Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-05-02
HAVRE DE GRACE IN HER CLORY
One of the Days Best Cartoons.
BY FuIsDEItIC J. IIAsI<IN.

HAVRE DE GRACE. MD. May .
saturday saw the end Of the years
spring racing In Ilavre de Grace Tie
little Maryland town has settled back
INTO It's wonted quiet after two weeks
OF leverish activity. counted its profit.
and is waiting for the fall meeting.
IL Is worth while paying visit 10
iavre dc Grace while the races are
on whether YOU are interested in rae
Ing or not.
Havre de Grace has normally about
5000 people and an atmosphere OF
reminiscent dignity and picturesque
| peace. Twice year for two weeks
comes period when a daily crowd Of
! 5000 racing folk descends on the viii
| iaSe., Fifteen hundred OF the same
! worldly and energetic class take up
temporary quarters In Havrc dc Grace
! Itself, to the great cnlivcnncnt Of To-
! who has anything for sale or a room,
| for rent. Harre de Grace Is town
transformed
Every one rises to the occa sion
| molly. Racing atmosphere takes the
| place OF the ordinary air. Local news
| boys sidetrack their stock OF dulles and
| wecklics TO peddlc Racing Form aud
| kindred publications. Every automo-
| bile in town unfurls For Hire" ban
| ncr and becomes for the nonce Il jit-
ncy--not only the humble brands tina I
! seem TO be horn to tho work. but big
| machines with Strcamlinc bodies and
| fancy horse powers. The visitors have
| TO be carried to the track. and all ears
! turn out.
Everybody Largely Intcrcntrd.
| Natives take u proprictnry interest
in the proceedings. The state Of az
| fairs is something like what prevails
| III IA little southern town that a big
| league ball team uses for Il training
| camp-only more Down 10 the
! tiny darky bootblacks running about
| the streets. everybody is an expert on
| the horses that are going to run. and
the men who arc going to ride them.
! The other day visitor observed Il
| chubby and prosperous little urchin
weeping bitterly in tho street, under
| the taunts OF a circle Of lean and In
| digcnt-lookng comrades Whats the
trouble?" inquired the visitor
II weighs q hurried an thirty .:i
| pounds" replied the unfortunate !
| can't never be II jockey
| On the whole. Havre de Grace re-
! CARDS the races and their followers
! with approval There is some quiet
| opposition among those OF stricter
| principles. but. as one Havrc de Grac-
f, ian explained it. "Most of them have
nothing against the races. While the
| meets are on, they take In dodgers"
The lack of opposition really springs
! however, from less mercenary motives
| than that. An addition OF 1000 peo-
ple to the population Of town of
| 1000 makes "A large difference in bust
| ness transacted. especially when the
1900 belongs to class that spends
| money freely. But even so. Havre de
! Grace would probably object strenu-
! ously TO being used as racing center
| il the visitors were inclined to be
| troublesome. They arc not. Natives
| agree that they are an exceptionally
| quiet and unobtrusive element There
| are seventeen places in Havre de Ora &C
| where the winner may celebrate VIC
| tory or the loser drown defeat In
strong waters. Yet the local police
! force does not add one single consta-
BILE while the races are on
! Old aud Historic Village.
or all the little towns where big race
| meets are held. none is better fitted to
set off the colorful, variegated life OF
the track than Havrc de Grace Foi
| this is an old and historic village
| constrasting sharply with the ultra
| modern crowds in the streets.
There is gentleman in Havre de
| Grace who recently had the honor OF
| watching a monument unveiled to the
| heroism of his grandfather When the
| British marched on Baltimore in the
! war Of 1912. lIavre de Grace was one
, Of the unfortunate places that they
! visited en- route. When they arrived
d there were sixty or seventy houses IN
! uavre de Grace, and they burned most
! of those, so that most OF the town OF
| to-day is less than a hundred years
! old. Havre de Grace was taken. bu'
in the gallant defense of John ONeil
the patriotic inhabitant finds some
| consolation.
According to Havre de Grace to-day
John O'Neil--whose grandson still live:
here-whipped the British sngie-hand
ed He did not quite do that. but hi
made II interesting for them for {
time. The citizens expected an atta .,
and set up battery of three little
cannons. When the alarm came, O'Nei
took his place behind the guns alons
with n number OF militia men. The
British cannonaded the battery will
grape-shot until the defenders decided
to move. O'Neil eXhorted them to nj
purpose. so he decided to keep on fight
ing OH his own account. He servet
one OF the cannon industriously, ant
the enemy's fire had nothing to d.
with his ultimate retreat. His own gui
drove him out, when 1t kicked him il
the shin.
He retired in good order into Thu
village where he and a friend contin
ued the struggle with muskets. III
was finally captured by squad o
British, with musket in each hand
J He got a presentation sword from tn
people OF Baltimore, and 100 years la
ter monument to his memory
Duck md Susquchnnnn ShRd.
The fame Of Tavre de Grace does no
depend solely on the memory OF Joh
O'Ncil. The town is prone to boast o
two unique products In the shape o
the wild canvasback duck and the Sus
uuehanna shad. II may DO difficult {
see how r. municipality can lay claii
to denizcns Of the air and water, blu
Havre do Grace does II. Her pcopl
say that the local shad has a pecuia