Reminiscences of Dr. Langstaff
Lacrosse in the old days
Panels
Lacrosse in the old daysEveryday lifeStreet lightingChristmas timeHorse and buggy daysAnecdotesAdvent of horseless carriage”The Liberal” March 1, 1956.
Looking backward over the years it might be well to record the fact that Richmond Hill had back in the 80’s a very outstanding lacrosse team, the “Young Canadians". A team that very seldom lost a match. At that time I was the youngest player in the second twelve and thus had a good chance to learn of the players first hand. There was a gold medal awarded for the best team in Ontario west of Toronto and extending to Windsor. Any team winning this medal and holding it against all challengers for three years was allowed to keep it permanently. Brampton won the medal and held it until October of the third year; when Richmond Hill challenged Brampton and succeeded in defeating them.
Heavy Betting
Brampton was very much wrought up about this defeat. They chartered a railway train and ran an excursion to Richmond Hill. The nearest station at that time was Maple and from there they came to Richmond Hill by horse-drawn vehicles. When in Richmond Hill the betting was very rife. The Brampton people walked about waving “the long green” and in Richmond Hill they found plenty of takers. One Richmond Hill hotelkeeper was said to have put up $100.00, equal to $500.00 by today’s values In those days it was decided by the best 3 goals out of 5. Our boys won by three straight games and the match was soon over. Many teams challenged Richmond Hill in the next three years, but the medal is still here.
Line-up
The Young Canadian players were as follows: Arthur Pugsley (captain), Dave Pugsley, Sunny Major, Tommie Young, Ben Brown, Walt. Wiley Jack Piper, Steve Searle, Milton, Palmer, Geo. Derry, Clarence Skeele, Frank Powell, with Mark Wilson as field captain. Special mention should be made of Jas McConaghy, who was a wonder fui goal keeper. When he left the tillage he joined the Ottawa team and while there James McConaghy the world’s championship long throw record. My recollection is that the distance was a little over 149 yards.
Played In Field
In the past Lacrosse was played in an open field, with the goals about 125 yards apart. The game was played with 12 to a side, lined up in pairs down the field. Much longer locrasse sticks were used in those days.
One day when the team went to Toronto to play I tagged along as a young lad. After the game was over the two teams repaired to the Bay Horse hotel on Yonge St., on the east side just below Queen. As was the custom the home team paid for the meal about 50c a plate in those days. There was good feeling all round and much cheering as we left. As there was a lull in the cheering as we left one Torontonian could not resist the temptation of calling out a safe journey to the Richmond Hill “Hey Seeds”. Our field captain, who was standing on the seat of the van waving his hands, shook his fist down at the Toronto crowd and assured them that they were all a lot of D—timothy.
The Bear
As we neared Hogg’s Hollow, it had become quite dark and someone mentioned the fact that there was a bear tied up in the Hollow close to Yonge St., whereupon a passenger, not a player, begged that the van be stopped while he would give an exhibition, showing what he could do with a bear by way of a wrestling match. It is surprising how brave and reckless a person be¬comes when he has had a few drinks of Spiritus Frumenti. The van did not stop, however.
When we came out of school one day there were two men in the middle of the street, each with a brown bear on the end of a long rope. These bears would perform, waltz, roll over, climb a tree, etc. Presently the tin cup was passed around collecting a few pennies from the crowd. I understand that these were European brown bears and easily tamed, although they wore muzzles as the law demanded.
News spread rapidly by grapevine one day that a man in Maple had a bear and that it was on the loose, making straight for Richmond Hill, through the grain fields. There was no need to ring the curfew that day, the people quickly vanished from the streets. No doubt bruin was in hiding and hoping that he would never see a human being again.
Exciting Experience
At one time, a Mr. Bowman of Almira, a small village about seven miles north-east of Richmond Hill, had a bear which he kept tied up in the yard with a long chain. One day a young woman got a little too close and the bear grabbed her. The young woman gave vent to a scream the like of which only a terrified female could produce. This caused the bear to relax his hold, where up on the young woman instantly showed her heels and was back in the house in a matter of seconds. One day the bear got loose and I could be found nowhere. After a diligent search it was concluded that he had gone back to the woods. However in about a week the bear turned up at the kitchen door looking for a handout. He had gone into the mow and buried himself up in the hay maybe thinking it was time to hibernate but hunger got the better of him.
