Evening Star Newspaper, January 18, 1925, Page 75

THE SUNDAY' STAR, WASHINGTON, ' Washington’s Harness Makers of an Early Day Served Nation’s Leaders And Other Fig’ures in History, Says Rambler N the story of old harnessmakers, \ad ather and trunk firms, ; showed you last advert nt_in_ The 10, 1856, in tiention of - cheap trunk store, at That adver. signed “Topham and h facts as the Rambler s Smith Topham hed were the Rambler vou have for- harnessmakers Washing- Star he signers c Fubser to #addle, harness No. 499 Seventh nt ers a and street.’ was &ot relati the firm b d is in the his oe- and his between Th earlier a par: In 1860 nas Norflet business Kne firm had hirteenth north of (ter Norflet becan of the Ave- west of number ker store its Be street oppo- num- building n the it was Wash- rooms irents, 1847 n Adolph ed a_bak Eighth who a Anna is Mary | Sixth alle ginning made the Kneessi a stranger Jer, whe fur nds 1 ng used v saddle ar something hough the learned lexi- iys it ised in “modern will it used the the Civil had Gov ir s for duriy Kneessi n shab- t the corner the Sixth 1th side of d-a-ha habrach and s his ily in ought Wa tor otwern treet, Virginia ave- 1§ and-a-half street. A freight station covers the n which they lived. Tt the breaking of “the war,” that of 61 hat Kaspar Kneessl and Norfiet opened addle and 1 hop on the east side of Sixth hetween the Ave- nue and « reet from the which ¥ the nd that on National gr Th Kneessi Av tanding st side Hotel first building the Fall of 1863 t moved their of - Seventh d by Charlie i to Kloman's between D djoined the nd Frank the north overed by saloon and eating and E. Kloman's saloon harness st the sowth shoe was on of thess plac Lansburgh's department sto 1 feel q sure that taken by Kaspar Ku that in which James S. Topham gan business 1856 and from which he to 4 building he caused to ted in 1863 ad- Joining 0dd Fello i when re or site the essi ab. it 1863 ¥ the was ved to 1 Pennsylvania enue, the Kneessi store was moved the west side of Seventh street what had been the Topham building on the east side of the 4 N 1882, spham store KASPAR KNEE: There it is today K i owned by Frederick bearing the [\\:L hington Nailor. Allcott's stable, The busi- [on H between Thirteenth and Four- Kuspar Kneessi's | teenth streets, and Charles Earle, the W.. Mrs. Minnie | place of whose stable the Rambler ssman and Mrs. Anna Kelly, has forgot, were Kneessi customers. Kneessi did a large business mak-| Old men about the store tell with | ing and repairing harness for livery [pride that the firm made the set of ables and the names of some of |harness used by President Grant at hese customers may stir your mem- |one of his inaugurations. “It. was ory. Among them were Jim Pum- |a gold-plated harness with white phrey, who kept a stable on C street | buckskin lines,” said one of the men, back of the National Hotel: Johnsand “the lines hung around here for Price. who kept a stable on the ¢ long " This recalls to the side of Sixth street, between C strect | Rambler that he has the following and wvenue:; and uptown |note on James E. Topham livery Allison Nailor urnished Gen. Grant with hig children, al tin SSI STORE ON SEVENTHU STREET. PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN ABOUT 1883 BY STEPHEN LEACOCK. H Scene changed. This is Can-| on_City. That's Gonzales, the | begin. | oty from New York, one of the| on the| nen drinking, and that other is Dan Yegg, the bad man, and the rest, 1 guess, are bandits they must be. Now, Gonzalez is explain- |ink. " Tie's telling_about Bessemer Steel and Ascot Wright coming to hunt for the gold. . . Look how excited they get Vow it’s changed to Ascot and his friends. They're mounting on horseback. Doesn’t Maisie look nice in that short skirt? Look at the armed men! quite a troop of them. Big Jim, the sheriff, is point- and giving advice: T suppose i's going to that notice now Look at sereen— “Dead Men's Gotd. In Which Full-Blooded Men and Women Live and Love Among the Cactus and Chaperral Authorized by the Censor of New York State.” 