The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-12-22
Won no trnde ~


"Wel, a few days ago got some patent blacking
and to-day / sold dozen boxes, clearing seventy
| nve cents on the Dozen That's not much, but it's
| better than doing nothing / have been trying TO
| get little money together so that we could buy
some furniture and move up town. don't like this
sort OF place. and want to get out OF II as soon as
| possible"
1--WE hope you may succeed. Goodnight" '
Goodnight"
And we took our leave, impressed with the fact
that this man at least might possibly be living below
his instincts, and that he had In him the making OF
sober honest, and industrious man, II he could but
succeed in getting the better OF his miserable fate
But the chances are sadly against him, even If he
has any true ambition to better his lot in life. 90.
Party by the Name of Johnson.
AS we turned from this hovel, Mr.. Long pointed to
the entrance to the cellar OF the building standing
in front OF it, and said- ,.. 81. .-..-
'Down there lives a negro by the name OF John
son. want you to see him; he is one Of the most
desperate depraved, and unscrupulous villains to be
found in the whole neighborhood and has ured
more young white women to ruin than any other
man on Bedford street," .' q
A rap the cellar door brought the "party by the
name OF johnson" to the surface. D..
"Walk down, gentlemen" he exclaimed, in a
husky, rattling, llsping, wheeZy voice. "walk down
and help the ole man along little, IL you can"
Down we went, but the stairway was so steep
that it was almost impossible to make the descent
face forward. The "party by the name.Iof John
son" had preceded us, and seating himself upon
chair without back drew his bony hands over an
uncovered stove, which stood almost in the centre
OF the place, apparently without chimney commu-
nicatons, and then awaited developments. Opposite
him sat another 'man and brother,p whose sole
occupation effort at warming his fingers
while in the background, on the floor, lay well pre-
served and one-armed negro woman, and on settee
at the side reposed a bloated white man in an un-
easy slumber The light shed upon the scene by
solitary candle contended with the mrid flame of
the Goals, but together they did not suffice to ium-
nate the dreary apartment sufficiently to bring out
all its features. Squaor and filth and woe, however
were so indelibly impressed on its occupants and
their surroundings that there was no need for more
light to cause the heart OF the beholder to sink
within him.
johnson, the head OF the household, presented
within himself study which absorbed all our atten-
tion. He pretended to be sghtless, and a single
glance at his eyes was sucient to show that there
was measure Of truth in his pretensions.
The palate OF his mouth was gone, and this was
the cause OF the peculiar husky lisp which rendered
his articulation so difficut and ludicrous. One
solitary snag of tooth graced his upper jaw, and
when his thick lips were parted, and his garrulous
tongue in motion, his countenance presented
more striking likeness to that of a chimpanzee
than of human being. '... -
"Johnson, exclaimed Mr.. Long, as soon, as the
party was fairly on the moor of the hovel johnson
is one Of the greatest scamps that know Of"
'Now, now, now, Mithter Long," lsped and
wheezed the wretch to whom, this disreputabe cha
racter had been given; "for what point do you
abuthe me tho q"
"Why Johnson" was the rejoinder, ''you know
you have committed every crime forbidden in the
decalogue, unless it is murder"
"Did you ever know me to commit murder, thir -
''No, never did but -"
'Jutht tho, thir; he thayIh he never knew me to
commit murder. Did you ever know me to thteal ?"
''SteaC Why johnson, you know you are one OF
theFgreatest thieves that's going"
"Adhief Now on what point, Mithter Long, do
you accuthe me of being thief? Can you prove
that I'm thief?'
Then rising to his feet Nth show of indigna-
ton, and pushing back from his forehead the dirt
begrimed slouched hat which had hitherto partly
concealed his features he began to gesticuate with
emphasis, and ran on volubly:-
"Gen1emen, he thayth I'm thief But on what
point? thayI. Thith ith my houthe, and pay rent
here, and man can thpeak NTH mind in hith own
houthe when he ith called thief. Now, on what
point doeth he thay I'm thief? go out to beg, for
| the ole man mutht get along, ye know; and when
theeth gentleman thay to him, 'Will you give the
ole man a thent to help i'm along? An if he give
the ole man thent thayth, ThaDk'ee; an if he
don't, / thayth, All right, thir, and wait for the
nektht one, an if he give the ole man thent, doeth
that make me theft" ...
"But that is not all, Johnson" interposed Mr.
Long. "Yoii-are notorious old liar, and nobody
can believe a WORD that you say" ea-~"
"Now, gentleman, resumed the hard-pressed de-
fendant che thayth I'm liar, but on what point I?
| thay 1. Did you ever know me to commit falthe-
| hood 2" .t W ..
81 scarcely ever knew you to tell the truth. Besides
| that, you are quarrelsome, and abuse your wife,
Only the other night you were arrested by Oficer
Mccullough here for tying rope around your wlfes
| neck or waist and attempting TO drag her up the
| steps Of this cellar"
"Dld you hear that, Mary Jane?"-turning tol the
woman who had risen to sitting posture during the
preceding colloquy-'Did you hear i'm thay that
had tied rope around your neck your waitht and
tried to drag you up thtarth? Now, Mary Jane you're
in your own houthe, and can thpeak your mind, for
pay rent here and thith is my houthe. Now, Mary
Jane, tell the gentlemen, did you ever thee me with
rope around your neck or your waitht, tryin' to
drag you up thtairtn9 Thpeak out, an thpeak your
mind"
Mary Jane, thus appealed to, grlnned all over, and
/ sputtered QUIT
al guess / didn't see you with a rope around my
| neck; for If had l would ave been choked to
DEATH most like"
This vindicaton seemed to satisfy the party by the
| name OF Johnson who ignoring altogether the
alternative OF the charge preferred against him,
/ branched of upon another subject
IYou thee, gentlemen I've been great traveller
| in my time / followed the thea for nigh about
twenty-five yearth, therving thOme of the time ath
| thteward, and thome OF the time ath cook, and
thome OF the time ath theaman I've thailed all
over the world In ls4s l wath in California, an in
1s49 wath in California, an in 1851 wath in CALI
| fornia. In
"What, interrupted one Of the party, ''dd you do
with all the gold you picked up in California? ?"
"Oh, thpent it eathy enough an had lot OF it,
more'n enough to thingle thith houthe with"