davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-05-10
TALES OF LONG AGO
The Rip-saw Historian Digs Into Doings in the
Dim, Distant Past and Unearths Interesting
Incidents of Days That Are No More.

Back in 1892, all Of the bad mon
were not at Creole, Colorado, and
other western mining camps. A
goodly number were in st. Louis
county, Minnesota, on the booming
Mesaba iron range.
Paul Sharvy was sheriff in those
days and he not only was a fearless
officer but he kept bunch of depu-
ties who lacked nothing in sand and
courage. One of them was Al. Free,
a chap weighing only 148 pounds.
On the evening Of December 1, 1892,
deputy sheriff Free appeared at the
county Jail with three members Of
the Madden gang whom he had SUBJ
| dued and captured at Marfeld, a sta
ton of the D. M. & N.
Ed. Madden, a brother of Tom
Madden, the latter once prominent
figure in Duluth's police service,
weighed 220 pounds. Owen O'Neil
and John MARITIME, the two other
captives, weighed 1876 pounds each.
Deputy Free apparently believed
that "the bigger they are, the harder
they fall"
Up there at MARRIED., the Madden
gang had been heard plotting In
Alex Burns place how they would
do I'D Joe Crit. Al Free was put
J next and he secreted himself in a
room at Grif's place.
The Madden gang, four in all,
came along and started row with
Crit. At the logical moment, deputy
sheriff Free stepped out Of his hid
! ing place, grabbed Madden and In
formed him that he was under arrest.
A lively fracas followed. All the
gang jumped onto Free, striking him
with fists, bottles and sticks. He
was smashed in the face and kicked
on the body. He was compelled to
loosen his hold on the massive Mad
den.
The deputy was half blinded with
blood that ran into his eyes. He
had two black eyes and there was
a cash in his throat. His face was
badly SCARED and his body all
bruised up with the blows given him.
"IIl arrest you tonight" Free in
! formed Madden.
Madden and his three companions
went over to Shea Brothers saloon.
Free summoned Joe Crit and two
other men. Going to the saloon, he
said:
"Gentlemen, I am here to arrest
Ed. Madden. I'll kill in his tracks
the first man who makes a move to
stop me"
Free started for Madden. The big
bully struck the officer who, agile
as a cat, threw his assailant to the
floor and quickly snapped the hand
cuffs on him. $50 He then took his
captive to the lookup, where he
guarded him all night.
O'Neil was arrested the following
morning, after putting up a tussle.
The supply of handouts then ran
out, therefore MARITIME was not ar
rested until deputy sheriff Ross ar
rived at MARRIED., when he was
! nabbed and given a pair Of steel
wristlets. A fourth member OF the
gang ducked quickly and got away
before the officers could lay hands
| on him.
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-05-10
THE LAUNCHING OF THE
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS

The whaleback was called enc
Douglas Dream" and even NC
Dougall's Folly" A considerable
number of freight vessels Of that
type was followed by the construc-
ton of the only passenger whale
back, the Christopher Columbus,
which was intended for the big BUSH
ness expected incident to the Worlds
Fair in Chicago in 1898.
The Christopher Columbus was
built in the yards of the American
Steel Barge Co., in Superior, where
now the Superior Shipbuilding Co.
has it's plant. The work started
Sept. 7, 1892, and the launching
took place Saturday, December =,
1892, which was considered rapid
work.
Seven inches of ice had to be cut
and pulverized in the slip, prelimin-
airy to the launching, which was sue
cessful in every way and which was
witnessed by a considerable number
of distinguished visitors from the
East and other points.
The Christopher Columbus was
$50 it. long, with a beam Of AZ it.
and a nodded depth Of "a it. 1t
was the thirtieth vessel constructed
by the American Steel Barge Co.
There were two promenade decks,
supported by seven steel turrets, that
came up from the hull. There were
IA life boats and such conveniences
as barber shop, cafe, restaurant,
reading room, bath rooms and cab
ms. The vessel easily carried 5000
excursionists. The Worlds Fair
business was not up to expectations
but the peculiarly constructed vessel
became very profitable and popular
for excursion purposes out Of Chi
cago.
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-05-10

