Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1852-04-03


auto the hospital ngnn.
"When | came out didn't know where
TO 20 or what i was TO do. My father had
moved away somewhere, and my two broth
ers had gone TO sea. So | went to my pnr-
ish, aud had a go of the work-house for
matter of year. There was n blind man
in there as played the fiddle uncommon well,
and the Oversccr made him show me a little,
and paid a goodish price for tcachin' of me.
scrapcd away whenever they would let me,
Tor j wanted to get ont of the work-housc,
and picked up tidy lot of tunes in three
or four months. BY the time I'd been at it n
year, thought might manage to pick up a
lVin', and ] turned out one mornif', when
tho summer was Il comm on, and began
iiddln' in the Streets | didn't get much the
first day-not quite siXpeuce think it wns-
but ! wouldn't 20 back upon the parish. |
could lodge for q shillin' week, and could
ret bit OF broken vittels at times when
folks wouldn't give 10 money. liked my
liberty TO well, nitcr the conlincmcnt--first
of the damp cellar, aud then in the work
house-nnd made mp my mind to get my
own Twin without beiu' bcholdeu to no.
dody. So I've iddled pretty well ever
since.
"Whcn were two and twenty, took il
into my head MS how should like to learn
to read so went and applied TO tho Blind
School in Red Lion Square, aud used TO go
there two or three nights in the week to
learn to read. There was good many
there aud some of 'cm learned to read very
we'll and some coudcnt learn no.how. got
on tolcmbllsl. Iwcnt to the school more nor
II year. We didu' pay nothin' for tcachin'-
only for the books--ilic books is very dear;
the letters sticks up, and we feels them with
our fingers gave four shllins for layer.
can read all Of it, aud Johns Gospel too.
That's all got; ! can't afford TO buy no
more.
AL the Blind School, fell in with n
young woman MS was learnin' to read. |
KEEP company with her for five years, and
then | married her We've been married
nigh upon twelve years. She was born
blind-uevcr had no eyes in her head, not at
all. She can do everything in house us
wen Almost as them as can sec; she can
cook meals vittols beautiful, when we got
it to be cooked. She sews with horneedlc,
and mcuds my cloths, and does the washin
aud ironin'. We arc often very bad oil,
particular at this time of year. People don't
care mnch about fiddlit' and music in cold
and wet weather; they walks away TO keep
themselves warm, and lorgits TO give icller
a copper.
81 knows London all over, 'ccpt some Of
the new streets, and knows them when
I've hccn through 'cm once. | goes from
Isinglon, where lives, to the city, three
times Il week. When / come to street
where customer OF nlinc lives, | begins
aud numbers The houses with my stick, and
plays lill gets my penny, or my bread aud
cheese. always cat piece OF bread IN tho
unrnn' n!nrc ! goes out; il don't, gets
the sinm1ch-achc. Sometimes | don't git
my more all the day; but gifts bread and
rhccS IN "a house in Cleskenwcl every Tues
day, and Il good pint of tea and n pound
q bread Almost every Friday in Little saint
IbOaus Apostle. You see ] can't fiddle
very well. eos my right arm Is slriveHcd "P
with The fire, and | can't draw tho bow
rightly level with the bridge without ] sits
loWn; aud in course | can't sit down while
am walkin' about the streets SO il amt
many coppers | gifts from clHnco ctlsto-
ners. My rcg'lar customers mostly gives
ne II penny week; when they moves,
loliers 'cm wherever they goes, can't
lffrd to lose en-; they brings me in,
MI on 'cm, abont tthrce.and-sixpence n week,
besides the vittcls. 'raint much vittcls
eats at home, save on sundays. and "A bit
o'hrcad aInre ! starts out of n mornin'
"Thcrc's lots o blind men in London as
gifts liyin' without cnrnin' of it. | knows
one MS sits all day in the City Road areadn'
the Bible with his finger, aud people thinks
IT'S wonderful clever, and gives him sight
% money. A pound n week nin't nothin to
him. Bat that there's imposition there
Hin't notiu' in it, can read rs well MS he
every hit, but people hadn'' ought to get
their bread by rcadin' the ., and dom
notin': it ain't respectful. gives the
people music, and they give mo copper,
aud I'm very glad to get it,
"1'hcrcs some blind men MS keeps stand
ins in the streets, and sells sticks, aud braces,
aud pad.lOcls, aud iey-rings; and some on
'em drives good trade. knows orc as
got family brought up quite respectable
the boys is 'prcnliccs and the gals goes to
service | should like to keep n standin'
myself if had n few pounds TO begin with;
hut, Lord! never had Int one sovereign
in my lnnd in my life, and that wasn't minc.
There's lots o. blind men goes about with
dogs tied TO n string; thcm's beggars,
When.a blind man drives dog, he's made
up bis mind to be a gentleman. A dog ain't
of no real uso TO Il blind man in London,
not bit in the world. A dog is n blind
beggar's sign; and when the dog carries
irny in his mouth to catch the coppers, then
there's two beggars instead of one. There's
n sight o blind men in London MS can see
MS well MS you can. They starts out when
its dark with grea; patches over their eyes,
and goes with boy-n young thef-to lead
him among the crowds and in the markets
Of n Saturday night. When they gifts into
the thick Of il, they sings out: Good Chris
iians! for the love Of heaven bestow your
charity upon the poor blind-aud God pre-
serve your precious eyesighi' That's their
chat. They gifts n lot o. money from the
people, partik'lur on Saturday nights, VIII n
the small chnnge is flyin' about; them, rob
hers, and noIhin' clcse. There's some poor
fellows ms knows us can't do nothn' for
lNin' Blind men is often weak in the
head--n biz silly like. They mostly lives in
work-houscs; sometimes they tries il with
luciior matches; they likes TO get ont in tho
sun in summertime aud fine weather. |
pilics them, poor lellowsl its's hard luck
they've got