davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington herald., 1919-04-20
illustrated by ALBERT LEvERING

ing about what Harris November said
or what he didn't say, Mawruss. bnt
that's what the kaiser said" he con
tinued, ''and he also had q good deal
10 say about Queen victorine OF Eng
land, what q wonderful woman she
was. olav hasholom. and how she told
him many times he should look out
for that iowiife OF a son Of hers by
the name Edwin"
But always thought this here
Edwin was such q decent respectable
feiier," Morris interrupted.
That's what everybody else
thought" Abe went on. but the ks.
ser says that many times the old lady
says 10 him he shouldn't have moth
ing to do with Edwin Believe me-
she said according to the kaiser. he
wouldn't do you no good intellectu-
ally, morally or socially and 90 for
that reason the kaiser wouldn't Join
the entente with England. France and
Russia"
Because this here Edwin was At
the bottom OF it7" Morris inquired.
That's what the Kaiser sasd." Abe
replied.
Maybe he also caught the poor
Cxar selig eating with his knife or
something" Morris suggested.
That he didn't say neither" Abe
answered, but he might just 90 well
have said Il for all it would 20 down
with me. Mawruss. because we all
know how kings SOW their rolled oats.
,, Mavruss. and any king which wouldn't
associate with any other king on the
grounds Of running around the streets
TIL all hours Of the night or gambling
ly'understsnd. N that amt a case OF
what is"
And I suppose he topped OF them
lies by getting religious, amt it,
Norris remarked.
Naturally" Abe said And IN
particular he got very sore at the
Free Masons on account OF them be-
ing atheists."
That's the first time ! hear that
about the Free Mssons" Morris
observed Il think myself that he
is getting them mixed up with the
Elks"
The EIks amt atheists" Abe
said
"I know they amt. but at the
same time they Amt religious fan
atics exactly" Morris said. which
to a particular feller like the
kaiser would be quite enough.
Abe"
ALSO, Mswruss." Abe went on.
he claims that the Free Masons
is all Bolshevists. and in fact from
the way he carried on about the
Free Masons. you would think he
was crazy on the subject"
Maybe they once turned him
down or something" Morris COM
mented, which when i was treas
urer Of Friendship Lodge I2s ]. o.
N. A before we quit giving sick
BENEFITS. Abe. we turned down a
feller by the name Turke Aib ON
/ account OF varicose veins. nd the
way he went around calling us all
kinds Of highwsymen you wouldn't
believe at all"
But the newspaper feller that
Interviewed him says that the
ksiser seems to be In pretty good
health. Mswruss" Abe declared.
That don't make him a GOOD
risk. neither" Morris retorted. Il
suppose the interviewer didn't say
how his appetite was"
Whats his appetite got 10 do
with it," Abe asked.
Because in speaking OF murder
ers Just before they 20 10 the
chair. Abe" Morris concluded. 'th.
newspapers always say: The con-
idemned man ate hearty"
The Washington herald., 1919-04-20

what other Free Masons is there!'
Abe said.
You're sure he didn't say the
Knights Of Pythias or the 1. o. o. F..
because while / don't belong to the
Masons myself. Abe. Rosie's sisters
husbands brother by the name Hsr-
ris November has been a thirty-sixth
degree Mason for years slready. !"
Morris declared. "and I'll swear that
IL a gabby feller like him would have
known that the Mssons had anything
to do with bringing on the war, Abe,
he would Of spilled 1t already long
since ago."
well. Of course. / don't know moth
The Washington herald., 1919-04-20

this fact accounts for the many home
runs. 1t was a saying that the fielders
in those days were stationed a mile
from the home plate in order to INTEL
ligently account for some of the long
driven "sky balls" which SCARED up
into the empyrean regions after COM
ing into sudden contact with the bats
of Babcock and his fellow players.
The first uniform worn by the Ma
tionals was made of navy blue cloth
and comprised shirt and trousers, with
cap Of the same material The trous-
ers were long, reaching to the shoe
tops. where they were gathered m 10
fit tightly about them. I believe the
word National was worked In white
across the front of the shirt. The Con-
federates of Richmond wore suits of
Southern gray, and appeared more
like cadets of some military institute
than baseball players. In fact many
of them were former soldiers Of the
Confederacy.
became Noted Professionals.
The popular baseball grounds for
amateur aggregations following the
ending Of the civil war was the old
Washington monument grounds, now
arranged as a picturesque park. Fifty
years ago the memorial shaft was only
about one-third constructed, and work
on II had been stopped for a number
Of years. The surrounding grounds
were overgrown with rank weeds and
high grass except in places where
boys and young men had made clear
ihgs to play baseball All about were
piles Of white marble intended for the
completion of the monument.
Up to the time operations were
Suspended funds for the shaft were
The Washington herald., 1919-04-20

