Continued from Part 1 yesterday….
In March 1897, a Bothwell man headed over the Clyde to visit Blantyre Pubs one Springtime Saturday evening and documented his visit. Yesterday’s extract left him inside the Stonefield Tavern on Glasgow Road, Blantyre on a Saturday night. Here’s what he wrote:
“Another man rose to sing and another song was given. The Rose, the Thistle and the Shamrock.” This singer deserved the dumpling, for he gave it all through his nasal organ. It reminded one of hearing a chisel getting sharpened on a grindstone but the public house comedian seemed satisfied that his vocal power was immense.”
“At the other end the table was an aged man giving vent to his feelings on politics. Before him was a schooner of beer. It is this mixture that the eloquent tongues of men have been denouncing; it is this that brings them from their mansion to the workhouse; brings crime, agony, misery, suffering, degradation, vice, ruined health, breaks up happy homes and brings thousands into the abyss of eternal infamy.”
“It thou foul scourge of humanity that makest men’s household goods consist of a three-legged stool and an egg-box. Drink. It is thou a grim liquid demon that makest life’s drama so horrible. It is thou that makest a man search his pockets on a Sunday morning only to find two or three matches, a pipe cover and a half penny where a wage had once been. It is thou that wringest the life’s blood out of mankind and taken away men’s consciences. Oh, foaming yull, thy crimes could fill a great ledger.”
“I enter another pub further on. A good many were standing at the bar. The topic here was the Corbett v. Fitzsimmons fight. In one of the rooms a discussion was going on about the result of the polL”
“Mr B. had mair plumpers than the rest; in fact, he was at the heid of the poll.”
“How , dae ye mak’ that not?”
“Weel ye see the rest dinna ken richt wha tae vote for, so they hauled their votes. But B had 71 admirers, so that wis mair than the rest had.”
“Order there for a sang. We had heard ye lang enough blawing yer horn about yae thing and ainother.”
“Here a young man rose and sang “The Country I’m leaving behind.” Then the whole company shouted “encore! encore!” and the singer then gave “The Cottage where Burns was born.” This took them by storm and people rattled on the tables with their hands and made the tumblers jingle.”
It does not do to play “Paul Pry” but in the next room there were two in very earnest talk. Talk turned tae wimin. “Wull, between me and you I must say that my he’rt is wae Jeanie but I ken it wis her mother that made her gang out tae America. Bit I’ll find her should ah hae tae work my passage. She is a guid hearted lassie an wid mak a nice tidy housewife fur me.”
“Keep up yer hert. I widnae let anybody see that ye were sae fair guan in love. She is a bad auld pill yon mother o hers. Look whit she put between ye two.”
“Aye, but I’ll out dae her yet. Ah mean tae start fur America very soon. She’ll never dream that I’m away tae find her lass, though ah’ve nae idea where in America she is.”
The barman rang the bell.
“Gies one last half gallon”, says the auld boy at the bar.
Waiter – “No more beer tonight. Ten o’clock.”
I left and returned my walk back to Bothwell with all the sticking plaster used up.”
by a Bothwell Cook.
AI imagines this scene as illustrated in this exclusive picture.
Source: Hamilton Herald & Lanarkshire Weekly News, Fri 26th March 1897.