The Washington herald., 1918-09-22

nent he installed a school OF boxing
and had many scholars among the
Young white men OF Capitol Hill
On occa sion the scholars would in
troduce to their trainer raw country
men, and induce them to put on the
gloves with the expert barber-boxer.
and then with much merriment watch
Mike give the raw ones the knock
out blow.
One day a bunch of Mixes pupils
in the manly art escorted a particu-
larly green looking stranger to his
shop and urged the barber to give
him lesson in boxing. Taking Mike
aside the leader OF the bunch said:
give this fellow a good walloping,
Mike"
The supposed countryman looked
the part he was playing. He wore
a wide -brimmed straw hat and farm
overalls and talked with Pohick
dialect. Mike produced the gloves
and invited the stranger to put
them on.
what is them things?' asked the
stranger.
The gloves" Mike explained.
''Goldarned funny looking gloves, all
padded like a stuffed 'possum."
How Mike Was a.Frsmed.D
After some difficulty the farmer
was annexed to the boxing gloves and
the fun commenced. Mike invited the
the hayseed to put up his guard.
Amt got on such thing about me
as a guard" was the response. but
III put up their here silver quarter"
Then the frst round opened up with
Nike giving the countryman some
fancy TABS" as he termed them.
Mike danced about his victim like
an Apache Indian doing the war
dance. and after playing with the
stranger. much as a cat plays with
a mouse, Mike prepared to give him
the all over but the counting"
At this interesting juncture the
supposed hayseed Strengthened up. as
sumed a pugilistic attitude and let
20 with his left and right simulta-
Hcously. He landed on Mike with the
force of a Roman catapult and the
athletic barber shot through the air
and landed in the roadway all in
heap. As Mike regained his feet
slowly and painfully, the hayseed ex-
claimed:
Come on. Mister Barber, I'm Just
Esttin' warmed up
But Mike did not respond to the in
yitatiOn and the hayseed went away
accompanied by Mikes laughing
pupils. The following day several of
them called at Mikes shop to discuss
the event of the day before.
Where did you fellows find that
farmer Mike asked.
Farmer" rejoined big Bill Martin.
That fellow is no farmer He is an
undertaken"
Being pressed to tell something
about the hard-hitting stranger,
Martin said:
Was MIddIe-welsht Champion.
why, Mike. you've established a
record. That fellow was Sam CoIIyer.
the middle-weight champion pugilist
Of the United States"
One Of the interesting landmarks of
last Washington that is still stand
ing in its old-time origiality is a small
OTse-story building at the southwest
corner of Pennsylvania avenue and
Fourth street southeast. In the long
ago. when the public schools of Wash
ington were graded as primary"
secondary intermediate and
grammar" schools, instead of by the
numerals as they are now designated,
this little structure was occupied as a
secondary school. l attended the
school ifty-One years ago when Mary
Jane Roland. or Aunt Mary Jane"
as the boys had nicknamed her. was
the teacher. The Wallach School
building at Eighth and Pennsylvania
avenue southeast was then the show
school OF the District, and many men
afterward prominent in District and
national affairs attended its grades.
Mr.. Allen c. Clark. one Of Washing
tous most substantial citizens, and a
man who has always lent his best ef-
iorts to every movement for the civic
and moral betterment OF the Capital.
in a paper read by him before the CO.
lumbia Historical Society last year.
refers to Joseph II. Daniel, who is re-
membered by old-timNrs a. "Profcs-
sor Daniels. the music teacher" Mr..
Clark says:
''waIlach School building was dedi-
Gated Independence Day. 1854 With
the Marine Band in the van. the vari-
oULs schools of the Third division in
procession marched to the new build
ing
Finds Another Landmark.
Leaving the historic precincts Of
Capitol Hill with its memories, I
sought a building in the business
center OF Washington which in my
boyhood occupied an important
plscs as the Thompson Law Build
ing" It is located on G street be-
tween Seventh and Eighth streets
northwest I found that its front
had been remodeled. but that much
Of the interior still retains its
originality Of construction. and as
! entered the old Railways I was
greeted by troops of memories like
phantoms of the past, recalling
my associations there with nv
boyhoed chum, Percy W. Thomp-
son, now q retired captain of the
Revenue Cutter Service, and living
IN happiness with his family at
PaIo Alto. Cal. Percy published an
amateur newspaper in the old
structure more than fifty years
ago. the Boys Ledger" and l was
associated with him in its man.
agement. His father. long since
dead. was Col NJ Thompson, a /
pr9minent Washington lawyer. for 1
whom the building was named. In /
letter just received from Capt.
Thompson he refers interestingly |
70 sthe venerable structure with its
tso quaint gables visible plainly |
from the opposite side of G street. |
He SAYS in part:
Capt. Thompson's Letter.
rpuring the civil war my father .
oossdt Ill. @ street northwest, one 4
orgs block of three three story
pressed -brick-front buildings, the /
l9est pa 4iings in that locality ar I
-aae Time Next 10 our house was a