When the first rules were written
Il was permissible for a batter to
make as many home runs as possible
before the ball was returned to the
home plate. II Is recorded that Rab-
cock, the catapult Of the original Ma
tiOnals. knocked the ball so far on
one occasion that he made three
home runs in succession. This home
run rule was dropped after it had
bern tried out at several games. The
scores of forty to fifty years ago
would run up to the 100 mark. The
score Of the Nationals when the team
played the Confederates of Richmond
Va. in 1850, was 1o2 runs. Their op-
ponents scored 81 runs and home runs.
Players of Long Ago.
I. recall two of the players of the
old Nationals who were the ideals
Of the younger element. Babcock. a
former iceman. was a veritable giant.
tie weighed at least 80 pounds and
Vas a Samson IN strength. Babcock
was known as the champion home
run knocker." With him on the orig
NAL team was Fox. tall. agile and
muscular. good ''knocker." and re-
puted to be the best left-fielder in
the game. recall these two players
because they were the fayorites Of the
ancient fans" Fox also was a great
base runner and an expert in chas-
ING long hits. Bsbcock was the pitch
srAcf the Nationals and It was not
accessory then to have relief or re-
lay pitchers. He was the whole thing
in the pitchers box at every game
II was an objectionable offense to
pitch a swift bali when the game was
young. The regulations called for .
.iav drop ball pitched underhand, and
The Washington herald., 1919-04-20

safety netting. Hundreds of pigeons
had taken possession of the platfrom
and reared many families there. Sew
eral swarms Of bees also had adopted
covered portions Of the platform, and
the first workmeh to reach the TOP
secured a goodly supply Of honey.
Wesld-Be Suicides Few.
The iron-barred windows in the
observation room at the top of the
monument are a sufhcient peventa-
tive to those who contemplate self
destruction in a spectacular mah-
ner at this time But before the
windows were thus protected only
two cases OF attempted suicide are
known Of. The first of these was
clearly crank. He declared he
had received an Inspiration that he
could fly like a bird and demanded
that he be permitted to try the n.y.
Ing stunt from the Monument just
before the platinum apex had been
placed at the tip-top.
II will have to fly when I be-
come an angel" the big, bewhis-
kered fellow said, "and I have a
message that I am an angel now"
You don't look the part" one OF
the monument attendants declared
with q broad grin as he contem-
!. plated the crank's ragged clothing,
his frowsy hair and long bedraggied
whiskers.
Il reckon he wants to begin his
nyin' practice here on earth before
he reaches the throne" a country
visitor remarked.
The frowsy ''angel" was escorted
to the bottom of the shaft and firm
iy. but politely. told to depart, and
II he must try out his fying stunt
to select tree or q high hill.
-He didn't want to n.y." a monu.
ment man said. Hes disguised
with himself and wanted to COM
NIT suicide!"
Seught . speetacular End.
About twenty-tiye years ago wher
was police reporter on one of tn,
Washington dailies. a tall and yer,
nervous man brought the "makings'
of hot exclusive story into tn,
city news room. The late Emer,
Foster was managing editor. an,
Whitman osgood. now president O
(. the weshington Printing Company
The Washington herald., 1919-04-20

