The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1917-09-15

During the municipal campaign
early in 1894, when Ray T. Lewis
and John Jenswold were Compel
ing for the mayoralty, Rev. R. H.
Craig was pastor Of the Grace M.
E. church at the West End. He
was a militant preacher, very
large, muscular and as hard as
nails. He came from the north
of Ireland and once said that if
he had not become a preacher he
probably would have been a prize
fighter.
| At the time mentioned, Nels Ole
kept a grocery store on Superior
st. and Twenty-second avenue w.
In that store, on February l,
1894, Rev. Mr.. Craig got into an
argument with Lew Palmer, then
a hot populist and something of a
politician.
Preacher Craig called Palmer a
chicken thief and Palmer replied
that good many preachers were
in Jail for their misdeeds. The
two clinched and started to fight.
Mr.. Ole tried to separate them
and Palmer claimed that while his
arms were being held, Craig hit
him.
Palmer grabbed up a pound
weight from the scales and pre-
pared to soak the preacher with
it, if necessity required. The two
finally were separated but the in
cident did not tend to cool down
an already over-heated campaign.
About a quarter Of a century
ago, John w. Miller, the we'll
known proprietor of a chain of
restaurants, conducted the Ideal
restaurant on West Superior st.
One day a customer went in for a
little lunch and, when paying his
bill, said:
miller, I do not like to seem a
kicker but there is bad smell in
here"
"What does it smell like?"
asked Mr.. Miller.
cts a rotten smell,'' replied
the patron. cit smells like some
thing dead"
"Oh, forget it, replied Miller.
"That's only Simon Clark over
there eating finan haddie.''
And twas so.
During the dark days in the
ZOOS, the Great Northern Railway
not only knew where Duluth was
but, in the summer season, fire.
quently ran cheap excursions to
the Head Of the Lakes, thereby
bringing many farmers from the
wheat fields who left many needed
dollars here.
One evening, about five days
| after an excursion had arrived,
| Gustave Swenson, the we'll known
grocer, was standing on the street
when a couple of farmers from
the west passed by, slowly but
earnestly talking in Norwegian.
"Vell, Yohn,' remarked one to
the other, cit does beat all how
much money it takes in the city.
When I come on Monday I had
five dollars in change. Here it is,
only Friday, and I had to break
another five-dollar bill today. Yes,
it takes lots of money to live in
the city.
A quarter Of a century ago, one
Henry Haskins was humane Off
Ger in the city of Duluth. He was
an Englishman by birth and had
quite an accent. He commonly
was called "Umane Emery
'Askins Of 'Uron Street, He
lived ON Huron street, at the West
End.
Now, in his humane work, BROTH
err Haskins picked up all sorts Of
secondhand clothing in those
days, which he was supposed to
distribute among the needy.
Still later, "Umane 'Enry" got
a political bee in his bonnet and
ran for alderman from his ward.
When the smoke Of battle had
cleared away, charges were made
that quite a heavy supply Of cloth
ing and other supplies used in
relief work were distributed by
Mr.. Haskins exclusively in the
ward in which he ran for alder
nan, as a part Of his campaign
fund.
In the early days, Mr.. Haskins
L J.