A Big Chance
One day my father received a call to go to the Bowmans’ and as a small boy I went along for the ride. I was left to wander around outside while my father was in seeing his patient. In my wanderings I came across the bear. The first thing I did was to give the bear a poke In the ribs with a clothes pole. The bear immediately stood up on his hind legs, opened his mouth wide and showed a mouthful of wicked looking teeth. He looked quite angry. Next I tried tossing him a ripe tomato from the garden close by. He caught this tomato in his mouth, closed his jaws like a steel trap, sending the juice a-flying. He now looked to be in a more amiable mood. I kept on tossing the tomatoes to him until it was about time for my father to come out. I was too young to realize that had this heavy bear chosen to make a run at me, instead of standing on his hind legs, he might have easily snapped the rather slender looking chain that held him. Had my father, on coming out, seen the bear sitting up holding in his mouth a piece of shirt belonging to his heir apparent, it would have been the surprise of his life.
The words heir apparent brings to my mind a riddle which I heard while I was attending the Centennial at Philadelphia in 1876. This riddle was mentioned several times and stuck in my young mind. Q. What is the difference between a man and a monkey? A. A man is an heir apparent but a monkey is a hairy parent.
More Bears
A good many years ago a man in Richmond Hill owned a bear. He kept it in a pen on Richmond Street near where Hall St. joins Richmond. He kept it in a pen and one day I was looking in at the bear through the bars, when the owner came along. The owner suggested bringing the bear out on a leash. However, he brought it out on a long rope. 1 doubt if I ever saw an animal so overjoyed to get out in the open. It ran this way and that, up a tree and down, up on the fence where it sat on the post. “Smiling like a basket of chips”. Presently it made a quick run and jerked the rope out of Bert’s hand. It made across what was then a nine acre field, on the gallop, with Bert in hot pursuit. It is surprising how fast a clumsy animal like a bear can run for a short distance. It is doubtful if a human being could escape on foot. When Bert arrived at the other side of the field, the bear was up on the fence, sitting on the post. Bert approached cau-tiously and got hold of the end of the rope. With some persuasion the bear went back into his pen.
End of Bruin
As bears get their growth, they sometimes have a tendency to become temperamental, especially males. As time went along Bert sent for Mose, who came with his rifle, and that was the end of poor bruin.
Bear Stories
A few ‘Believe it or nots” about bears: Workman in a camp noticed a bear coming up the path. One, man went out and shot it. When he went up to the bear he found that it wore a leather collar. A tame bear coming to make a friendly call. A woman hung out her washing along the top of a bank. Two bear cubs came along, stood on their hind legs, pulled the washing off the line and rolled down the bank, coming back for more. When they had about finished the woman came out and chased them away with woman's weapon, a broom.
My sister said that when she was in Yellowstone a bear came into her tent and that she booed it out.
Fettie Fisher was chased around a stump by a bear. Feltie was religious and prayed as he ran. Getting no response, he turned and downed the bear with one fell swoop of his axe, showing that faith without works is dead.
An Eskimo was chased around his igloo by bear. The Eskimo was so speedy and enduring that he tired the bear out. The bear gave up and walked away.
Bears were plentiful in the north at one time and it was not uncommon to see one tied up along the highway, until one day a child lost its life trying to feed one of the bears. Some woodsmen tossed out food to bears at noon time. But the bears arrived early, the men ran for the lunch boxes but the bears got there first.
In a protected area woodsmen were bothered with bears stealing food, even it were place in a well, with heavy planks and stones covering the well. One man covered a stick of dynamite with fat and then ran a wire to his storage battery in his car. When the bear took the dynamite in his mouth, the man closed the switch and the bear lost is head. Bears draw victims close, not to use them but to bite them with very powerful jaws. If ever I am again tempted to write I will try not to wander off and talk of wild animals such as lions, tigers and leopards.
Some Sound Advice
When the people at home try “Bringing Up Father,” I explain how impossible it is for an old leopard to change his spots. However I am informed that the big idea is to keep him from getting more spots.
One wonders nowadays at all these young fellows getting married about as soon as they get out of their teens. Do they think that once they are married they will get their own way ever after.
