Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-06-20

would pay we'll to have one stalk of
them grow and live through the dry
summers. And whether you believe 1t
or not, I'd give more to get Whit of
old Iowa dog fennel than of Kansas
strawberries-oh, don't mean a con-
slant perfume, of course, but / could
be a boy again while q whirl Of the
stink lasted.
am in receipt Of a good. newsy
letter from my friend Will r. Daum,
in which he supplied the name OF the
"old Dutch DOCTOR" to-wit: ]. Huevel
When read that name could plain.
ly see the old doctor, in his carpet
slippers out there In front OF Ger
lach's, snorting and snuffing, and that
sign of his creaking In the wind. Will
also corrects me in giving the initials
as e. B. in speaking OF Erastus
Washburn. Sure, it had no place In
there, that letter B. Don't know how
came to insert it. Will calls to my
mind another old time cabinet maker
who lived directly across Washington
street east of Washburn's residence,
Mr. Uhlmer, whom we called Ellimer.
also have letter from James H.
Shepherd, son of John r. and Mary
j. Shepherd, who reminds me that the
name of the young policeman whom
John Scott Smith murdered was AL
Logan. Incidentally he mentions one
of the oldest old-timers, DR.. Hawkins,
who lived on Main, west of the John
r. Shepherd Rancho" There were two
brothers named Shepherd-one OF
street from where we lived, but just
which one 1t was l do not now recall,
but think 1t was Dave. In that neigh
borhood we're three grocery stores
the one on the southeast corner OF
Mclean and Second was owned by w.
H. Gorsuch, directly opposite was one
owned by Mr. Griffls, and across Nc
Lean, on that corner was one owned
by Mr.. Hopkins. His corner was the
portal to Joppa, or upper hog-thief."
l never knew just why that settlement
was SO unhappily named, but as 1t
was a settled distinction. everybody
so spoke of it. So, also, that part of the
then Ottumwa east and south of the
old lanyard was designated AZ
flower hOg-th1ef.
In reading over my last in the Cour-
Ter Of the goth of April about the bass
| fishing holes, scene came before me
that was an incident that might have
put me out of commission. One day In
the winter lot OF us were skating
right on that spot. Cy Armstrong and
Rash Gates were squatted on the Ice
exchanging skates. was upstream q
short distance, and to see the fun OF
making them scamper called to them
that was coming down to put them
in, and heedlessly rushed right at
them. They separated and scrambled
away, but broke through the very
thin ice and the momentum carried
me down under the ice about three
rods below to an airhole, up through
which l popped and frantically
clutched the edge, which was brittle
and kept crumbling q .ay, SO that az
fast as lurched out upon it. down
1t would sink, until the boys, having
tied together their skate strars and
venturing as close as they dared,
threw one of the skates to me, which
grabbed and chung to with despera.
ton, while they pulled me out and
skiddeI me onto solid Ice. Then Rash
muttered something about, "damim,
| let's chuck him in again. But in
stead they helped me along Gas my
clothes began to and did freeze stiff)
across the river and up into the Cour-
Ter office, then in the A. L. Graves
building, where there happened to be
good old hickory wood fire In the
box stove, by which thawed out, and
soon was as good az ever and down
on the ice again, after filing up with
cracklings in Hawley's packing house.
l was considered very good skater
in those days, 80 after l was married
l wanted to show of to my young
wife. We went down to the old wharf
where strapped on pair OF smooth
runner skates got up and-went down
kerplunk, my skates awaiting. my head
fishing, as 1t were. She wanted to
laugh know she did, but, of course,
was startled with the seismic thump
that occurred just then. and very con-
siderately deferred hilarity until had
copiously explained the reason OF the
phenomenon, accusing the smooth run
ners. as I was not accustomed to them.
have not had on skate, Ice or
roller, since that eventful episode. 1t
was pastime for us to skate up to
Chillicothe and to Eddyville. and back
| in a day, have done 1t frequently.
shinney! They call 1t golf down
here. We used to play shiny on the
/ ice for whole days. We didn't know
anything about the fancy names they
give the sticks that the caddy packs
ahout hui. with a tree limb, cut OF like
q shepherd's crook, we would bat the
ball and get mixed up in almost mex