Evening star., 1932-12-18

shipaey. So he sent for of his enlisted
soldiers named Lovejoy, who accepted the chal-
lenge and appeared ready for the fray. He
was very large man, well proportioned, and
stood about six feet high. Shipley was nearly
the same height and very bony and muscular,
but not so stout as Lovejoy. The crowd having
formed ring. the combatants went into the
fight with will, those in the crowd OCCASION
ally cheering and otherwise encouraging their
choice of the men.
In those days the practices Of gouging
choking and biting very much in vogue
among the bullies, and when one would sue
coed in getting the other down the first thing
he would do would be to feel for his antagonists
eyes and there insert his thumb or finger and
If possible force out an eye. If he could not
succeed thus in making his opponent cry enough
he would seize him by the throat and choke
him, when if he would signify that he had
enough the bystanders would separate them.
In this case. however, Shipley and Lovejoy
pounded each other awhile, then closed and
wrestled until one of them slipped and they
fell in the mud together. Shipley proved too
active for his adversary and succeeded in get
ting on top of him when he instantly felt for
Lovejoys eyes which he smeared full of mud
The crowd parted them, raised Lovejoy up and
proceeded to wash the mud from his eyes and
face; but, alaS LOvejOy was blind man for
the. remainder of his days. Since then have
seen him led about the streets of Georgetown
by boy With Shipley, who was a tailor and
lived in Georgetown, was we'll acquainted
A LTHOUGH early ordinance passed by
the City Council provided penalty for
injury done to the trees ordered planted along
the Avenue by President jefferson, yet as
ornaments or as shade trees they did not prove
success, and through the fact that many of
them died. We find. in 1884. EnglAh elms
taking the place of the poplars along the side
walks As they died, or were destroyed by ac-
cident, they were replaced in turn by lindens
horse e-cheStnuts, naples, ash tree of Heaven,
English sycamore and other varieties
When the District of Columbia came into
being, and the original proprietors of the land
included in the city of Washington decided
their farms to the Federal Government. it was
expressly reserved to the property holders 70
have the right to the growing wood excelt
such as the Commissioners might select and
pay for.
Much of the District was then covered with
original timber, but the Commissioners seem
to have been satisfied with the bargain they
had made in purchasing for public reserva-
tions 5S1 acres at $665O an acre and since
there was SO much wood in the city at that
time. failed to save substantially any for the
future. What was saved due to private
we are told that Of the trees still standing
about 1900, there a beautiful grove in the
block where now meets the Association of Oldest
Inhabitants (between Eighteenth and Nineteenth
and G and H streets. On the north side of
Pennsylvania avenue, between the Capitol ard
White House, there were several acres of 'ele-
CANT forest trees" and on the south side "only
q narrow strip"
Perhaps one of the largest areas of woodland
at that time in the city the white oak
slashes, which in a general way are said to
have extended from Seventh to Fifteenth
streets. and some distance north of New YORK
avenue. Hines locates it north of the Poor
House, a part of which still stands on the
north side Of M street, between Sixth and Sew
enth, and tells us it was all in woods. and also
that when "the Government commenced build
ing the Navy Yard wharf, the timber was
nearly all taken from the white oak sashes in
the northern Fart of the city. large num-
ber of citizens who could handle the ak com-
mef1eed the work Of telling and hewing trees
Tor that purpose few of whom still reme,r1-
Der, viz: sMr Belt and his three sons Joseph
Benjamin and Otho; Mr.. Joseph Dove and his
son. John, and, and I think, Thomas Dove
brother of Joseph My father who, was a
zimmerman, or coarse carpenter, and could
handle the broadax pretty WELL and my three
older brothers, John, Henry and Daniel, Joined
in the work with the Others"
The same author gives us an early descrip-
ton OF jenkins farm. long since built up with
residences and business houses, and speaks of
the only road by which the white oak sIashes
could then be reached as "along an old worm
fence
A MOTHER grove of trees is recorded as hav-
ing stood Just to the south of the Southern
Building, at Fifteenth and H Streets where for
many years was st. Matthews Church Il
have gathered hickory nuts myself" says Mr.
hut in, no
course of a few years the trees were all cut
down. except seven which were left standing
for several years longer. and which were in
closed. These were known as the Seven Oaks"