New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-12-30
BY BRIGGS

bors waited. There was Charlie Wolf
the wine store man; Ably Siegel. just
home from the army, and his father
the shoe store man. with his wife;
City Marshal Dan Greenblatt and
Jimmy Conner, the taxi man, and 3
lot of others.
Still in daze, the aged couple
allowed themselves to be escorted with
much ponp end ceremony to where
one of Jim Corners taxicabs, polished
Ike kings coach, was standing.
Whisked TO Familiar Scene
They were handed in, and with the
s!;ik-hatted eX-Assemblyman and his
VIE sitting opposite, were whisked a
distance Of block and half to the
2nclent building where Nathan and
bertha had set up their little butcher
shop forty years ago.
There were tears in the eyes of
Nathan and Bertha as they entered the
riace and the fragile old woman's hand
sought and found that of her bride
groom OF fifty years ago as they en-
tered the once familiar place, now
decorated with bunting and greens and
flowers and filled with long tables CON
trlved OF sawhorses and planks, but
covered with snowy linen and steam
ing dishes of roast duck and goose and
turkey and gefullte fsch, and other
savory viands.
1t was filled also with all the old
friends of Nathan and Bertha, from
Ridge Street, from Willett Street aud
tltt and other teeming thorough fares
roundabout And yhen Nathan and
Bertha entered, a cheer arose and The
eager tumult of many voices wishing
them long life and happiness,
Neighborhood Tribute.
u was surprise party, arranged for
the old folks by the neighborhood-
the neighborhood which had unwit-
tlngly driven them out of business, but
whose heart needed only to be touched
10 recognize the pity OF Nathan and
bertha, celebrating their golden we'd
eng anniversary as lonely as they had
lived for the last twenty-five wears in
thelr two meagrely -furnish rooms on
Ridge Street.
Forty years ago Nathan and Bertha
came to Ridge Street. 1t was then the
heart OF the East Side Irish colony.
Inc two aliens, respectively shawled
and skull-capped, started their butcher
shop just above old st. Mary's Church
on that street. They prospered. for i,
their native town of Pluschnitz. Rus
sian Poland, where little meat was
eaten, they had learned to cut and sell
;shfe"dly' and the Irish of Ridge Street
mad a miraculous meat appetite.
For some fifteen years s'l tbe r,+1o
butcher shop thrved. Then came NE
migration of Russia Jews to The new
world and the exodus of the Irish from
the East Side.
Exc Out Slender Living.
with the immigrants came many
shrewd butchers, some of them mn.
scrupulously so, and each eager To YIN
the custom OF these meat-eatiny Wes+-
erners Little by little the patronape
OF the shop Of Nathan and Bertha fell
on. For about twenty-five wears tbev
nave won a slender living in the en-,
roy OF Ridge Street butcher.
La:S monday when Bertha was de-
t ,eo meat at Mrs. Eckman's home,
4oo urand Street. she told with inno-
cent pathos of the evening She ana
her husband were going to spend alone
Win WI" golden memories, the succeeding
Sunday. Mrs. Eckman, an energetie
woman with due regard for the rcsnec+
that should be paid 20 Nathan and
bertna as pioneers IN a new land
mad word with her husband and
with Ida Schinkotf. the best cook east
OF Shrystle Street, and with Molly
Elephant, who is almost as handy IN
Kitchen, and with Sam Shapiro.
whose vines are famous on Grand
street, and with scores of Others.
The result was that Nathan and
Bertha shared their memories last
night with friends who almost Md
passed from their memories, and those
friends shared with the old connie
the best eating and drinking and fel-
lowship TO be had on the East Side
and thought they we're getting the
best Of the bargain at that. And at
terward purse, to which Sol Iuh-
liner, the court interpreter, who should
have been diplomat. and Assistant
Distrlct Attorney Joe Addison ard
Wireless Louie Zeitner and lot ~
other celebrities contributed, was given
to Nathan and Bertha. =