Also, Abe, take these here gypsy
Hungarian bands. and while there
would probably be a terrible con-
glomeration Of noises IL q COM
mittee of players was to start In
to conduct the Boston Symphonies
or the New York Philharmonics.
y'understand. a committee Of gypsy
musicians couldn't make q Czardas
sound worser than IL does no mat
ter how they disagreed as to the
The Washington herald., 1919-04-20

obtained by popular subscription.
When this plan died of senility the
work was abandoned for the time
being. Later Congress came to the
rescue of the society having charge
of the tall memorial and it was
completed.
One of the most conspicuous of
the amateur baseball mines that
played on the Monument Grounds
was known as the "Creightons."
This club of youths from about 16
to 20 years of age later furnished
several noted players to the pro-
fessional teams. Two of them. that
I recall, were Joe Gerhardt and
Will Snyder. These former sand
lotters" afterward became success
full players on some of the big
league teams
Another team of boys from IL to
16, that furnished some profession
ais was the Olympics. 1t was made
up of lads who lived on Missouri
and Pennsylvania avenues between
Third and Sixth streets northwest.
The roster of the Olympics con-
tanned the names Of Buck" Kele-
her. "Nelse" Levy. John Eshleman.
Thomas A. Mitchell, my eldest
brother. and others who afterward
entered the business and profess
sional life of the District.
When Queer Things Hnppened.
After the government took over
the labor of love in completing the
Monument the place became bee
hive Of activity and seriously in
|terfered with ball playing there
abouts. The Olympics and several
lof the mines comprised of the
younger boys selected the old cir
Gus grounds. now part of the Mall.
between Four-and-a-half and Sixth
streets. Missouri and Maine av-
enues. through which a branch of
Tiber Creek flowed placidly.
In the meantime queer things were
happening, on the partly completed
monument. which has been described
as '.the index finger Of memory point.
ing to the skies" A stray cat had
adopted the interior of the shaft AZ
its hunting grounds. and feasted upor
the many bats and rats that sought
safety in the deserted shaft There
was no elevator At that time and ths
The Washington herald., 1919-04-20

way it should ought to be played"
For that matter there's a lot
of things produced in Germany
which a soviet government couldn't
spoil neither, Mawruss," Abe said.
like music by this here Nathan
Strauss. the composer. or Koenigs-
burger Klops, now called Liberty
Roast. which I see by last Sundays
paper that the kaiser has been
talking again"
And what's that got to do with
Germany going Bolshevik?' Nor
ris asked.
Nothing. except that 1t partially
accounts for it." Abe replied.
The Washington herald., 1919-04-20

Could the ghosts of ld-tme baseball players
skull and homeland twentieth they would
be amazed by strenuosity Back in the late COS when
messed first ball match they termed then
affair compared with the big league of today And
the baseball wteup" the of the
with their nifty vernauar and catchy phrases would be Choctaw
the odtmers Heavy batting the dederatum the old
weighy
selected Home the rule and player who
could number of long hits considered the
kingb of the
The Washington herald., 1919-04-20

which a newspaper Teller by the
name Of Begbie called on the
kaiser In Holland and the says
the kaiser couldn't see It at all"
See whatT' Morris asked.
why. he couldn't see what people
10 making such q fuss about" Abe
said He says that 20 far as start
ing this here war IL concerned, he
didn't say nothing, he didn't do moth
ing. and all he knows about Il is that
he lays the whole thing to the Free
Masons."
"You mean the F. A. M" Morris
asked.
The Washington herald., 1919-04-20

was city editor. Approaching the
two editors. who were in conference.
and in a voice that Quaked with
emotion and ratified because of over
indulgence in the red liquid that is
now prohibited in the District, he
said:
Gentlemen. excuse my interrup-
tion. but my mission here is a seri-
Gus one indeed. I have decided to
end ALL"
The two editors with their wide
experience in matters, amazing did
not quake or shudder. but coolly re-
quested the nervous stranger to pro-
coed with his story.
In more brutal English" be con-
tinued. Il am going to commit sui
eide. / am through with the world
and I believe the worlds about
through with me. have been
thinking over the best means of
bringing my earthly game to a quick
conclusion. Why should be COM
monplace as I make my exit and
employ such plebian means as a
pistol razor. poison or the dark.
dsnk depths of the rivers. No, gen.
tlemen, with the inborn instincts of
q gentleman. am going on in q
dignified manner. and 1 have come
to you to request that you give my
ending respectful publicity. provided
1t furnishes your paper with good
story. To make short long story,
gentlemen, I am going to spring into
space from the dizzy top of the
Washington Monument"
The man was evidently desperate
and, determined following q long
debauch. and the editors assigned
me to the task of accompanying the
stranger to the monument to write
up the strange tragedy.
As we passed along Pennsylvania
avenue en- route to the suicide
ground. I asked the man for his
name and address.
You'll ind all needed informa-
tion in the inside pocket of my coat
when they pick up my mansied and
crushed remains.r he remarked with
the utmost GOODNESS. In the mean
time here is saloon and I viii
The Washington herald., 1919-04-20

