"Stump the Yankee"

[Gene C]

"Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem"

for those of you who forgot your Latin, or never knew it in the first place, this is the state motto of Massachusetts which translated means (according to wikipedia)

"She seeks with the sword a quiet piece under liberty"

(no wonder spell check couldn't tell me what this was)

[Craig Hipkins]

I can speak of MA Yankees as I went to college with a bunch of them and Craig, and you are a breed all your own!! I'm from NY--arguably another bad bunch but I'm pretty confident that Laurie has fulfilled her goal of southern "Maryland-izing" me!

Lindsey,

Yes, I would agree! New York yankees (hey wait that's a baseball team) are a close second to Massachusetts yankees when it comes to being the worst. I've been in the south for 20 years and I still "paak my caa in the yaad"

Craig

[DanielC]

This thread has managed to get this Mass. Yankees "Irish up". Sorry you both feel that way about my home state.






"When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself". - Wayne Dyer

[RJNorton]

Dan, I've got your back on this. I went to Denison University in Granville, Ohio, and several of my closest friends were from Massachusetts. Great guys. To this day I am still in touch with one them, although it's been 47 years since I have seen him. Besides we got Theo from you, and he brought us Anthony Rizzo (the next Lou Gehrig?) and Massachusetts holds a very special place in my heart. Hold firm, Dan!

[BettyO]

OK -I know this is NOT my place....but I'm going to try and be the peacemaker here....

Any sectionalism is totally uncalled for! NOONE is going to be re-fighting the "Wah" here in any way, shape or form!

Joe's idea is a good one - and I like it.....But I for one, do not want to see people OR their States or their ancestry besmirched in any way, shape or form !
We're adults - please let's all act like it....so -

Boy and Girls, please let's play nice like the AMERICANS we are! No "Rebs" or "Yanks" here.... except for "Stump the Yankee" - I still like the title....

OK - I've had my piece - I'm off my soapbox....

[J. Beckert]

It may be time for another round.....................

[Laurie Verge]

Dan and All,

I apologize if my teasing has caused any hard feelings. Those who know me well know that I always play up my Southern Maryland heritage, and many have accused me of being an unreconstructed Rebel. That's a personna that I have developed in sort of a joking way.

I gave up fighting the Civil War - except in an educational sense - a long time ago.

[BettyO]

Laurie -

You are the LAST person who would be accused of stirring up the "wah"....

We're ALL proud of our ancestry and regions - including me....and yes, I'm a southerner born and bred - and proud of it! We just need to remember that we're all proud of our heritage - and need to respect that....

[Gene C]

BettyO wrote "We're ALL proud of our ancestry and regions - including me...and yes, I'm a southerner born and bred - and proud of it! We just need to remember that we're all proud of our heritage - and need to respect that...

That's right! Remember, they're DIXIE cups, not YANKEE cups....It's SOUTHERN fried chicken, not NORTHERN fried chicken.... and it's YANKEE pot roast, not DIXIE pot roast. And that's OK....

[J. Beckert]

Good afternoon and welcome back to what should be a fun filled and rousing round of "Stump the Yankee". The first round didn't go as planned. I was picked off by the first Rebel shot fired. If it wasn't Betty, I'd be embarrassed. This time, this Yankee has done some homework. Put your thinking kepi's on, Rebels. No pictures for you devious "right clickers" who look for encrypted messages I know nothing about, either. And no clues. Good luck! Here's the question -

Not unlike my own situation with Mrs. Beckert and my Visa Gold acct., Mary Lincoln ran up debts for "flub dubs" that chapped Abe's hide. When he died, he left an estate valued between $85,000 and $110,000. Mary, for the rest of her life, cried poverty. After Lincoln's demise, a wealthy entrepreneur supposedly presented Mary with a large sum. How much was it and who was he?

Today's VERY COOL prize has been graciously donated by the Divine Ms. O herself. Betty sent our prize procurement department an original piece of wood and a cut nail from Fort McNair, the sight of the conspirator's trial. Circa 1830 -1860, this wood was there when they were. I wish it could talk. Was it in the trial room itself? Could be!! Good luck!!

[BettyO]

Good afternoon and welcome back to what should be a fun filled and rousing round of "Stump the Yankee". The first round didn't go as planned. I was picked off by the first Rebel shot fired. If it wasn't Betty, I'd be embarrassed. This time, this Yankee has done some homework. Put your thinking kepi's on, Rebels. No pictures for you devious "right clickers" who look for encrypted messages I know nothing about, either. And no clues. Good luck! Here's the question -

Not unlike my own situation with Mrs. Beckert and my Visa Gold acct., Mary Lincoln ran up debts for "flub dubs" that chapped Abe's hide. When he died, he left an estate valued between $85,000 and $110,000. Mary, for the rest of her life, cried poverty. After Lincoln's demise, a wealthy entrepreneur supposedly presented Mary with a large sum. How much was it and who was he?

Today's VERY COOL prize has been graciously donated by the Divine Ms. O herself. Betty sent our prize procurement department an original piece of wood and a cut nail from Fort McNair, the sight of the conspirator's trial. Circa 1830 -1860, this wood was there when they were. I wish it could talk. Was it in the trial room itself? Could be!! Good luck!!

"Divine Ms. O", eh?!? I presume you're talking about the "Ms. O" who had her own network?!? Wish I had Ms. O's MONEY!! HA! And I can't afford to give away cars....

Just to let you know, the nail and wood WILL have a provenance. I'm getting that from the "Powers that be" at the Old Arsenal (McNair) certifying that it is original wood and a nail from an 1830s wood beam when the Arsenal was first built. So it was there in 1865 when the trial was held....

Thanks, Joe! Now..."On with the Show" as they say....

[L Verge]

I know that Mrs. L. did a lot of shopping in New York at A.T. Stewart's, which I believe was the first of the grand department stores as we think of them today. Is that who she owed the most to? I have no idea what the amount was other than in the thousands.

---

As a side line to Mr. Lincoln's bills on behalf of his wife, there used to be a very old and distinguished jewelry store in Washington, D.C. named Galt's. The second Mrs. Woodrow Wilson came from that family.

Anyhow, one day Joan Chaconas and I were wandering the streets of D.C. headed for the Old Ebbitt's Grill (which I think was also around in Lincoln's time). Right beside it on the corner was the new location of Galt's. We wandered in to take a look at everything we couldn't afford and spoke with a wonderful old gentleman who had been with the store for over fifty years.

Somehow we let it be known that we were Lincoln nuts. He excused himself and went into the vault and came back with a weathered old ledger. He proudly opened it to a page that had Mr. Lincoln's account records in it. The Lincolns were evidently good customers.

The Galt company closed about a decade ago, and I have wondered where that ledger went. I certainly hope it went to some historical repository.

[J. Beckert]

First of all - in regard to your attempt to "Stump the Yankee", Laurie, the Correct Answer Review Board here has determined that everyone's favorite former school teacher gets this assignment marked as - INCORRECT!

And Betty - Bette Midler is called "The Divine Ms. M." Being your a Betty also, that's how I conjured that up.

Do the Reb's need some help with this? Does the Yankee who rides the short bus to get here have to throw a hint out?

[J. Beckert]

Hint # 1 - Mary's supposed benefactor made his fortune in shipping.

[J. Beckert]

I don't hear anyone whistling Dixie yet, so it's time for Hint # 2 - This wealthy man made huge profits by selling boats to the Federal Gov't.