The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1869-07-15


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HIsroRxoF E-LEsGEDs0LDIER-
As ToIdBy Hand Organ.
fr.., -. 1,s.-o;; F-ee press.l
r..,. AL. ,;ntf
g. p.aa~a.s. .ud ala "a. hear
The news that's going round"
Much Obliged for the pennies-it's 8
hot day and pennies are scarce. Have
7 a hisforv2 OF course / have. A
hand-oroan that has been carried about
from plaee tn place since '66 has seen
and felt enough TO fill volume. IF
you amt ashamed to sit down here on
the eurb-sEone beside poor ene-Ieg-
ged soldier that does nothing but turn
nv crank all day, sometimes sighing
when he sees men look at me and
snecr n, tell Won our history. for Eve
como to he a mart of the soldier. and
he has often told me that he should
come nearer starvation if it weren't
for the tunes PLAY. The sun is hot
and don't you see how it has blistered
the yarnish around my corners, and
burned the face and hands of the old
veteran? But beggars can't be choos-
ers. and Ned sometimes tells me that
the organ business is but a higher
step of beggary.
The first thing I remember was be-
ing in q room in New 1 OPk, piled
.4o,, - ,tI,.,,.- ,S,,.ero,,e ,,.t;I oi,oost
tonched the floor above. guess
there must have been a thousand of
us in that one room. It was only
once in long time that the door of
the room was ever opened; once in
while a sirIy-Iooking Italian would
come in and try some of nv eompan-
ions and nerhans bpy one bpt 7 often
heard my buiider comnlain. of dun
times. and wish. that he had ms an off
his hands. / very well remember
when theswar broke out: men who
came in would talk about it. and once
1 heard g copperheads tell my own
er, who was truly loyal man, that he
needn't worry about the loss of stock,
that the hand-organ business would
be mighty brisk after the war. I
heard my owner threaten him with
arrest, and boast that his party were
going to reward the soldier. for their
patriotism. @
.rramn. .tysmn t,.mn
The boys are marching
That was splendid tune once, but
after the boys got to tramping around
with hand-orgaus on their backs 1t
didn't draw at all. One morning after
had heard that peace was declared
my owner came in, and he looked so
jolly, and rubbed his hands SO often
that we wondered what good news
had, come to him. lie commenced
taking us down, one after another, un-
til he had a hundred sitting OH the
floor, and then he gave directions to
have MS boxed mn and sent Wast
When I saw daylight again. Ned.
here stood waiting to hear me play.
He looked pale and wan. and T won.
dered if losino.a leo made naonle LOOT
that wav fem wears asesar,vars After
he had given me a lono trial, and tried
in vain Ia. lowar INV nr;eo y a
finally signed over his nens;on .naners
and took me away ON his back. He
sat down by the roadside to rest, after
q while, and he told me something of
bis history sHas,vas Of tbo f.st
to enlist. be hel;eved IN tho Trn;on
RIGHT ,hrou6b Man s,,oo,- b;s bong4.
fa;r lal;a. s,,;lo5 ~, ..;,, ona ha NO. -
promised so MANY Offices when bo
shonld return that he used 70 often
think. while living in his tattered
blanket down bv the Potomac. how he
should decline a few of them and not
hurt the .feelinos of his Republ;can
friends. szsz 8
agqs..,,.r,.,, a.. 49,, .,,,;.. = .,,,
Hurrah for he red. white and bluelr
Tbere a;nY co mncb bprrob;,o 90
tbare a,,ssce h,,t oa,hons the s;olt
of cr;nnlas and band-oroane don,t
breeS1 entbus;asm yvbe,, Nod came
bome wounded evarvlof1v nra;sad his
flevot;ans f., tbe; Gao. and vo,, onobt TO
have seem. tl,e resolnt;ons of tbanks to
him which tbe next Renntl;can capcns
nassed Nod was ,,oo, and whom be
,o+ oho,t on.;, lin IT, bost or,,,