1t looks good stuff, doesi't it? Now, off! s«semer Steel of New York, Ranker and Financier Has Spent His Life in the Amassing of Mil- lons." There he is in his office. desks and stenog: | Sen him speaking Into his desk tele- | 08 phc . | he's telling them the There, | phone. Say, isn't ho authoritativez|n€'s telling Now he's signing a cheque. Now he s%:,‘m”';nd""'“'a]‘“”f”"“ et receiving u telegram n taot by tOPRLED L AR et this time 1 think we've quite grasped| ooparated from Thoir Armed the idea that he's @ rich banker with| Jscorty Ascot wnd Cols COPPELS nopal st aLgue T Heart of Dead Men's Gulch." [hio JOnLy (TendarsSunt What's this? They've stopped. Banker's Heart 1s for His Ascot's _ pointing . . . Look—written tes, M B RoZ Eer - Hé on the wall in a strange lettering: Rothins “Pedro Alvares De Estorga See. the pictures are about 1621" lish the fact that Malsle | nothing. They gather round it H reading the inscription. . . e | fhey're going on—a sort of tunnel |In"the elifi—it's opening into a great cavern . . . and therel bones of dead | men,—and & steel breast-plate and part of & broken sword . . . and over in the corner gold piled up in bars, and great nuggets of it heaped up Ascot is picking up the gold and showink it to Maisie. Bessemer Steel has taken up a nugget and is exam- ining it, Ha! Ile's showing it and speaking: “I Estimate That There is at a Conservative Estimate Two Mil- lion Dollars Of Gold Lying at Our Feet” Sce all the phers round him.|; [ | i i trail. out Armed in the Daugh- Denies to estab- denied i . They're Now Wright, Bt vard,” dent at Har- | “Has Discovered i Hie Re- searches in the Harvard Library the Location of a Lost Gold Mine in a Cavern in Dead Men's Guich, | Near Gravevard Canyon, in Dead | Bones County, Nevada | Here we have him—Ascot researching in the library, | all Harvard students do. * ok kK New Evidently he’s struck something among the books—see him take a pa an old volue! er from the leaves of | He's examining it— | roaq Heavens! They hear some- | feverishly. Say, I can just tell that |, o780 CERUER G unnel. Here Ascot has_discovered a gold mine. | "8I FRR L do the cavern— The Manuscript, Written in | 4rmeq men—Gonzalez and Yegg and Latin by the Dying Spanish BEx- | ot T rushed at Ascot plorer, Pedro Alvarez De Bstorga. |anq the banker—three of them are s Deciphered by the Harvard |fighting Ascot all at once . . . EO Student.” to it. Ascot, attaboy There's Ascot. Look at him with 4 Now he's down—no, he's up again the paper in front of him, deciphering | _he's down—they're clubbing him— it! Now, what's it saying? and the banker, Dan Yegg has him “The Harvard Student Lays His Wright the way seel Film a Throbbing Thrill trunk when appointed to the com- mand of the eastern armies and al- s0 designed and made for him when President & $1,200 four-in-hand solid silver-mounted harngss which ~wa used and displayed at Long Branch. * K Kk ET us turn to the firm of Lutz & Co., in business at 1325 G street In an article in the June, 1910, issue of Trunks Leather Goods and Um- brellas it is written that “this firm conducts the oldest harness and trunk business in America The founder was John Alexander Lutz. He kept a harness store in Frederick, Md.; moved to the District of Columbia in 1804 and opened a harness and trunk store in Georgetown. On his death in 1841 the business was continued by his son, Francis Asbury Lutz, who closed the Georgetown store and opened one in hington, in 1853. That store was Pennsylvania avenue. Francls Asbury Lutz, 1st, was born in 1820 and dled in 1885, A few years after the Civil War the Lutz store was moved to 497 Pennsylvania avenue and remained there ‘until 1907, when the G street stors was opened. At the Francis Asbur close of the Civil War Lutz, 1st, was suc- ceeded in the business by his sons, Francis Asbury Lutz, 2d (born 154 died 1903), and John Alexander Lutz, under the firm name of Lutz & Bro. On the death of John the business continued under Francis Asbury Lutz, 2d, who took as a partner A. G. Gross. In 1895 Francis Asbur: Lutz, 2d,°retired from the business, which continued as Lutz & Co., the firm consisting of Franeis Asbury Lutz, 3d, A. G. Gross and H. 0. Plugge. Francis Asbury Lutz, 3d, retired from the firm in 1911 A. G. Gross died about two vears ago and the surviv- ing member of the firm is H, O. Plugge. The Rambler takes from “Trunks, Leather Goods and Umbrellas”: “Many historical asso- ciations are connected with this old- time store. While originally a har- ness shop catering to the bes of trade, Mr. Lutz was one of the pio- neers in the trunk trade of Washing- ton, and the record of sales bears the names of many notable personages in national history. “Among those Lutz store was J the following