wing house for legitimate plays
that appeal to people of education,
culture, refinement and discrimina-
ton. Anything "goes" there today
and the baser its Qualities, the more
welcome It seems to be to the man.
agement.
The late A. NJ. Mi11er Is credited
with having built the Lyceum as a
sort of memorial to his name and ac-
tivities while Du1uth citizen. Fo1
many years It presented the very
best that was on the American
stage. Even the light Sumner op-
eras were clean, If not classical.
Time passed and changes came.
The first thing the public knew,
moving pictures, of a high grade,
supp1anted suanmer opera. Then,
to catch the filthy 1ucre, coarse bur-
1esques were introduced as winter
attractions. It made decent people
b1ush, If not shed tears, to see that
beautiful theatre and that grand
stage desecrated by a bur1esque ac-
tress, brazenly giving a stomach
dance, that was nothing bot a 1ewd
exhibition of a redlight woman car
rying on her immoral trade.
Only a few weeks ago, "After
Office Hours" was presented. It
was a nasty, prurient play, smack
ing entirely too much of Hearst's
Magazine to be acceptable to any
one with education, culture, refine
ment-anyone with a clean mind
and body, in short.
AS a manager is, so wifi be the
plays presented IN his theatre, II
the public does not show discrimin-
alton IN its patronage. Low, dirty,
prurient p1ays-1ike vice, If seen too
oft, at last are endured and then
embraced.
Du1uth's theatres, that are adapt
ed to legitimate plays, shou1d be
scrubbed, funigated and made de-
cent as to their attractions. After
that, decent, cultured and critical
people shoufd respond by according
the regenerated houses a profitable
sttpport. - 1870 -. ~
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-05-10
THE INCOMPATIBLE MAYOR
OF SUPERIOR,

Mayor Fred A. Baxter, of ST.
perior, is as refreshing as an official
as he Is rare.
Mayor Baxter is steadily and per-
sistent1y giving an exhibition of a
man trying to keep his oath of Of
flee.
When Mayor Baxter took office
little over ten months ago, he was
expected to prove comp1acent and to
wink the other eye whenoSuperior's
venerable crooks and beloved ex-
ponents of shamefu1ness wished to
poll eff their customary stunts.
Mayor Baxter promptly and en-
phatica11y refused to wink an eye or
to play at competency. He firmly
informed all members of the 1awless
and sinfu1 element that, while he
was mayor, he wou1d do his very
best to enforce the laws and that ali
lawful classes wou1d be treated
alike.
Superior has been undu1y domi-
mated by crooks and petty law
breakers for the past thirty years.
The time has come to pot decency
and respect for the law in the
saddle. Once Superior comes folly
under the domination of a genuine
ly better element, represented by
men of ideals, honor and high char
acter, then the 1ow1and city will
prosper, grow and take its proper
place at the Head of the Lakes.
After ali the desirable conditions
have been attained and firmly
fixed, a tall and beautiful MONT
ment should be erected to the name
OF Fred A. Baxter, the man whose
election and municipal policies
marked the beginning of new and
glorious era for Superior.
It Is an honor and certificate of
civic character for city to have a
mayor like Fred A. Baxter. It IS
a privilege to give him credit and
support.
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-05-10
SCALDING ACCIDENT ON THE
8. s. HIRAM r. DIXON.

At about $3.50 a. M, Monday, Nov.
%, 1892, the SIS. Hiram R. Dixon,
the old wooden flagship of the A.
Booth fleet, was coaling at Sargent's
dock.
Charles Hector, second engineer Of
the H. R. Dixon, stood on the dock.
First mate John Glow was near by.
Hector suddenly heard a report as
loud as that of a cannon.
Johnny Brooks, step-son Of John
Brooks, 515 Lake Ave. S., ran out
of the vessel from the lower deck,
over the forward gang plank.
Follow me, Billy" he shouted, as
he looked over his shoulder. "Save
my brother" he cried to engineer
Hector.
Second engineer Hector tried to go
aboard the H. R. Dixon but rapidly
escaping steam was too dense and
hot. Climbing up on fender, he
reached the upper deck and tried
to go below on the windward side,
but it proved impossible to face the
steam.
The steam feed pipe suddenly had
burst, literally cooking to death Will
liam McNulty, a fireman, and Willie
Brooks, the 8-year-old brother of
Johnny Brooks.
When the steam had cooled down
and decreased in quantity, the bod
les Of the fireman and the little boy
were found below. Willies body
laid at the foot of the stoker's lad
der: A little further on, laid the
body of McNulty.
Johnny Brooks said that he was
going up the ladder when he heard
Kissing steam. He saw spurts OF it
coming out from the feed pipe. He
called McNulty's attention to it.
cts only leaking" replied the
fireman. An instant later, the pipe
burst, filling the fire hold with live
steam. The bodies of the man and
the boy were literally cooked.
DR.. Magic was summoned and then
coroner J. J. EkIund. The late A.
Booth came up from Chicago and he
most generously paid all the funeral
expenses, although the company was
not liable for the boy, he having no
business aboard the boat. Manager
Coventry also showed his big heart
in every possible way.
Many thought that Willie Brooks
tragic death was providential. His
step-father was slave to drink and
treated both the boys cruelty. The
late Jacob Hector, commonly called
the "fog king" was master. He
could take the old wooden craft
safely through the densest fogs and
fiercest storms. Many declared that
he could run the Dixon from Duluth
to Port Arthur with his eyes shut.
Capt. Hector, by the way, was the
father of the late Mrs. James Walsh.
The SIS. Dixon came to Lake Su-
perior from salt water and was about
12O feet long if memory is correct.
The SIS. America now supplies the
place Of the pioneer IS. H. r. Dixon.
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-05-10
THE SNARLING SAMUELSON
SCORES ONCE MORE,