workmen ascended to the top and de-
scended on rickety wooden stairs. I'm
aware of the presence Of the monu-
ment cat, when the first detail Of
workmen ascended the stairs to ar
range for resuming the work Of con-
structing the shaft to its finish, they
were greeted in the darkness OF the
interior by a growing noise followed
by a sort of fiuttering sound as some
light body ascended rapidly ahead OF
them.
Ghosts" one Of the workers ex-
claimed. 1.-THE darned place is
haunted"
As the first two men emerged from
the dark shaft and stepped into the
sunlight on the platform. to which
point the monument had been built
they were confronted by a badly
frightened big gray cat. The animal
was startled by the appearance Of the
men and its transition from darkness
to bright daylight.
Made Its Famous Leap.
Pretty pussy; come here" one of
the men said, coaxingly.
His voice only added to the cats
terror. and 1t ieaped wildly outward
and descended to terra firma with the
speed of cannon ball. Those who
witnessed pussy's flying leap from the
dizzy height declared that the cat
was only stunned by the fall. As II
sought to crawl away q strange dog
caught the cat and killed It before
the workingmen could prevent the
tragedy.
During the administration OF Presi-
cent Harrison another cat was at
tracted to the Monument. It. too.
was Of a gray color, and seemingly
half starved. The shaft had been
completed then.> and the feline was
quietly proceeding up the SOS steps
that lead to the top when II was cap
tured by watchman. The prisoner
was turned over to Chief Engineer
Frederick NJ stromberger, who. in.
stead Of banishing the cat, adopted Il
as his Office pet. and until the ami.
mails death It was known as The
Washington Monument cat &
When the work .of continuing the
erection Of the partly-compieted shaft
twas resumed. there wss : wooden
platform at the top surrounded :,
The Washington herald., 1919-04-20

startling sight. We had waited until
foggy forenoon, because Il was only
IN heavy fog that the wonderful
picture could be seen. The top of
the fog bank. which hung over the
city Ike q pail. was about FIVE feet
below the platform on the Monu-
ment's top. II was spread out IN
every direction as far as the eve
could reach.
II appeared as IL we were standing
on q wee island in the middle of a
sea. the top Of the fog bank appear
ing realistically as the surface of a
mystic sea. Occasionally the move
ment Of the atmosphere would cause
fog waves TO spread over the surface
and produce in the observer a sort
Of dizziness such as usually precedes
seasickness. Nothing was visible but
the blue sky above and the rolling
mist below. with the occasional fog
billows rolling hither and thither.
The startling effect OF the picture
was produced at pS:ns where the
heavier smoke fronI the high stacks
OF sawmills and foundries in the To-
cslity north Of the Monument would
rise srsndly in black columns above
the surface OF the sea Of fog.
These dark columns OF smoke pune
turing the fog bank on its upper sur
face appeared like great waterspouts
or the spouting OF whale far out on
the ocean
The grsndest picture Of nature I
have ever witnessed was Maj
Stine's comment
Chest Of the Menument.
Many years ago there was a story
hA aruff ahDF
the interior OF the old shaft was
haunted by the ghost OF a workman
who had been killed during the early
construction of the Monument. As q
boy visited the unfinished shaft in
the quiet hours Of the twilight with
my chums, and we distinctly heard
uncanny sounds proceeding from the
interior. The night watchman also
heard the weird noises In the Silly
watches Of the night and. being OF a
superstitious turn himself. he con-
frmed the story.
The sounds combined q peculiar
''whirring" noise and feeble shrieks
as n uttered by some sou, imprisoned
In the great memorial stones. One
stormy night. when a thunderbolt
crashed down the shaft. with a great
glare Of electricity and a stunning re-
port. the mystery Of the ghost Of the
Washington Monument was solved.
The lightning killed a colony OF Eng
lish sparrows that had built their
nests in the interior Of the shaft. A.
the night wstchmsn gszed at the dead
birds in the nit at the bottom Of the
shaft. he remarked:
Aha them a the id ghosts that
have been keeping me awake q
nightA"
The Washington herald., 1919-04-20

