Richmond Press, Inc.                          Richmond, VA                          1938

The Park Sparrows

That is to say, denizens of Monroe Park, or the Monroe Park Gang.  There  were many of them, there being squads of all ages.  The favorite hang-out of these gangs was that part of the Park that was near the corner of Pine and Main Streets, which was, prior to the laying of the street-car lines, on Main and on Cary and Pine Streets, quite a busy corner.

The big gang comprised: Joe Beazley, Charlie and Bill Clarkson, George LaFong, Charles Oliver Hope (of course we called him Boliver), Jeff Martin, John Bennett, Jack Bullington, George Dickey, Harry Powers, Jim Sowell (late chief of police), John Trower, Steve Eddins, Allie Ford, Billie Cook, Paul LaTouche, Polk Vason, Bill Ralston (the great rifleman), Jack Bowers, Billie Smithers, Jeff Powell, Jim Meador (afterward assistant Chief of the Fire Department), John Sack (after Captain in the Fire Department), Charlie Sack, George Powell, Sift-sand Granger (he became the champion wrestler of Tennessee), Sidney Duesberry (one of the finest swimmers), Bill Nicholson (God bless him!), Dabney Wilkinson, Ned Tate, and sometimes Johnnie Heinlein and Bull Thomas, those two puissant fishermen and hunters, would come.  And there were many others.

Then there was the little gang: Sam Elliott, the redoubtable, Bob Mitchell, Bob Euker, Harlan Womack, Emmett Taylor, Ellis Edwards, Dudley Maxwell, Willie Ward, Aubyn Bargamin, Tom Atkins (we called him sometimes Tom Kelly, because his half-brother was Peter Kelly), Joe Bailey-he became a preacher-Parker Purcell and others.  Parker was quite a clever black-face song-and-dance performer, who, along with Dayton James, Dudley Anderson, Joe Wilson and others, frequently got up amateur minstrel shows and sometimes doubled with professionals.

There was another squad of the Park Sparrows to which belonged some of the old squads, Bob Euker, Bill Maxwell, et id genus omne.  It was interested in intellectual matters, as will appear.  Frank Gillis, Frank Baldwin, Harry Tucker (late of the Times-Dispatch, editor of Main Street, The Man About Town, The Dump Blade, The Bughouse Bugle, and other learned productions), Jeff Wallace, Lee Tanner, Willie Ward, Madison Scott and Emmett Taylor.

Lee Tanner was the moving spirit of this gang and along with some of the others conducted the Sunday School paper of the Moore Memorial Church (now Grace and Holy Trinity), until, one afternoon dear old Dr. Sprigg, the rector, caught them rehearsing a comedy all in make-up and costume, in the vestry room.  That, of course, ended their connected with Sunday School activities, save as very humble and penitent sitters on the rear seats.

Lee was very ambitious to be an actor and used to recite at length for us, in the Park at night, or on the sidewalk adjacent; not a dry performance, you must understand, for he had a way of spouting Hamlet that made us shout with laughter, as he intended we should.  And then Bob Euker, the little villian, would give us a burlesque imitation of Lee Tanner's burlesque.  Lee was a consummate mimic, too, and would ape the learned and attractive Dr. Hannon, of Park Place Methodist Church (a powerful and most enthusiastic preacher).  Getting down on knees in the graveled walk, in the Park, Lee would pray: "O Lord, send us down great bucketfuls of salvation"-with voice and emphasis more like Hannon than Hannon himself.

Lee at length went on the stage and attained quite a respectable standing; but in the end abandoned the stage and became an Episcopal minister.

Mind you!  This congeries of gangs did did not indulge in rock-throwing; as their stamping ground was a metropolitan center; and cats from Franklin Street, or Oregon Hill, or elsewhere, might freely come.  But, goodness! there were some might fist-fighters amongst them!