The sun., 1908-04-26
NORTH RIVER NEAR PIRACY
War DANCE AND HOT SCRAP on
AN EARLY FERRYBOAT."
Deekband Fails 10 Break the Blooming
CRtamarAn In Two aud lie DOdEes
tho Cops In = Borrowed Hat-DRvld

Ue tops In Borrowed Hat-DRVl
and Goliath Minus the Moral Valuet
Onbe or twice a week, especially on Satul
day, some seml-tough ball in New Yor
draws q crowd Of young people-som
being young-from Jersey City. Newar
and other New Jersey suburbs. The
the North River ferryboats are noisy
the hours verging on daylight.
There ls amazingly little sign OF hquo
and as a rule no real tOughness. Their
is good deal Of criminal attempt at sing
ing, however, and the jokes arc strictl,
personal. But It Is all pretty good nature,
and the loud outlaws and shrill tee-hee
that the pleasantries elicit keep the rat
In hiding behind the life preservers.
Even when the proceedings take a scrapp,
turn they are apt to fall short OF plrac,
on the high seas One night about a weel
ago the Blooming Catamarans 80 mayb,
that wasn't the exact name-had a re
oeption and dance, and the New jersey
msTymabers vera unusually numerouI
and lively. Long before the $50 A. NJ
boat pulled out half dozen Of them tool
possession Of the upper cabin.
They we're undersized, hard faced young
man from iS on into the early 2Os, all but
well dressed and mostly wearing theiI
hats over one eye and ono ear. They
came on board with a mob Of forty or hfty
lads and girls not quite 30 tough but sing
ing A popular waltz song in forty or fifty
different keys.
The tough group had the floor from the
very beginning. They had pasteboard
outfits Of eagle feathers, which they stuck
around their hats, and they completed their
disguise as PaWnee braves by turning their
overooat collars up above their ears.
The war dance was on at onoe. Crouch
ing in the well known attitude Of picking
up a trail, they followed each other In a
circle. bowling an Indian song which closely
resembled a litter Of puppies yelping
through a megaphone.
Twenty or thirty other youths with their
girl anneKes sat around the cabin and helped
the noise by stamping theif feet In time
and yelling with laughter They weren't
to be blamed; L was funny enough. and
even the red faced deckhand who Ia six feet
tall and three feet across the shoulders,
enjoyed the fun with hearty chuckies.
But the head devil had an idea His eye
fell on the fire axe hung in rack on the
cabin wall In an instant he made for it
and gripping it just below the head
tomahawk fashion-he jumped into the
ring with fresh vigor and amid renewed
howl Of delight from the audience.
Then the big deckhand got busy. He
made jump for the axe wielder. and grab
bing the handle jerked 1t out Of his hand,
giving him a push that sent him into the
lap Of one Of the girls.
'Now, youss sit down an keep quiet,
he snapped, 'or I'll have youse trun oh'n
the boat Youse Is too blamed gay, an
won't have none a. it,
The staggered youth picked himself up
He was quite pale, but he had an ugly glin
in his eye. He was as cool as an ice cream
freezer as he stepped up TO the deckhand
His cooped up rage made him hoarse and
his fingers twitched.
Say, Bill, said he. don't yer know no
bettern Z insult lady by trowin gen'l-
mn in her lap dat amt her esoortl'
Now youse take yerself in a quiet corner
an hold yersek down In your seat; don't
wat no trouble chuckin' youse on'n the
boat" clustered the deckhand, keeping a
throttle hold on the axe handle.
Come on an try it, BillF croaked the
Blooming Catamaran through his clinched
teeth. -It'll be lots o. fun for ye None o
these gents II lay hand on ye. Honest TO
Moses they won't, You Just put that axe
down an have fun with me-
"Ah, pshawl' sneered the deckhand, look
ing up and down his adversary. who camo
perhaps TO his shoulder and weighed say
half as much-'Ah. pshaWi Don't tempt
me. Sure could break youse In two with
one hand
He looked as II he could. but the hard |
faced youth moiStened his thin lips and |
went on:
YES, do. Bill. just put down that axe O.
yours an break me in two. Or say, troW |
me OF de boat Here's half a dollar for |
ye il you'll do it.; and he produced the coin,
holding it out in his open hand.
That's right, Bill howled the crowd.
'Trow him on de boat Break him in tWol
We won't interfere, We won't lay a hand
on ye.'
The jawing match went on for three or
Tour minutes with sundry variations on
The original themes and il seemed to be
oetering out when the starting bell changed
IN the ferry house outside. This was the
,all Of duty TO the big deckhand so with
! final pshav Of unutterable contempt he
packed 10 the wall rack, put the axe in its I
place and started for the stairway to the
over deck,
But the instant the axe was out Of his
land the hard faced youth popped In
ront Of him, pushing back his cItis and
-Now, Bill, break me In tVol
Jay, trow me Oh de boat'-
SAh, pshaw,' began the deckhand Ia a
high, blaating voice, don't be foolish; why,
could kill youSe wit one hand IL ever
anded crack at youse. Now youss
)etter-'
But that was ell. There was smack and
thud that shook the whole boat. The
leckhand had sat down on the deck with
emarkable emphasis and the hard faced
-outh stood a couple Of feet from him,
With that wicked look in his eye and Deckon-
ng 20 him with his finger as he Kissed:
Come here, Bill; get up and come here
'ome an break me in two
The deckhAnd scrambled 10 his feet and
8 the crowd gave jeering yell he made a
rush at the little tough.
Smack Bihl No one could tell how Il
appened, but down went the big fellow !