who patronized the Wilkes Booth. On the afternoon before President Lin- coln was shot, Booth entered the store and Inquired for the proprietor. whom he knew quite well. Mr. Lutz was absent, and Booth left hastily. expressing disappointment. “The incident, though considered trivial at the time, proved a fortunate one for the young harness maker in the prosecution of the conspiratc 1 available evidence was used by the Government to connect Booth's friends with the crime A relic of those dark days Is in possession of the firm. It is the spur worn by Booth when he ped from the theater and which caught in the drapery of Lincoln's box when Booth jumped to the stage. The pair of spurs, of which this was one, had been sold by Mr. Lutz to Booth & short time before.” When the Lutz store was moved to Washington from Georgetown in | 1853 there were four other saddle an harness stores in this city. Th were carried on by Daniel Campbell, William H. Goods and F. Germ In the directory of 1853 are ente Daniel Campbeil. saddler, north side | of Pennsylvania avenue between Four-and-a-ahalf and Sixth streets— house, Massachusetts avenue between Sixth and Seventh west; F. Germull- ler harness maker, west side of Sev- enth between I and New York avenue; Willlam H. Goods, saddler, corner Seventh west and [—house, Tenth tween New York avenue and K street; Francis A. Lutz, saddler, north side of Pennsylvania avenue between Four-and-a-half and Sixth—house, Sixth between G and H; Thomas Nor- flet, saddler, north side of G between First and Second east. * This advertisement the rectory may interest you bods, saddle, harness and anufacturer, corner 1 and streets, opposite Dorsey's Hotel. W.| H. G. keeps constantly on hand sad- dles, harness, trunks, whips and col- lars with every other article in their | line of business, all of which will be #0ld on the most reasonable terms N. B. Old saddles and harness taken in exchange for new. Also repairing at the shortest notice.” There was a saddler and maker in Washington about 185 no doubt earlier—whose name was Thomas Fitman, but the Rambler did not take the time to look up facts about him. The only Fitman in the 1853 directory was T. Fitman (prob- ably Thomas), a clerk in the Pension Office, who lived on the north side of I between Sixth and Seventh west 1853 di- ‘W. H trunk | in harness They're both insensible—inanimate on the floor of the cave—now they've grabbed Maisie—they're binding her with cords. There, they've gathered her up . . . ve put the gold Into bags ‘re_carrying Malsie and the gold down the tunnel, Now they're lifting her into a motor car . . . they'reoft . . . out of the gulch fading into the dis- tant hills . . . gone. * K ok ¥ TS inside the cave again As- cot and Bessemer Steel flat on the sand. Look, Ascot moved his arm . he's reviving F Bessemer Steel is reviving too. They'll both be all right in a few minutes. They were only clubbed with rocks and stabbed and choked. Eais Didn't T tell you? . . . Ascot has stood up . he is speaking to Bessemer “They Have Walled Up Mouth of the Tunnel” Look at the horror on Bessemer Steel's face now's he's speak- ing: “Ascot, We are Lost. Thers is Nothing in Front of Us but a Slow Death.” But look at Ascot . . . see his set jaw and his clinched hand and his brave face! See what he say “We Are Not Lost, Mr. Steel. Can Save Us Yet. Whatever is Ascot doing now? he's picking up the broken bit the old Spanish armor . . ting things together . . . what's he making? He's taken out a long thin wire from his pocket, a coll of It . . . he's fastened a weight to it, he's thrown it to the roof of the cave it's caught on a jag of rocks now he's fastening it down tight on the ground and attaching something to it. Ab, T catch on, T sce it, don't you? There it is ‘Ascot Wright with the Aid of a Wire and the Fragments of old Armor and an Electric Torch Makes a Radio. ‘Mr. Steel, in Five Minutes I Shall Be in Communi- cation with Canyon City.' " Look! He's getting into communi- the T { of . he’s fit- cation . . . zik—zik—see the big down and Is throttling him—That's Discovery Before the Great Fi- |the way, choke him—lkeep it up nancier.” « Now this is really enjoyable, (Continued on Sixth Page) v 4 | fessional 7th |a D. 0., JANUARY 18, 1925—PART 5. Washington Woman Has Florida Exhibit Showing Seminole Indian Village Where Tribe Members Preserve OId Traditions BY GEORGE H. DACY. VER the