The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-09-03
Wiekeder than the Wickedest-A Gin.
cinnati DaDce.house Keeper against
ALA,

The /" Fat Contribute" Of the Cincinn att
Times draws the following picture of
wickeder man than the wickedest man."
which is painted with free brush, and
quite as black as Dyer can color his sub
jects:
We have found the wickedest man in
Cincinnati, after diligent search Of seve-
raj days and after discarding several who
wanted to be considered the wickedest man,
but who, upon a rigid examination, didn't
quite fill the bill. The wickedest man keeps
q den at the intersection of Magnolia street
with Deercreek, the resort of the lowest and
vilest in the city. He is as much wickeder
than the wickedest man in New York "
as can be imagined. He could give the
New York man seventy-fve points in
game of one hundred aud beat him. his
nano 10 Bill Sledger. He is man of about
ffty-six years of age, of genteel address,
having been tenderly reared on the canal
in his youth. -..-..
He is the most wonderful combination of
depravity and piety ever met with. He
opens his dance-house with q prayer, and
closes it with reading chapter from I" Bax-
ter's Saints Rest" 1t is more than init
mated that he boils up little boys for his
dinner; which shows what an epicure he is.
He has literary tastes of high order,
and thinks Milton's Paradise Lost and
Bloss's Life of Pendleton the greatest works
Of any age.
The most Internal orgies are carried on
at his den nightly by the most abandoned
of both sexes, over which he presides in
person.
The only papers which he reads are the
Vest and South and Christian Advocate.
Bill is widower, and has one little boy
about nine years old. His affection for this
boy is one Of his distinguishing character
istics. He is educating the boy himself
Alfred is his name-to become missionary
among the heather. He thinks Of scndi ng
him to the Cannibal islands, and is even now
in correspondence with some Of the chief
Cannibals to ascertain what they will give
him to send them a young and tender mis-
sionary. If preferred, he offers to send
him already prepared for eating, either
picked or made into jam. His affection
for that boy is really wonderful.
He called little Alfred, who was busy up
stairs learning his Sunday -school lesson, to
come down into the bar-room. Placing
him on the bar with q pipe in his mouth,
and after giving him glass of benzine
whiskey, he put him through the catechism.
Alfred answered all the questions correctly.
"Now," says Bill, "I'll show you what
learning he has got about geography and
things.''
"What is the shape of the earth ?"
"Round.''
elbow do you know"
Folks been round it."
"Right. How many races are they 2"
"Three-white race, black race, and boss
race.'
"Who discovered America p"
Columbus, afterward appointed Captain
of Ohio"
"What is the chief end of man."
"Stamps!
you're mighty right. Who was the
strongest man 2"
Samson"
"Who WAS the weakest man %
"Goliath."
Liar yourself; try again"
I say Goliath was the weakest man."
"Why ?"
"'Cause he couldn't stand only one
sling"
Old Bill laughed so uproariously at this
that the boy asked him if he "wasn't going
to treat (Which he did. He then asked AL
fred to sing US hymn, which he proceeded
to do, his father playing an accompaniment
on church organ back of the bar.
Bill sells the worst whiskey every manu-
featured. He has an upper room in his
house for the special treatment of his custom
ers when they are seized with the delirium
tremens, as they frequently are. Back of
his house he runs private graveyard,
where he buries his dead. 1t is already we'll
stocked with his deceased customers. It is
neatly laid out in walks, and there are
tombstones to the graves bearing pious and
touching epitaphs written by his own hand.
In one corner of the graveyard is the
grave Of his wife, who was killed in fight
she had with Bill about three weeks ago.
There IS monument over her grave which
does credit alike to Bills affection and in
genuity. 1t is built of stones, brickbats,
ana mud balls, that were thrown at his
house while she was alive by the incensed
and exasperated neighborhood. He calls
them tributes to her worth. When one of
his customers dies on his hands-and many
Of them only live to reach the sidewalk at
ter drinking his benzine-Bill officiates at
the funeral, reading the service in most
touching manner.
Bill never drinks liquor himself; he
drinks water, which he obtains for penny
! glass of the Young Mems Christian Asso-
;iation, paying in coin. With all his rough
less, Bill is kind to the sick. IF he hears
f any one that is sick in the neighborhood
'e offers his services to sit up with them,
mi q iva no hr;poc owau Nth him in tho |