Windy City (more); Judas Priest

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WINDY CITY (again)

    There are two important dates to check the Chicago news stories for
"Windy City"--the first weeks in July 1885 and May 1886.  I requested the
Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Cleveland Press, and neither had "Windy City"
for these or any other dates.
     I went back and took a closer look at the Louisville Courier-Journal for
1885.  Its editor (Henry Watterson) is the subject of two books that are in
the NYU library.  The newspaper was read by all the other leading editors of
the day, and it had used "Windy City" all throughout 1886.  It's hard on the
eyes with all the small print, but the column to look at is "THIS AND THAT"
that appeared on the editorial page 4, or page 12 on Sundays.
     The LOC rare book room closed at 5 p.m., I requested the Cleveland
newspapers, then the Las Vegas newspapers, then the Louisville
Courier-Journal.  (Despite the fact that no one was at the LOC today, you can
get only two requests at a time.)  They gave me the Louisville Commercial!
As a result of this mistake, I ran out of time again!
     I read through the nearly the end of August 1885.  Watterson takes
endless shots at Chicago and comes very close to "Windy City."

3 July 1885, pg. 4, col. 6--The wind never blew through George Washington's
whiskers, even on the Fourth of July. (...) There is now and then a proud man
whose whiskers blow over to the back of his shoulder. (...) The Chicagoans
call a stable a barn.  This is doubtless the effect of the lake winds blowing
through their whiskers so much.
10 July 1885, pg. 4, col. 3--The breezes of August will blow through a good
many unregistered whiskers.
21 July 1885, pg. 4, col. 4--"An old man in Chicago, after a brief illness,
astounded his friends by coming out with a black beard.  He had not used hair
dye.  It was a freak of nature.  Chicago is a remarkable place."--(_Atlanta
Constitution_.)  Not at all.  A breeze from Chicago river blew in at the sick
man's window and got into his whiskers.
23 July 1885, pg. 4, col. 4--In honor of the hot weather Chicago dealers are
about to raise the price of coal.
30 July 1885, pg. 4, col. 4--A perspiring Chicago editor sarcastically awaits
"the return of the alleged and so-called refreshing lake breeze."  (Chicago
had advertised itself as a summer resort because of the breeze off the lake.
 1885 was a very hot summer--ed.)
1 August 1885, pg. 4, col. 3--Men can not be great in all things.  Gen. Grant
was a poor swearer.  His two most violent oaths were "Judas priest" and "dog
gone it."  ("Judas priest" is not in the RHHDAS and Ayto's OXFORD DICTIONARY
OF SLANG.  Stuart Berg Flexner's LISTENING TO AMERICA, pg. 173, gives a date
of 1922.  DARE has this "Judas Preist" cite, with "Judas" from 1901--ed.)
4 August 1885, pg. 4, col. 3--Six inches of rain have fallen in Chicago.
What a deluge there would be if it were to rain a Chicago foot!  (The huge
size of Chicago girls' feet was a running joke of this period--ed.)
8 August 1885, pg. 4, col. 3--A man 90 years old has just been taken to jail
in Chicago.  The Chicagoan never reforms.
11 August 1885, pg. 4, col. 3--The Chicago girls are getting their sole
leather in Louisville.

    The LOC closes up this weekend for Presidents Day.  I probably won't be
back soon to show you the September 1885 THIS AND THAT.  Someone else can do
this stuff, or you'll have to wait.

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WWW.VANALEN.ORG

    Last summer, the Van Alen organization announced a design competition to
replace the current TKTS. booth in Times Square.  I suggested a "Big Apple"
design.  My college didn't help me at all.  I went across the street to the
High School of Art & Design, and they submitted some designs.  The winners
were to be announced last December.
    The competition received about 650 entries.  It's said to be the largest
design competition NY has had.  I had told the high school to submit John J.
Fitz Gerald's "Around the Big Apple" column from February 18, 1924 along with
the design.
    Winners will be announced later today, February 17, 2000.  It would be
nice to win, but then again this is my life we're talking about, so I'll
expect another cruel, merciless blow.