Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-01-24


sErwEEE FIRST Agp wATEE-
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RzxnrseExcEa or JoHS PHgxix-
The great beauty Of the humor Of John
Phoenix" Hieut Darby was that there
was net particle Of III nature about it.
He was not one Of those sour, discon-
tented, satiracai, practical jokers, so
naturally and justly tabooed in society.
Good nature and good fellowship he
cherished, and beyond these, save 10 the
way Of harmless mirth, ho never gwerv-
ed. 1t was not IN him. We have men
toned how be joked us some deal in N.
Producing himself as Mr. Ferguson,
whom we had met before But funni-
sr and perhaps more pepIexing thing,
was what be did to clerical missionary
from the Mission Dolares, a foreign
establishment not far from San Fran
cisco.
The aforesaid missionary was a
Yank," as our rebellious rebsl breth-
rem would term him-yery poor and
very pious, but one Of the most inquisi-
tive Of his tribe. He was introduced By
Mr. Phoenix 10 bis wife, an accomplish
ed and attractive lady, to whom the
missionary was anxious, OF course, 10
make himself acceptable. After the
changes were wrung upon the usual
meteorological topic, and the growth and
wickednessof San Francisco, the learn
ed prelate suddenly asked;
captain Darby, what was the name
Of gops good lady before you married
herr
Without moVinga muscle and looking
him steadily in the eye, John Phoenix
replied
Her name, sir, was Coon (Which Il
was BY the by, beng that Of an opulent
and and well-knoW family in ST Louis);
you must have heard Of her father
/" Not that | am aware Of answered
the missionary
"You have forgotten it probably, bat
he Was the welLknown Zip Coon, Old
Zip Coon they asedato call him; every
body who knew him alwaysepoke Of him
as a very clever fellow.
/" Oh, yes," responded the simple
minded prelate, / do now remember
having heard tell Of him; there were
some elegant lines written upon him at
ter his death
Not a smile, says our informant, wbt
Witnessed this scene and heard this cor
versation, mautled the face Of JOIN
Ph@nix during The whole Of IL. Iii.
power Of face in fact was somethiu,
wonderful, as Is sufficiently att ested b
the following anecdote
He wass itting, on one occasion, il
the guests lolling room Of tho New Yorl
Hotel, confronting on Broadway, when i
little beggar girl came in, and with thu
keen discernmeut Of little people 10 gen
eral, noticing his child loving benevolen
eountenance, approached him askiuf
aims. She was very young, innocent
looking, and had none Of the iuvenil,
whine and persigtency Of most yonns
mendicants one meets in the streets and
halls Of our public hotels. Phoenix a
once assumed mournful expression D
face and began to talk, as it were conf
dentially and very affectionately to.her
de told her that his father was lon.
since dead, and that be,
Having early lost his mother,
Without sister, without brother"
was now left entirely alone in the world
that he was then a little boy, with no
body to look to, and often be bad no
known where be was to sleep Mt night
Tho little girls blue eyes began Il
moisten; the lolling guests, most o
whom knew Captain Darby, gathered
round; when what was their surprise &c
see the poor, sympathetic beggar child
60 close up to him, and in quiet. con
hdential way take out of the little side.
pocket of her soiied aud tattered frocb
all the money which she had gathered
during the day, and placed il in BIZ
hand. This tribute. to Mr. Darby
power Of countenance and manner, and
the exquisitely beautiful evidence of the
effect Of it ia the act Of the little girl
struck every person present with kin
dred admiration. IL Is needless 10 say
that the tender-hearted and generous
little donor of her hard days earning.
had not only her small (yet great bene
faction restored, but went away with
great possessions, eduoed from the SYM
pathetic pockets OF bystanders.
Happening to be in Boston--we believe
be was contemporary placed there in
an official eapacity-he CHANGED 10 be
walking through Washington street when
has attention was arrested By sign
which his inquiring mind was DESTROYS
of investigation The sign read, aCall
and futile. Phoenix went into the
store, fine establishment, with all the
appointments Of au elegant resort OF the
haUt ton, and said:
II have called to futile; have never
fulfilled but should like to How much
is it2' -
Mr.. Tuttle is out, said dapper
clerk, "but viii be in in few moments >
~ can wait, said Phoenix, but when
he comes in say to him that 10 morrow
at ten O'Clock, will call and futile.