take a final bracer before my wild
leap into eternity"
He entered De Alleys place and
emptied a four-hnger dose OF red
rum. and we proceeded to the mon
ument. He cautioned me to refrain
from discussing the purpose OF our
mission so the authorities would not
interfere. We entered the elvstor
and proceeded to the observation
room with its barred windows.
'S-h-h. I have provided for the
bars" he whispered. You keep the
watchman busy while 1 work"
His actions attracted the atten-
tion of the guard. The big drink OF
whisky he had taken made him glib
of tongue, and in a burst OF con-
fidence he told the watchmsn Of his
purpose. The result was that the
would-be suicide was escorted down
the shaft and to the ONCE of the
superintendent. There all the en-
ployes Of the monument were re-
quired to give the nervous stranger
"the once over" cautioned to drive
him OF if he ever came near the
shaft again.
That night while I was writing the
story Of the attempt at spectacular
suicide at the Monument I received a
telephone 'nash" from police head
quarters that q stranger had attempt
ed suicide by jumping from the old
Long Bridge. now only a wartime
memory. I hastened to No. 4 police
station to get the particulars, with
the premonition that the fellow was
the one had been with In the after
noon.
Wsrkheuse Instesd Of Heaven.
II was my Monument man. The
police had hshed him out OF the Po-
tomac. and when they learned about
his attempt at the Monument he was
sent to the psychopathic ward of
Washington Asylum for observation
as to his mental condition. After HIS
mind cleared,he was sent to the work.
house for short term to restore his
physical condition. as Judge Kim
ball expressed 1t.
In the old days before the wash
ington Monument was completed a
pretty allegory Of nature could be
seen from the workmen's platform at
top. One day. accompanied by the
late Mai. J. II. Stine. historian of
the Army of the Potomac, who was
an ardent lover Of the beautiful in ma
ture, I had the pleasure Of witness
ing most unusual and almost
The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1919-07-18
NOVEMBER ELEVENTH
WILL BE CELEBRATED

November 18th, the first anniver-
sary of the signing of the armistice,
will be a day of national observance
by the American Legion, the national
organization of the American veter-
n of the Great War. According to
plans announced at national headqur-
tiers of the legion, state organizations
and local posts, throughout the coun-
try will observe this day as American
Legion Day in their own communities
by meetings, parades and patriotic
demonstrations.
At the same time that these local
celebrations are held, delegates from
state organizations and local posts
will meet in the first national conven-
ton Of the American Legion at Min
neapolis, to affect the permanent Or
%ganization. The convention meets on
November 10-11-12. By that time, it
is expected that all the men now in
the American Expeditionary Forces
will have returned to this country so
that all ex-service men and women of
the army, navy and marine corps will
have an opportunity to participate in
the activities planned for American
Legion Day, either in their own COM
The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1919-07-18
THOUSANDS OF FRENCH
PEASANTS NEED HELP

New York, July 15.-One hundred
thousand peasant families in the Aisne
district of France, the region allotted
for the relief work of the American
committee for devastated France, are
dependent upon the American people
for help, John Kendrick Bangs, the
author, reported today upon his ar
rival on the French line steamer Es-
payne. Mr.. Bangs, who has been
making a two months study of relief
work for the committee, declared the
majority of the peasants are home
less while most of the others are with
out money and with only a scanty food
supply. He said 1863 women volun-
teers of the committee are serving in
France without pay.
The only financial help refugees can
expect from the French government
he said, was the Is per cent payment
on their claims based on values OF
1914, to be allotted them when Ger
many makes her first payment of re-
paration to France.
Medical attention is provided the
sick in 143 villages, he added. Domi-
ciliary visits are made three times a
week and a hospital, equipped with
sixty beds, has been established.