length and breadth of America's expansive map there Is no other city that can surpass Washington in the number of women that are employed in strange and curlous professions, and the most extraor- dinary is the occupaticn of Mrs. L. J. ‘Acker, who spends her Winters down in the latitude of beautiful Miami Fla, where she Is manager of the argest exhibition Seminole ‘Indian village In the land of our last fron- tier. Thiy Washingtonian, who really works only six months in the year, as financial returns from her un- usual terprise are surprisingly large, spends her Summers in the Na- tional Capital, where she and her husband, who is a prominent patent attorney, own and occupy a large and beautifuily furnished home. Every year, when the migratory birds pack their handbags and pre- pare for their flight, which will carry them a thousand miles or more closer to the equator, Mrs. Acker makes ready for a similar and temporary trip to the sunny South. She doesn't fly to Florida, as, although she {s in- terested fn aviation, she has not yst purchased a private plane, but she does drive her closed car over the cross-country route. If you are famillar with the At- lantic Seaboard, you will know that Miam| and West Palm Beach are the Wintertime capitals of Amerlcan society ‘These thousands of Winter tourists who makes headquarters in Miami have to be entertained. They delight in_educational entertainment. Fifteen minutes' motor ride from Miami {s Hialeah, the great land project which James Bright, & suc- sful ranchman, and Glenn Curtis: internationally famous for his aero- nautical experimentation, have re- claimed at the headlands of the mystical Everglades. Mr. Bright came from the North many years ago, and Inaugurated a wonderfully successful stock ranch at Hialeah—a section which had long been npted as the health and homing grounds of the Seminoles Local residents said that impossible to grow any grass except Bermuda In southern Florida. Mr. Bright thought other- w He demonstrated that he was right by introducing productive trop- ical grasses from equatorial reglons, and growing them in great luxuri- ance on his remarkable ranch. Several years ago Glenn Curtiss, lured by the attractions of Hialeah's admirable Winter climate, migrated to the region where Osceola and his tribesmen, many years ago. resisted the attacks of the United States Army for n_ years before they finally were subdued. In brief, Glenn Cur- s purchased a part of the Bright ranch, and in the course of time joined resources with James Bright in developing Hialeah as the leading sports center of Florida * % % % TOPAY the former hunting grounds and battlefields of the silent Seminoles are the scenes of grey- hound races. A huge auditorium has been buflt, where match games of jai-lai, the Spanish ball game, are ayed every night as great crowds ok on. A new million-dollar racing plant has latterly been completed, as the Florida Legislature has legalized Lorse racing in the land of Winter sunshine. A great experimental avi- atlon fleld and hangar facilitate Mr Curtiss' aeronautical research. A splendid golf course, with some of the best grass greens in Dixie, an- other sports attraction. And then there is Willie's Seminole Indian vil- lage. which carries the visitors back century or so to the days when the present sites of Floridian citles were the camp grounds of the swarthy eminoles. Mrs. Acker has for many years been identified with professional entertain- comes from a family of . one of the most nota- ble of whom was her brother, Nicho- las Howard, who was the first pro- performer in the world to “loop-the-loop” successfully in, an utomobile . Previous to her acceptance of the managership of the Seminole village Mrs. Acker toured the United States in charge of several bands of native musicians from Guatemala. If you think it is a simple matter to handle between one and two hun- dred Seminoles. who still do and al- ways will feel antagonism toward white men, you should keep tab on one of Mrs. Acker's busy days and study the multiplicity of riddles which constantly arise and which she has to solve. To begin with, she is trying to mas- ter the Seminole language, which is about as difficult as attempting to learn the Chinese tongue. She has to gain and hold the trust and confi- dence of the Indlans. She has to pro- tect the redskins against bootleggers. Like most other American savages, the