The city commissioners certainly
made no hit with their masters, the
voters of this city, when they re-
tanned John E. Samuelson as city at
torney.
What the deal was, whereby Sam
ue1son was permitted to remain IN
the city hail. we have not been
credib1y informed. Bot there most
have been a deal, otherwise why the
secret meeting and the haste to pot
Si1berstein's willing pettifoggef
acrosss
/. The members of the bar Of the
city certainly did not want Samuel
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-05-10

ment, convert them into an artificial
stone with much higher heat-resist-
ing powers than ordinary brick. It
also was averred that these argyll
laceous states, properly treated,
would produce enamelled tile that,
for decorative purposes, would equal
the Trenton and similar tiles.
Mr.. Butler and his corporation had
patents on the process for making
paving bricks that would be as de-
sirable as Belgian blocks but with
out the CLASSY, vitreous surface that
makes such paving brick and blocks
so slippery for traffic.
In November, 1892, machinery
worth $4,000 had been purchased.
A bunch of capitalists came out
from Philadelphia to see with their
own eyes. The decision was to in
vest fully half a million dollars and
to build up an industry that would
employ 1000 men.
Considerable progress was made.
Several kilns were constructed and
brick actually turned out. In the
summer of 1893, the venerable Jay
Cooke came out from Philadelphia
and a special excursion was run to
the brick plant from Duluth. The
kindly old Herald got paid writeup
of the plant and the occasion of the
excursion, for it's columns.
There were sandwiches, pickles
and plenty Of beer. Lunch was
served in a high, cool and vacant
kiln. The late J. w. Bull, then an
official of the st. Paul &,Duluth' was
with the crowd and, under the in
SEPARATION of the beer, he steadily
and persistently entertained the ex-
cursionists with that happy song, 81
Found Horseshoe" M. A. Hays,
then editor of the News Tribune,
when taking a peep into the fiery
kiln that burned the argillaceous
slate brick, had his eyebrows badly
singed by the fierce blast of heat.
Jay Cooke made speech to the
crowd and, among other things,
strongly advocated free silver. But
all that is another story. If men,
DRY fails not, that also was Cookies
last visit to Duluth.
The slate-brick enterprise fell
down and the bats now occupy those
old kilns.
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-05-10
INDUSTRIAL FEUDALISM
HAS PLAYED OUT.

It is amazing how pride of place
and power Of wealth give the aver
age man a stubborn neck and a
closed mind.
This thought. has been empha-
sized lately by the attitude of the
A. W. Marshall interests toward or
gained labor.
The mou1ders struck at the Clyde
Iron Works and at the National
Iron Works. The Clyde interests,
dominated by A. NJ. Marshall, de-
c1ared that the plant wou1d be per-
manent1y closed rather than to rec
ognize unionism. The National
Iron Works interests deliberately
met the Unions and, after frank,
thorough discussion of differences,
came to a very satisfactory Under
standing.
Now comes the Du1uth Show
Case Company, another A. NJ. Mar
shalt enterprise, kicking OFT and
locking out Union employees. AS a
result of all this, organized labor
IN Du1uth IS up IN arms. A bitter,
ruinous labor war is imminent.
Heavy loss of time and money will
follow any serious, extended indus.
trial dispute at this time. It does
seem as If the world has seen
enough of war during the past four
years.
It wou1d be a great blessing to
this community If A. NJ. Marshall,
and others similar to him, either
wou1d die or else cacth up with the
times. The days Of industrial
feuda1is1n are over. No man, today,
can safely say, "Unionism be-
damned" Even a wealthy capital
ist and manufacturer owes some
thing to both society and labor. The
day of collective bargaining certain
~ Is here. It behooves stiH-necked
employers not to unwise1y and tn
safely end that day. Big employ
ers are not infa11ib1e. Union men
neither are anarchists nor beggars,
with hats IN hand.
The quicker the A. M. Marshall
interests get together with organized
labor, equitab1y, peacably and IN a
friendly spirit, jest that much bet
ter will It be for those interests, the
labor Unions and the entire city Of
Duluth.
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-05-10
LOCAL STAGE IS DECEASED.

