
centers about that simple family in
New York state that is given credit
for having borne this new message
to the world.
Hydesville was a hamlet, and ever
at that the Fox family did not 1--WE
in town" On farm two miles out
stood one of those story and a hall
houses, with windows made up oi
many small panes of glass. having q
lean-to kitchen and latch string
that always hung out.
The daily sentinel., 1908-03-31

having them identified by raps on
the table, had spelled out to her this
message:
Dear friends, you must proclaim
these truths to the world. This Is
the dawning of new era, and you
must not try to conceal 1t any longer.
When you do your duty God will
protect YOU"
Even after that it was sought to
evade the spirits and to remain at
home, but again came the great dis
turbances. and. finally, says the mar
rative, it was decided to try COM
munication with the spirit world in
the presence of others.
The first public appearance of the
sisters was at Rochester, where
many of the prominent people of the
city made many Investigations in an
effort to solve the mystery" To all
these the phenomena seemed re-
markable, and all declared it was
not fake"
The daily sentinel., 1908-03-31
Advertised Letters.

Following is list of letters re-
naming uncalled for at the Grand
Junction postoffice for the week OF
March 90: Mrs. Annie Champlin;
X. F. d. No. 8, Box 143; Aloice F.
Gross; Avery Groudy; Ella Mer-
baugh: b. Cove; John A. Buckley;
Jno. B. Anderson; Lynn Allan; Mrs.
Eli Dale; Mrs. ]. A. Shuts; Clifford
Davis; H. R. Giller; Gladyce Greg;
Mrs. r. A. Taylor; Robt. Galley;
Saara Perry; Maud Mullery; w. N.
Wright; M. E. Wells; Miss Water;
r. Schaefer; Alice Anderson; Mrs.
S. l.. Chilis; N. H. Crosby; Master
Lawrence Davis: Mrs. Anna Meal
lester; Mrs. Annie Jeffries; Will Sy
piers: John G. Knapp; H. A. Chest
nut; Chas. w. O'Brien; Chas. c. Ber-
ger.