Evening star., 1911-08-22
Would Not Leave Cane.

The other day Noble P. Swift, the
eldest OF the three brothers who
founded the Swift Packing Company.
died In one of those comfortable white
houses with green blinds that have
tried to describe. He lived at Saga
more. tiny village on the north coast,
engaged in active business until he
was stricken last June with illness
that carried him off, He was eighty
years old four days before his death.
he was born In Sycamore in 1881, and
In business succeeded his father, Capt.
William Swift. and his uncle. Lew
Swift. the pioneer hog and cattle deal
ers and butchers on Cape Cod. When
ne was eight years old he went to
Boston with his uncle and bought a
kept the ewes and sold the rest for
mutton. With the profits he bought
a drove OF pigs. Before he was fif-
teen years old he had sheep and swine
In his own right to the value OF sew
eral thousand dollars. His brothers.
Nathaniel and Gustavus, began their
business careers in the same way,
buying COW, q sheep or a sow and
reinvesting the money in the same
kina OF i've stock that they made by
selling the offsprings.
Noble p. Swift started one butcher ehon
aIter another and then another. until he
ana his brothers monopolized the meat
business on the peninsula and extended
men s operations to New Bedford. Provi-
country got too small for them. Gustayus
ana Nathaniel went out to Chicago and
Kansas City. while Noble looked after
,neir enterprises at home. They made
could induce him to leave the old home,
stead in which he was born. He had
large interest with his brothers out west.
put continued to control the packing In
dustry In this section Of New England
was q shrewd. sagacious, but a generous
man. and. although he drove his own
meat wagon for moro than forty wears
calling at the farmhouses on his daily
route 70 weigh out beefsteak and legs
OF lamb Tor the farmers wives, he con-
Quoted the business Of more than thirty
retail establishments In the nei1hboring p
| towns and villages, which brought him
fortune OF several million dollars.
Estate a Handsome One.
The finest estate on tho north coast
Is at East Brewster. and is owned by Ro-
land W. Nickerson. the son of Samuel c.
Nickerson. for many years president of
the First National Bank OF Chicago. The
| residence and the barns and other build
ings on the place are very much admired
by the Capers for their elaborate archi-
lecture and the lavish use Of red and
white paint. There are water towers and
wind mills of picturesque design, fences
and stone walls decorated with honey-
suckle and climbing roses: and wide,
| long beds Of old-fash shioned flowers and
grand old trees standing in groups. It
| is an ideal home. as many who have
enjoyed its hospitality can testify.
There are several communities Of west
| ern people along the south shore OF the
cape at Dennis, Yarmouth, Horwich. Os-
terville, Hyannis, Cotuwit, Falmouth and
other places, and occasionally q hotel;
but most OF the summer boarders find
! homes in the farmhouses and are in the
| habit OF coming to the same place every
year.
There IS always good fishing. both in
| salt water and In most any Of the 174
lakes that are scattered over the penin-
sula. There are tnnumerable small ponds,
but the map makers do not note any
sheet OF water that measures less than
ten acres. These lakes are cool and deep.
Some of them are more than ten fathoms.
are well stocked with black bass, pick
| erel, perch and other fresh water fish.
while the innumerable bays and inlets
along the coast are plenty Of saltwater
fish,
Fishing as q profession is practically
obsolete except at Provincetown. but in
every village along both coasts 10 a
local demand sufficient to keep a small
fleet busy during the summer months,
clamin'. iobsterin' and fishin' for the
home market.
/ The Sacred Goldfish.
As everybody knows. the Goldfish IL 81
cred In New England. as the white ele.
phant Ia In Burma and the COW In India
and Is the emblem OF the commonwealth
of Massachusetts. as the bear Is Of Call.
fornia, the badger OF Wisconsin, ths
sucker OF Illinois and the sunfiower OF
Kansas. More than two centuries age
a rudely carved wooden Goldfish was huns
In the assembly room OF the great and
general court at Boston. and the aris.
tocracy camo to worship that fetish
That was the so-called Goldfish aristoc.
racy. In 17S4 a new efiigy was made By
more skiilful artist. and that huns. AZ
the old hall OF representatives until 1898
when that honorable body moved to its