For a long period, champions OF
the theatre insisted that the stage
was teacher Of good morals, good
government, highbrow PHILOSOPHERS
and other e1evating things.
Those not so closely connected
with the stage, insisted that its chief
mission was to entertain and amuse.
Many a business man backed up
that argument by declaring that he
went to the theatre to be diverted,
after hard day of toll, and not to
think. -- ...
Today, entirely too many play
wrights, players and theatrical man
ayers have lost sight of the stage
even as a means of diversion, amuse-
ment and entertainment. The stage
with them is merely a net to catch
dollars that so easily fly away from
the majority Of the people.
To draw prurient crowds and
thereby catch their dollars, plays Of
today have sadly degenerated and
the bottom has not been reached.
How many Shakesperean companies
are there on the road todays How
many high-grade comic opera COM
panies, to say nothing of classic
opera, are playing to the American
peop1ea You can count them on
the fingers of one hand. Memory
fails to recall when Du1uth had a
real feast of SHAKESPEARE. Respect
able tunefu1 operas of musical va1ue
seem to shun Du1uth as one wou1d
the plague.
Coarse and 1ewd bur1eques, cheap
and silly comedies, tiresome and
1op-sided melodramas, s1apstick
stuff quite stitable for pagan den
izen of an African jungle, and so on,
ad infinitum, are what Du1uth the
atre patrons too often get today.
These expressions are not intended
to embrace the moving picture
houses. They are another story.
Once Upon time, when the city
was half It's present size, both the
Lyeeum and the old Temple thea
tres were welt patronized and only
legitimate plays and high grade
operas, comic and serious, were tot
Grated. Both ho1ses often played
to capacity and an unprofitab1e
house, # the play were proper one,
rarely was experienced.
Look at the Lyceun, the only saf-
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-05-10
THE UNITARIAN ORDINATION OF
REV. F. G. SOUTHWORTH.

Rev. Franklin Chester Southworth
was ordained to the ministry of the
First Unitarian church of Duluth on
the evening of Nov. 20, 1892.
The Unitarians have no creed and
the congregation selects its pastor
instead of a bishop or a house Of
elders. On that occasion, Rev. G.
H. MacCleliand, DR.. c. c. Saltcr and
Rev. G.. Fl. Kemp were present as
auditors.
The ordination and installation
services opened by an anthem by the
Arion quartet, once a popular body
Of singers that seldom is mentioned
in these days Of Madam Richards,
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-05-10
WE ARE THE NAMED.

In Flanders fields we do not lie
Where peoples grow and larks will
fly,
Forever singing as they go
Above the bodies, row on row,
OF those whose duty was to die.
We are the manned! Death did
deny
It's solace. Crippled, blind, we try
To find on earth the peace they
know
In Flanders fields.
Forget us not! As years go by,
On your remembrance we rely
For love that sees the hearts below
Our broken bodies. Else we grow
To crave our peace with those who
lie
In Flanders fields.
!. w. B. France.
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-05-10
A DREAM ABOUT BRICK THAT
NEVER CAME TRUE.

Out there in Carlton county, trib-
utary to Carlton, originally called
N. P. Junction, and Thomson, now
a deserted village, there are what
biologists call argillaceous states.
Back in 1892, J. M. Butler, a SON
in-law of Jay Cooke, the noted Phila-
delphia financier, had the st. Louis
County Brick Co., with which he
proposed to produce brick superior
to other brick, for many purposes.
The idea was to pulverize those
argillaceous states and then, by
proper admixture and fiery treat
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-05-10
A LITTLE TALK WITH OUR
FRIENDS AND PATRONS.

