Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1859-01-11

/ Prince Hall, and eats -halt-pennV
worth of bread with an intoeIable deal
of f-"r. e" whiskeV.
/ The hummer votes Oh, yes, he votes
- any and every hour on election day, or
any other day as well. if you treat him -
votes as often as be drinks. and for as
many parties. Election dav is the bqm-
mer's Christmas on that day he drinks
drinks. drinks = free gratis, - and
goes on a month spree afterwards. Pity
there are not monthly elections for the
benefit of bummers. So The candidates
treats Tom, Dick or Harry will do, or
Jack Shepard just as well. Ii tmauers mol
to the hummer. South the hummer is
pro-Slavery; North an abolitionisl - no.
where a temperance man.
he hummer once had a home. Yes,
indeed, and friends, too dear, faithful
friend2- loving, and, perhaps, beloved -
who lowered around him hike spirits Of
the brighter world teaching him 10 aulici-
pate lis felicity in this. Then he cher
ished high hopes - very high - hoped
one day 10 become President, perhaps
He then looked on the bright sun with
bright eyes, inhaled the pure breath of
heaven - into pure lungs, = and listened
10 the light morning music of the birds
with lighter heart. But he found . fast"
associates - became fast, too and al las,
became President - of q crowd Of Bum
mers. His friends are dead or forgot
ten--n no more to him, at any rate. The
spirits that hover around him now are the
uneouth creations of disordered mind -
the black hallucinations coniured up BY
III t4-furr H. b,
world from his parents home, perchance,
10 see The world, - and he did see it
He saw the difference between his pa
rents hearth and the floor Of a bar-room;
between the crib ia which Lis fond man.
mas lullaby was heard and the ricketly.
unclean arm-chairs in which bummers
sleep; between the = milk of human kind
ness, as sweet as charity" al home, ard
the worm that never dies, and the fire
that is never Quenched, when.fed by rum
abroad and he has learned one great
lesson far too late - that those who
VIII swim III the unclean puddle of rum
must inevitably float into and sink in the
= Salt River" Of life
The hummer once dressed well. He
then possessed self-respecl, and a suscepli-
bilIjy 10 shame but the life and as,ocla-
,ions Of a city yagaboud have rubbed
away these Jewels long since, and now
though the clothes that may hang on him
are turned to rags, and his money has
wasted, and Teen poorly replaced by
begging. rlany a time, he does not seem
to feel his condition, and would sooner
invest dollar in rum than .ix-pence for
soap.
I
Reader, dear reader, must digress.-
At Il at suggestive, that revered and be-
loved name - Flint - bright scinuIIa-
tions Of the profoundest philosophy ard
wit fash before memory's eyes, and !
cannot pass il over without expanding
into a paneCyric on the honored and
gifted owner.
Flint Alexis Flint Is a gentleman =
TO which You would testify - did YOU en-
Joy my privilege - the honor of his dis
tnguished society. Flint stands full six
feet, dresses superbIy and smokes the
finest segars that Cuba can produce. In
fact, we both smoke the same brand. We
are o.& companions and intend 10 be-
We smoke, yes, that enc vice, If il be
vice, we Jointly confess - bat we never
drink we never gamble. To stroll
among the gambling places and study
them like DIogenes, is our amusement /;
we visit only the rich elegant ones.
though. We enter those places, help
ourselves to bundles of prime segars, and
an unlimited quantity OF cold fowls and
other trilels, and retire 10 the side walk
They are very friendly in gambling
houses, you know - they give free sup
+ pers 10 their guests. We visit rum places
too - Flint calls them Il" bummer-facio-
ries - and as my humble cogaomen is
Steel, we have always between Us 4 fash
ID the pan to wake up any chance drow-
sv hummer in our course.
Flint and / went TO 4 certain concern
not far from the Ciiv Hall. There were
some fifteen bummers sleeping in tie bar
room. Some slept sonorously, some slept
police-f -fashion-wilh one eye open, watch
ing the approach of the bar-keeper to
wake them up, some slept rabbu-fashiOD
with an eye and ear open, watching the
approach of the detective police, whom
lhey seemed TO know.
DO you see that tall fellow II black
rags 2" said Flint, slyly nudging me and
pointing across the room.
| 1odded an affirmative.
." Well, +" he continued, "and he knew,
three years since, that poor victim was
worth eight thousand dollars. or rather
his property was. He was book-keeper
in skinner, Shaver & Co : tanking-house
down town. He married beautiful and
hopeful wife, who now supports herself
and two children. By sewing shirts al
twelve shillings a dozen. Look at his
nose = full blown rum blossom. Look
al his cheeks glorying in the bloated
flesh Of rum. When he opens his eyes,
vou will see deaths warran; written
there. He has long ago pawned all his
goods, and more than was his own - hi:
watch, his fine clothing and linen, his fire.
: arms. of which he had fine set = bis
- rrofr