Seminoles crave strong drink. The eastern coast of Florida teems with bootleggers, ready and anxious to exchange “white mule” for Indian cash. The Indian village greyhound race track, the Jjai-lai courts and the Miami Jockey Club. During the Winter season of 1923-24 more than 210,000 visitors paid 25 nts aplece to see the last of the Seminoles and how they live. Tt you take the trouble to figure this up you will note that the entertalnment enterprise turned over gross receipts that aggregated more than $52,500 Of course, the village expenses and the salaries of the Indians had to be deducted. Notwithstanding, when Mrs. Acker deposited her share of the profit in the bank the figure which the cashier entered in her bank book was larger than any of the salaries or business incomes of the great majority of the women who work in Washington. The Seminole Indians are offshoots of the Creek Tribe of Georgia. Scores and scores of years ago some of these nomadic Creeks departed from their home villages and mi- grated to Florida, where they estab- lished new headquarters. They were called Seminoles by the other Indian tribes. This word really means “out- cast: The Seminoles increased and multi- plied. Florida was 2 happy hunting ground in those days. The variety of wild game was large. Both the fresh-water and salt-water streams teemed with fish. It was an Eden of plenty and independence for the Indlans it was strains of sev is next to the * Kk %k HEN came the white settlers. Covetous to possess the finest land and the best camp sites, they gradually drove the red men farther and farther back into the Everglades. Treaties were made—and broken. Finally, the Seminoles revolted, un- der the leadership of Osceola, Johnny Bowlegs and other eminent chieftains. For seven years regiments of regu- lars from the United States Army fought and pursued the Seminoles. The Indians knew the devious paths of the Everglades. They were pro- ficient in cunning strategies and in woodcraft. Time and again, they led the bluecoated soldiers into am- buscades. It was not until 1842 that the Seminole warfare was concluded, with Uncle Sam'’s soldiers the victors. Ultimately, the Government pro- vided lands and reservations for the Seminoles in Oklahoma. The Semi- A FEW OF THE DIR! TON. EMINOLES WHO HAVE GONE INTO THE SHOW BUSINE: noles, mate North cam trib accustomed to the warm cli- |Seminole hunters use bows and arrows of Florida, refused to move |as well as modern guns, in these sallies and West. That is how they |into the wilderness after d hon to be a race without a home, a | panthers, bear, wild turkeys and varf without recognition. ous game birds. As settlement advanced in Florida,| The dress of the remnant Seminoles wormed their | sisting of gaud ways deeper into the Impenetrable Everglades. There they continued their nomadic existence. Plagues and disease decimated their numb. day, in all Florida, there re than 500 Seminoles—the leftovers Indian families which once numbere many thousand. Chieftain Jack peacemaker of the Sem Osceola was their fighting Tigertall always was a cept the peaceful offerings of the white race. Time and again, after th. days of Osceola, Tigertail, by diplomacy, saved the Seminoles frc the colore )y any American red- blue, green, vellow and lar among them, to t their towi like t ments worn skins. Red black are pc extent that ments look modern cire The squaws wear dozens of ads twined around th he men of 1 custom of their boc trunks brave gauds them strings Tigertail w the , just as ader. ious to ac- of be emino dozen wear For example has six blouse handkerch The handkerchie MRS. L. J. ACKER AND THE CAR WHICH SHE DRIVE! WASHINGTON TO FLORIDA EACH WINTER. other wars. Tigertail was a power- ful Indian of fine physique. Today his pictures are used on direction signs, in different parts of Florida, which show the way to Hialeah. Chief Charlie Willie, a veteran Sem- inole, 70 years old, is head of the ex- hibition village which Mrs. Acker super- vises. Within the palm leaf walls of the stockade are the homes of the In- dians, open on ail sides and made of similar material. Even chickens are | raised, as well as wild ducks from the | Everglades, which have been domesti- cated. The Seminoles live chiefly on meat and rice, as well as fine and coarse corn- meal, which they grind themselves. They use curious hollow sticks like pestles to ald in this milling