The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1911-02-23
Old Time FEUDS
OF CAPITAL CLANS

porarily Sojourning in Roanoke. writes
the much tattered editor Of the odd
time Boys Column" in these words:
While on a visit to this place (Roa-
noke) 1 have enjoyed reading in The
Journal your articles on the oldtime
gangs of boys, which stirred up recOl-
lections Of a period still further back,
when the Church Hill cats and the
Rockets cats fought many bloody
battles over historic old Bloody Run
Gulley,' now little more than a mem
DRY.
'As little girl. well do I remem-
Der the gathering Of the clans. then
the " MIR and whizz 0f rocks tl,rOnCh
the air. then excitement OF mothers
in the vicinity and finally of the ar
rival on the scene or some father
hastily summoned from work by a
distracted mother who feared her
darling boy might get his head broken.
My own father sometimes appear
ed on the scene, and. with strong
grin on TIE collar CT ms two hopeful
sons, and a determined look i'm his
eye. he made his way to the wood
shed. where he held an affecting in
terview with his offspring to the edi-
tication Of the surrounding neighbOrs.
But even such an unpleasant Sc
quel did not deter thoss two boys from
engaging in the very next battle. even
If it took place the day following
These bloody events took place in
the late sixties, and IL you are su6i-
GENTLY interested and wish to know
more on the subject, you can get some
interesting data from r. A. Hughes,
steward o. The City Home, who to my
Ger tain knowledge, was a frequent
| participant"
l. It is difficult to say just when these
puerile feuds and vendettas had their
beginning in Richmond, though it is
! a certainty that they date back at
least sixty years and possibly longer.
! Captain Carlton Mccarthy SAYS that
he has heard his older brothers speak
OF the ButchertOwn cats" long before
! the Civil War and even i'm that re-
mote day, the rock battles had become
| so fierce that pistols wee some timcs
| substituted for sings.
And yet, strange TO say. the Oldtime
| writer's never saw fit to say anything
no local Mark TwaiDs to record the
deeds of our Tom Sawyers and luck
leberry Firms.
This chronicler has sought in vain
in the pages OF Samuel Modecais
| Richmond in Bygone DAYS. for some
| reference to the cats and gangs
of other years. Much is said about
the places frequented by the boys, but
| nothing about the urchins themselves
Mordecai does. however. recall some
pleasant memories in connection with
the Capitol Square. After describing
| the ravines, "Jimson" weeds horse
racks. goats and kids in the Square
! he adds: "A few Of the original for
/ est trees, oaks and pines, which has
| escaped the barbarous refinement OF
| clearing away native growths TO be
| supplanted by eXotics. constituted the
| only relief to the dismal aspect Of the
/ grounds, except a few chinQuepin
bushes. which served TO prick the fin
| crs of boys in due season. and a CO.
! '.ous and luXuriant growth OF this
/ " 4 FVR
resembled a snowstorm."
| The first edition of Mordecai's BY
I gone Days" was printed in 1856. but
IL must have been long before this
that Richmond's urchins harvested
| chinQuepins in the Square. Probably
not a single one of those boys is liv-
ing today.
Pension Clerk E. l. c. Scott. Of the
4 First Auditors office, a good "recol-
lector" who, though COY about his
| age, has reached that point when he
loves TO talk reminiscently. says that
| this column should certainly mention
the old-time game Of playing horse. "
| which used to be a great source of
delight TO knickerbockered youngsters
who had just cut loose from the ma
| ternal apron strings.
/ Playing horse" required but little
paraphernalia, though it demanded
| the exercise of much leg-power. One
| urchin acted as the steed and the
other as the driver
II is hard to say which end OF the
| job was the easier. OF course, "a lit
| tie brief authority" was reposed in
| the individual holding the ribbons,
| though there was certainly distinct
| element OF pleasure in being the steed
"a function which required much
prancing and side-stepping.
Stout Irvine or rope tied around the
| arms or shoulders of the horse" con-
| stituted all the harness required.
| recall, however. that as the game
grew more popular, our mothers
grandmOtherS and others lent assist
| I'd harness. Some of this harness was
bedight with bells which made the
puerile equines feel immensely i'm
portant. OF course, where such cap
arisonings were available, every small
boy voted to be horse instead OF
driver.
Pension Clerk Scott says that in the
| days of his innocent childhood II
didn't always take two to play
horse" Outlines q broOmstick served
as a mount, while the solitary rider
astride this steed furnished the leg
power. Mr.. Scott distinctly recalls the
phantom days of the past when ne
and Colonel Barton Grundy were two
of the fastest PAGERS on the local TRACK
and covered miles every day on theil
broomstick thoroughbreds.
Another game in which urchin:
were required to undergo a metamor
phorsis and become four-foOted crea.
lures was fox and hounds" To be-
the fox required peculiar qualification
in the way of speed. but almost any
sort of measly younker could be 6
hound.
Those engaged in this sport ranged
far and wide, but the fox rarely be
came so panic-stricken as to carry the
hounds into territory inhabited bS
hostile cats" In such cases the
hunters and the hunted alike became
the quarry. with cats" as the pur-
| suerS.
At school great mirth was caused
by the surreptitious distribution o.
sheep burrs (nigger lice). which were
placed In the hair of our schOoimate:
while teacher wasn't looking. Thes'
burrs, which came out" of the hail
only after the most violent persua
sions, fully merited the homely name
by which they were popularity desig
| mated.
If / mistake not. they were thu
products of some brier. Occasionally
instead Of landing in the unkemp