A young woman took exception to something her fiancee said or did and decided to take him to task. She mentioned the incident to her mother and received some smart advice. The mother said: “Don’t, wait till we ge’ him.”
Looking backward over the years it might be well to record the fact that Richmond Hill had back in the 80’s a very outstanding lacrosse team, the “Young Canadians". A team that very seldom lost a match. At that time I was the youngest player in the second twelve and thus had a good chance to learn of the players first hand. There was a gold medal awarded for the best team in Ontario west of Toronto and extending to Windsor. Any team winning this medal and holding it against all challengers for three years was allowed to keep it permanently. Brampton won the medal and held it until October of the third year; when Richmond Hill challenged Brampton and succeeded in defeating them.
Heavy Betting
Brampton was very much wrought up about this defeat. They chartered a railway train and ran an excursion to Richmond Hill. The nearest station at that time was Maple and from there they came to Richmond Hill by horse-drawn vehicles. When in Richmond Hill the betting was very rife. The Brampton people walked about waving “the long green” and in Richmond Hill they found plenty of takers. One Richmond Hill hotelkeeper was said to have put up $100.00, equal to $500.00 by today’s values In those days it was decided by the best 3 goals out of 5. Our boys won by three straight games and the match was soon over. Many teams challenged Richmond Hill in the next three years, but the medal is still here.
Line-up
The Young Canadian players were as follows: Arthur Pugsley (captain), Dave Pugsley, Sunny Major, Tommie Young, Ben Brown, Walt. Wiley Jack Piper, Steve Searle, Milton, Palmer, Geo. Derry, Clarence Skeele, Frank Powell, with Mark Wilson as field captain. Special mention should be made of Jas McConaghy, who was a wonder fui goal keeper. When he left the tillage he joined the Ottawa team and while there James McConaghy the world’s championship long throw record. My recollection is that the distance was a little over 149 yards.
Played In Field
In the past Lacrosse was played in an open field, with the goals about 125 yards apart. The game was played with 12 to a side, lined up in pairs down the field. Much longer locrasse sticks were used in those days.
One day when the team went to Toronto to play I tagged along as a young lad. After the game was over the two teams repaired to the Bay Horse hotel on Yonge St., on the east side just below Queen. As was the custom the home team paid for the meal about 50c a plate in those days. There was good feeling all round and much cheering as we left. As there was a lull in the cheering as we left one Torontonian could not resist the temptation of calling out a safe journey to the Richmond Hill “Hey Seeds”. Our field captain, who was standing on the seat of the van waving his hands, shook his fist down at the Toronto crowd and assured them that they were all a lot of D—timothy.
The Bear
As we neared Hogg’s Hollow, it had become quite dark and someone mentioned the fact that there was a bear tied up in the Hollow close to Yonge St., whereupon a passenger, not a player, begged that the van be stopped while he would give an exhibition, showing what he could do with a bear by way of a wrestling match. It is surprising how brave and reckless a person be¬comes when he has had a few drinks of Spiritus Frumenti. The van did not stop, however.
When we came out of school one day there were two men in the middle of the street, each with a brown bear on the end of a long rope. These bears would perform, waltz, roll over, climb a tree, etc. Presently the tin cup was passed around collecting a few pennies from the crowd. I understand that these were European brown bears and easily tamed, although they wore muzzles as the law demanded.
News spread rapidly by grapevine one day that a man in Maple had a bear and that it was on the loose, making straight for Richmond Hill, through the grain fields. There was no need to ring the curfew that day, the people quickly vanished from the streets. No doubt bruin was in hiding and hoping that he would never see a human being again.
Exciting Experience
At one time, a Mr. Bowman of Almira, a small village about seven miles north-east of Richmond Hill, had a bear which he kept tied up in the yard with a long chain. One day a young woman got a little too close and the bear grabbed her. The young woman gave vent to a scream the like of which only a terrified female could produce. This caused the bear to relax his hold, where up on the young woman instantly showed her heels and was back in the house in a matter of seconds. One day the bear got loose and I could be found nowhere. After a diligent search it was concluded that he had gone back to the woods. However in about a week the bear turned up at the kitchen door looking for a handout. He had gone into the mow and buried himself up in the hay maybe thinking it was time to hibernate but hunger got the better of him.
