Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-02-02
The Ranbler'S ReVeries Along Persrnmon La

Travelled all over the far and mighty
west, and how strange 1t was that
the Rambler should encounter him in
the gold diggings of Montgomery
county. The Rambler recalled thai
Toner was born i'm Anactosia. and the
thoughts of the man who sat on the
pile of railroad ties flew away TO the,
majestic blue and purple nils that
rise back of the Eastern branch.
whose waters, two or three genera
tons ago, were deep and clear and
blue and silver. Then he fell to
thinking of the other Anacostia boys
who had gone out into the world ana
this recalled to him that day or two
ago, at the election of officers OF the
Washington Railway and Electric Com
pany and its subsidiary companies. he
had met a grave and dignified man. who
was just then being congratulated on
having been elected vice president OF the
company. He was down on the ballot
as rs. n. Bowen" 1t was Russell
Bowen, n long time ago of Anacostia.
He was then just Russ" Bowen.
Soon after this the Rambler stray
ed into a bank stockholders and di-
rectors' meeting, where they We're
talking dollars by the hundred thou
sand, and the sedate and dignifed
gentleman sitting at the head of
long mahogany table was George Q,
Watson, president of the Liberty
Bank. George and the Rambler used
to hunt Indians in Pencoat Cor Pan
coast's) woods. That was in the time
when the great city of Anacostia was
a village and before Washington had
become a suburb OF Congress Heights.
George and Russ were members or
the congregation that used 10 gather
around the stove in COMFY Weiss
drug store for the consideration and
settlement of the gravest problems in
the nations business. All matters of
political economy, diplomacy, hnancc
and mere politics were adjusted. All
matters relating to the theatef, pase
ball and District affairs were settled
with celebrity.
Among that old crowd Tor young
crowd ii was thcn) were Carroll
smith Arthur Mclean. Fred Daring,
Adam Bede, Doe Watson, Jack Moore,
Mr. Leonard, Charlie Burr, Charlie
Etzler. Beach PITCHER Waiter flsher'
VIII and Thorue Fisher. George haV-
enner, Johnny Kane, George Gray
Frank Haines, Fulton Carr, ed Ste
phenson. Jim McGirr. VIII Jordan,
Fred Linger, Ed MnniN, Jun Bartlett,
Harry Lohr, Gus Miller, Jimmy kea-
gan Jack Reagan, Charlie Dodge,
Tom Reardon, George King. Charlie
Roberts and many others These
bright spirits in handling such ques-
tons as the single tax, free SILVER,
District suffrage or the nebula ny
pothesis were never trammoled by
The gives or too much parliamentary
law. The only limitation put on de-
bate was that no speaker should up
set the stove and it was also ruled
that if debater during fit of elo-
quence should knock the old coal-oii
lamp out of it's bracket on the wall he
should pay the damage.
*
1t is a national loss that death.
marriage and other misfortunes have
broken up this parliament of peerless
controversionalists Could they be
called together from the ends of this
world and the other they might set
tie all the questions growing out OF
the war in one session. Now and then
Rev. Hugh Stevenson. Rev. Mr.. Nc
Culloch of the Baptist Church, Rev.
Mr.. McLaren of the NJ. F.. Church. DIR.
Davenport. of Emmanuel Episcopal
Church and Father Hughes of st.
Teresa's would come into the store
TO buy some peppermint or harmless
herbs and would urge moderation on
the part of the reformers. They
would perhaps say that the Constitu-
ton ought not to be rewritten and
the government turned upside down
and inside -Out without CafeIut con-
sideration. Capt. Pitcher, Capt. Fris
bic, DR.. Fisher. George Pyles, Jim
BeaH, Barnabas Bryan and other sub
stantial citizens would drop in and
admonish the debaters to be less rev.
olutionary, but the substantial citi-
zens were conservatives. and az the
Rambler remembers it, a conservative
IN that crowd of young speakers stood
about as much show as "A spring rab-
bit in the middle of pack of blood
hounds.
All the memories that came to the
Rambler were not of men as he sat
-on the pile of railroad ties by the
side of Persimmon Tree lane. There
came before his minds eye faces
that were sweeter and fairer than
those of men. He recalled Katie and
Rosa Grimes, Maggie Heating. Jennie
Bartlett, Corey Etzler. Cora Mclean,
Carrie Golden. Mildred Dodge. Bird
get Kane. Mary Quaide Mildred Peck,
Annie Smith. Betty Watson. Stella
Mayhem, Clara Darsey, Jennie Leon
ard, Matte Minnix. Martha Rose,
Julia Hardy. Katie Reagan. Ada
Brinkley and another who wore her
beautiful hair in long golden plat
and carried hSr school books with
jaunty air Above the pile OF rail-
road ties towers an ancient, knotty
pine tree. AS the memory of this
little golden haired girl comes before
the Rambler he will sign an affidavit
before n notary that the breaxeS in