The Washington herald., 1908-02-22
WASHINGTON. JOURNALISM,
PAST AND PRESENT

From the Fiftieth Anniversary suppien MT OF ths
Evening star.
In the latter part Of December. 1s47. ]. a
siclSly youngster. left my home In Maine
for Washington. in quest OF a milder eli
mate. Partly for exercise and partly for
economy's sake / walked a good part OF
the wa< from Philadelphia to Washing
ton. On the last day OF that month !
had walked from Baltimore as far as
Beltsville when ] was overtaken about
sundown by a jolly old fellow who was
driving into Washington with a load of
produce for tie Washington market. I
very promptly accepted his invitation to
ride in with him 10 the city, but after
ward concluded that had better walked.
For It soon appeared that he only wanted
to get TO Washington in season to place
his wagon in a good position for the
market next morning. He stopped at
every grogshop on the road. and there
were a good many of them az that time
on the old. mueh-traveled Baltimore and
Washington turnpike He not only took
many drinks himself. but insisted that I
should drink with him. In those days Il
when invited, and the whisky sold az
those places was vile stuff. but as he
grew more stupid and less vigllant ]
managed 10 empty my glass into the spit
tOOn as often as il was repIenished. The
weather had meantime turned very cold.
/ had no overcoat. and altogether my
night ride into Washington was q pretty
dismal affair II was nearly midnight
when we reached the city, and just as
we came TO the Center Market. then
called Marsh Market. the bells were ring
ing the old year out and the new year in.
The market house then was a set OF
tumble-down sheds. moss covered. door
less. and the lodging place for tramps
and vagrants OF all sorts. Back OF it was
the filthy old canal. the city cesspool the
receptacle for all the offaI of the city.
lodged for the night at one OF the
small taverns on Seventh street, opposite
the market. called then "Cattafl Row" In
the morning l paid levy for my lodg-
Ing and Zip" for a cup of coffee and
some doughnuts AT the market house. In
those days the old Spanish silver cur
rency was in use, and the small coins
were the levy" worth 12i5 cents, and
the TIP 6il cents. When the coins were
worn beyond recognition they were
scratched with a cross and then passed
only for 10 cents or 5 cents. respectively.
After my light breakfast 1 started out to
see Washington. heading first for the
Capitol. as most visitors do.
On my way 10 the Capitol. attracted by
sign. stopped and engaged board al the
boarding house of Michael McDermott.
southwest corner of Third street and
Pennsylvania avenue. where Mades'
Hotel now is. Mr. McDermott had large
coach factory and warehouse on his
premises. running through to Missouri
avenue. I paid $3.50 per week for board
at MeDermotts, and got good, substan-
tial fare. with no frIlls. McDermott
boarded his workmen, hearty set Of fell
lows, and what, with their boisterous de-
mands upon Sally. the colored cook. for
immediate service, and their running fire
OF criticism upon her cooking. the meal
hour at McDermotts was always a very
noisy and jolly affair. Sally could al
ways answer in kind 10 their banterine
and give them plenty OF sauce in return.
On engaging board at the moderate
sum OF $3.50 per week. my next thought
was as to the means to pay II. The total
OF my funds that morning was 81 .s2lb. ]
had been engaged by DR.. Alonzo Garce-
lon, afterward the famous Democratic
governor Of Maine. to write letters for
his paper, the Lewiston (Me) Journal.
and also by Mathews & Norris, the pub
fishers of the Yankee Blade a popular
humorous paper of that day. Subsequent
ly wrote some letters for the New York
Spirit of the Times and for the PhiladeI-
phia Saturday Evening Post. These were
all popular publications then. but the
Yankee Blade and the Spirit of the Times
are dead, but the Saturday Evening Post.
the Oldest paper in Philadelphia, has been
started on a new career of prosperity in
the hands of enterprising men. and has
now a circulation many times what it
had in its most prosperous days in the
olden times
These were all weekly papers. and as
my pay averaged only about a dollar a
column, the income was not large. But
as was said in explanation of George
Washington's remarkable feat of throw