A Big Chance
One day my father received a call to go to the Bowmans’ and as a small boy I went along for the ride. I was left to wander around outside while my father was in seeing his patient. In my wanderings I came across the bear. The first thing I did was to give the bear a poke In the ribs with a clothes pole. The bear immediately stood up on his hind legs, opened his mouth wide and showed a mouthful of wicked looking teeth. He looked quite angry. Next I tried tossing him a ripe tomato from the garden close by. He caught this tomato in his mouth, closed his jaws like a steel trap, sending the juice a-flying. He now looked to be in a more amiable mood. I kept on tossing the tomatoes to him until it was about time for my father to come out. I was too young to realize that had this heavy bear chosen to make a run at me, instead of standing on his hind legs, he might have easily snapped the rather slender looking chain that held him. Had my father, on coming out, seen the bear sitting up holding in his mouth a piece of shirt belonging to his heir apparent, it would have been the surprise of his life.
The words heir apparent brings to my mind a riddle which I heard while I was attending the Centennial at Philadelphia in 1876. This riddle was mentioned several times and stuck in my young mind. Q. What is the difference between a man and a monkey? A. A man is an heir apparent but a monkey is a hairy parent.
More Bears
A good many years ago a man in Richmond Hill owned a bear. He kept it in a pen on Richmond Street near where Hall St. joins Richmond. He kept it in a pen and one day I was looking in at the bear through the bars, when the owner came along. The owner suggested bringing the bear out on a leash. However, he brought it out on a long rope. 1 doubt if I ever saw an animal so overjoyed to get out in the open. It ran this way and that, up a tree and down, up on the fence where it sat on the post. “Smiling like a basket of chips”. Presently it made a quick run and jerked the rope out of Bert’s hand. It made across what was then a nine acre field, on the gallop, with Bert in hot pursuit. It is surprising how fast a clumsy animal like a bear can run for a short distance. It is doubtful if a human being could escape on foot. When Bert arrived at the other side of the field, the bear was up on the fence, sitting on the post. Bert approached cau-tiously and got hold of the end of the rope. With some persuasion the bear went back into his pen.
End of Bruin
As bears get their growth, they sometimes have a tendency to become temperamental, especially males. As time went along Bert sent for Mose, who came with his rifle, and that was the end of poor bruin.
Bear Stories
A few ‘Believe it or nots” about bears: Workman in a camp noticed a bear coming up the path. One, man went out and shot it. When he went up to the bear he found that it wore a leather collar. A tame bear coming to make a friendly call. A woman hung out her washing along the top of a bank. Two bear cubs came along, stood on their hind legs, pulled the washing off the line and rolled down the bank, coming back for more. When they had about finished the woman came out and chased them away with woman's weapon, a broom.
My sister said that when she was in Yellowstone a bear came into her tent and that she booed it out.
Fettie Fisher was chased around a stump by a bear. Feltie was religious and prayed as he ran. Getting no response, he turned and downed the bear with one fell swoop of his axe, showing that faith without works is dead.
An Eskimo was chased around his igloo by bear. The Eskimo was so speedy and enduring that he tired the bear out. The bear gave up and walked away.
Bears were plentiful in the north at one time and it was not uncommon to see one tied up along the highway, until one day a child lost its life trying to feed one of the bears. Some woodsmen tossed out food to bears at noon time. But the bears arrived early, the men ran for the lunch boxes but the bears got there first.
In a protected area woodsmen were bothered with bears stealing food, even it were place in a well, with heavy planks and stones covering the well. One man covered a stick of dynamite with fat and then ran a wire to his storage battery in his car. When the bear took the dynamite in his mouth, the man closed the switch and the bear lost is head. Bears draw victims close, not to use them but to bite them with very powerful jaws. If ever I am again tempted to write I will try not to wander off and talk of wild animals such as lions, tigers and leopards.
Some Sound Advice
When the people at home try “Bringing Up Father,” I explain how impossible it is for an old leopard to change his spots. However I am informed that the big idea is to keep him from getting more spots.
One wonders nowadays at all these young fellows getting married about as soon as they get out of their teens. Do they think that once they are married they will get their own way ever after.
A young woman took exception to something her fiancee said or did and decided to take him to task. She mentioned the incident to her mother and received some smart advice. The mother said: “Don’t, wait till we ge’ him.”
Richmond Hill's championship lacrosse team Details
