The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-07-12
IN A REMINISCENT MOOD
Harry M. Wtse Recalls Boom Days in Chatanoosa-Capt
Elliott Was Unique Character.

fair measure OF fame. but have not
infrequently thought on seeing some OF
his fearfully and wonderfully made PER-
formances In printed pages. that at
least one Chinaman lacked a good deal
However, It was not especially China
men nor any other mere men that l
had In mind when beginning this sketch.
II was women. or girls. and rather
pretty ones, too. The other day some.
thing was said about the Palace hotel
mattresses. The idea took pretty firm
hold in cosmopolitan Chattanooga:
Cap" Elliott brought In a force Of
girls TO act as disciples OF Hebe and
great granddaughter Of Gambrinus, In
a beer and concert hall. Frank Mar
quet employed a feminine orchestra
for a period at his establishment, which
must have occupied part Of the space
now covered by the Hamilton National
Bank building. They seemed we'll
behaved aggregation. but taking ac-
count OF the environments and the char
acter OF average patrons. there was an
q 9S Of Rassnss Or rsaasss s chsS
nooga Of that day. A better class OF
patrons attended in paying numbers
every night. and the fair musicians be-
came so popular that silver service
Of some sort was presented TO them;
In 2 formal way: a prominent rInent o Thasa
was nothing special about all this. ex-
cept that something passed without
causing any special comment, which
would be quite out OF the question In
1919. so far did this fad OF femininism
GO that leading bsrSsr shop proprietor for
women BARRIERS. having II seriously In
mind to thus equip his big establish
ment.
Long Way on.
Plenty OF US are old enough to re.
member when San Francisco was about
as distant from Chattanooga as 10
Manila these days: when New Orleans
occupied about the relative position OF
Paris at the present time. and Cincin-
natl was so well removed from the
site of our forthcoming auditorium
that one could go up there and come
home with q pretty ablebodied lie and
make 1t stand alone easy as falling
off log" When anybody went TO San
Francisco he was expected to bring
lows eye start from their sockets,
about Chinatown. the Barbary coast,
or whatever 1t was, and II he went to
New Orleans he was q milksop and a
n,ollycoddle II he didn't tell something
hair-raising about some mahogany hall
Or walnut-tinted paradise OF tough
ness. And so 1t went. II a visit were
perchance made to Paris. heaven help
US for what we confidently expected to
high links" generally. Our
most prolific source of supply. albeit
Of less pungent commodity. was Gin
ctnnati. and II was always expected
that a certain playhouse across the
Rhine" would do its full duty in fur
'ishing food for pruriency But fiddle
sticks! In the first place, there was
very little In the Cincinnati concern or
If 1t to Justify its reputation. One
night go there dozen times ana not
zee or hear anything more satisfac-
DRY in the way of naughtiness than
current near-beer Is to one who wants
% acquire that millionaire feeling. But
started a show house in
9osey block, out on Carter street that
made the most daring ventures of that
'ver the Rhine establishment seem
weak as sillibub would to a thirsty
'atlor just landed from a six months
eetotally dry voyage, with water,
water everywhere, nor any drop to
rink" And the toughness OF this
'osey block theater was just the kind
o appeal to the degenerate. Beer 60
ng all the time and served by brazen
emales who wanted to help drink II
md didn't scorn to suggest whisky as
! chaser. while of course scent
'ackage Of cigarettes at. say, so cents.
vas an entirely expected accompani-
nent. Then there were tobacco smoke |
% thick you could cut 1t with knife;
profanity Of the most senseiess and
'rutal type; a fight whenever you
IL. and whether you wanted 1t
" not II you were not careful: any,
hing. everything pertinent to just that
ind OF resort which has always been
ne Dest friend OF any cause looking to |
lnal absolute prohibition.
UnaccountabIe Characters.
Cap Elliott was one OF the most |
characters that ever
sured In Chattanooga history. He |
vas tall and thin, which characteristic |
e nearly always accentuated by |
Wearing stovepipe hat. His hair was |
ark. his eyes hazel, I would say, his !
owing mustache red, his tout ensem-
lie. somewhat dandifried. He often
ttected cane for ornamental pur-
oses only. He had pleasing manners,
ood address. and suspect a kindly |
cart despite his fatal leaning toward |
ure cussedness. He drank, smoked,
hewed, swore. gambled. cheated,
went all the gates''-and when he
went broke" Joined the church, sung
the choir. exhorted, prayed, bor-
owed $500 from one of the pillars.
ought a butcher shop. ran it few
,onths, sold out for what he could get
nd invested the proceeds in one of
ne meanest saloons we ever boosted.
While engaged in conducting that, he
ngaged actively in politics. advertis-
lg openly, by streamer stretched in
ont, that he would pay cash for reg
tration certificates. He bought lots
them, too. at from a dollar to two
ollars and a half apiece. What Char
" Stanley and other republicans did
help him along in this enterprise
lay he another story