We wish to offer word of thanks
and appreciation to the many pa
irons of the Rip-saw. The Great
Family Journa1 Is more than hold
ing its own, thanks to the common
people, and there seems Absolutely
no danger of It dying, despite many
wishes that It would end its career.
It seems safe to say that some even
would be glad to help ~bump oft"
the one paper that talks IN plain
language and does not stutter when
It talks.
Thanks to an appreciative and
discriminating public, made up OF
men and women who do not believe
IN starving the brains that God gave
them, the Rip-saw's circulation thus
far IN 1879 has averaged Better than
$1,000 copies an issue.
If the people will It so, this rec
ord can be increased, rather than de-
creased. We realize, of course, that
the quality and character of the con.
tents greatly affects the circulation
It takes mech time and hard work
to give the people the inside infor-
nation that they desire.
So far, the Rip-saw has fallen
far short of coming up to OR ideals
and plans. When we do not succeed
IN one issue, one month or one year,
we propose to try IN the next Issue,
the next month and all through the
next year. The Rip-saw- has a mis-
sion to instruct and educate as well
as to entertain.
We ask and urge all OR friends
10 pot their patronage IN the form OF
paid subscriptions. That will en-
able rs to stand on a solid FONDA
ton. A strong, folly paid subscrip-
ton list Is an asset, while a street
and newsstand sale may quickly
become a liability.
If we make the Rip-saw bigger
and better, we naust know that we
stand on solid ground; that Our as
sets are safe and sure; that our ia
bilities are few, light and not dan
gerous.
We have plans, ideas and ideals
for the Benefit of our readers, but
those plans, ideas and ideals require
real money to carry oct. It you,
dear reader and friend, cooperate
in every possible way, the Rip-saw
will make the heather sit Up and
take notice as never before.
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-05-10

son. His lack of standing with the
local lawyers, his medocfity as a
lawyer, his eomp1acency IN paving
a devious way with a nade-to-order
opinions and his snarling, discourt-
cots manners when trying case,
certainly have made no hit with the
fellows contemporaries IN the prac-
tice law.
The best business men wanted no
more of Samue1son. Real business
men favor efficiency, courtesy and
general fitness IN a public servant
as we'll as for one In their own en-
p1oyment. Samue1son, after feur
years of service, certainly failed to
satisfy discriminating business men.
Organized labor, especially, was
opposed to further legal service
from Samue1son, as city attorney.
The Federated Trades Assembly
even appointed committee to ap-
pear before the commissioners to
protest against Samue1son's reten-
ton.
By some peculiar circumstance,
that committee failed to do its duty
or else got around after the secret
caucus had fixed up some sort of a
dark-1anterned-dea1. Organized Ia
boris wishes were neither heard nor
needed.
Labor's objections to the snar1ing
Samue1son were numerous and
sound. They shou1d have been at
least heard.
MIR. Samue1son originally was
given the position to act as an agent
! of the Vets, with and between them
and commissioner Silberstein. At
the time, too, he was a prominent
boil Elk in Minnesota and certain
members of the B. P. o. E. are cred
tied with having pushed his candi-
dizzy.
Little Tammany, the pie-counter
wing of local democracy, is credited
with having helped manipulate
Samuelson's retention as city attor-
ney. If such Is the case, then a ma
jority of the city commissioners
shou1d hang their heads In shame.
Excise has been made by at least
one commissioner that there was no
one else, save Frank Crasswe11er,
and he was not acceptable to organ
lied labor. We are inclined to doubt
that belief, bot have lacked oppor-
ttsnity to check up. It certainly is
a sad situation If John E. Samue1-
son is the only lawyer in Du1uth,
willing to serve the city for $4,000
year.
We are almost forced to believe
that political lightning rods and
eyes, looking towards the horizon
of two years. hence, lad entirely too
much to do with Samuefson's ne;
tention as city attorney.
Two years hence, If not before,
the people will have something to
say about municipal politics and
who shalt serve them as their MT
nicipal servants. Secret orders, silk
stocking Gibbs and a few Big Inter-
ests seem to have the ears of the
commissioners jest now.
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-05-10
A LITANY.

From painted women with stock
grimaces,
From varnish, and cant, and veneer,
and sham;
From the practiced lure Of uncandid
graces
From cheap prentions that scar and
damn;
From borrowed glamour, and social
clamor,-
From specious glitter, and foolish
show;
From sophistication, and malversa-
ton,
And the small designs Of the under
tow;
From flirts, and takers, and scandal
rakers,
From Founders, and FOUNDERS and all
their fry;