process. Fresh meat for the Indians is furnished by regular hunting partles that go into the Everglades after wild game. The FROM will be knotted loosely around his neck, cowboy fashion. He will wear the shirts one above the other. * ok ok % kes are the enemies the white to guard against when they go on hunting trips into the Everglades. As a result, they wear high leather boots, puttees and simi- lar protectors against snake bites. One Miami sportsman has lined a pair of canvas puttees with aluminum plates, linked together like ancient armor. You can throw a sharp knife against one of these armored puttees and the sharp point will recoil as from a marble wall Notwithstanding hunters need leg and of this variety for hunting trips, the ¢ OISONOUS dangerous hunters have sn most the ite protectors Sverglades Indians that foot heir ninole THE SEMINOLE WOMEN WEAR SEVERAL POUNDS OF BEADS AROUND THEIR NECKS. NOTE THE HAIR CUT AND HAIR ORNAMENTS IS invariably nce | | n minole barefooted h Mealcal no record s dled from asin or rattler Co. first Hiale; I caddies gular work that do not the game sporting ex- wera nevertheless, has rade s as arch- extra- ordinary ous pro de turned into wor ft. That into th What had t when the no how they ha show business Willie Chief Charl Seminoles into dian village and ina traordinary educatio the sons tative 4 the « After gura al exhibit that he co n and pu business and keep tented happ: Indians and That was how ally hired thereafte in the pre An experience r Acker which is as al as thot from the of fic etimes accompanies the Ir n hunters trips fnto the ‘wild and matt ades after wild game. On this particular dav, how over, the Seminoles went without their guardian. When they were late in returning to the village Mrs Acker started out after them her automobile. For distance es an improved from Miaml into the meantime the hunters their dugout canoes. couldn’t find Mrs. Acker either at the village or the Hialeah Hotel, where she lives, they organized a searching party and combed the entrances the Everglades. Finally they found Mrs. Acker and her stalled automo bile. In this twentieth century there no other Washington woman who n boast of having been rescued from the Everglades wilderness by Sem nole savages. As a result of her kind and fair treatment, the Seminoles have come to 1 and respect Mrs Acker. They call her “Washington stago,” which {s the Seminole f Washington lady befell Mrs in of approximately 40 highway leads Glades. In the returned i When the HE Seminole the Willia Willie village make Indian goods, suc as fancy bags, gay-colored beads and similar articles, which they sell tourists. The men hunt otter for thei pelts and alligators for their valuable hides. The hides are converted into extraordinary leather goods, which are also sold in the village. Some of these Indians have also heen in_motion pictures produced neighborhood of Hialeah. Willie, who prides himself his stylish clothes and immacy ap parel. is the Seminole headliner of Floridaflmia. William McKinley, grandson of the fumous Osceola, is the chamy sator wrestler of his tribe has been fiimed | scenes The Flor actors in_the Willie on alli- and also in many “movie Indians use ordinary tin cans as money bags. They con- wealth somewhere out in Everglades. these banks are practically burglarproof, for the most of modern highwaymen would not even venture into the unmapped wilderness, where the Seminoles hide their gold ana siive Hialeah is the Seminole Prairie,” which descr adjoining the village of Willle Willic The village site is property which the Seminoles hold in that neighborhood. They refuse to sell it, despite ofters high as $40,000 for the piece of land, which covers one-half of an acre. During Midwinte the favorite | dances of the Seminoles are staged as | resular attractions. They include the snake dance, fire dance and the won- derful sun dane one of the most brilliant of spectacles. During the ceremonial dance |son Mrs. Acker has to be on guard | constantly to that none of the | Beminoles obtain any firewater. Bristles on Head. THE African crowned crane derives its name from the curious fa straw-colored crest of wiry the back of its head, says Nature Magazin This crest, with the long neck, bare face and bushy black feathers of the top of the head, give the bird a striking appearance. for “High the region sea | shaped | bristles that_adorns