The New York herald., 1878-08-08
STRAW JOHN"

HIS CRITICAL CONDITION Az BELLEVUE HosPI-
rAL-ANrEcEDENrs AND CHARACTERISTICS
OF WRIGHT, THE ECCENTRIC pEDLER.
On Tuesday last an old man entered the Thirteenth
precinct station house and told the sergeant at tho
desk that John Wright lying very sick and
tstaiy destitute in his lodgings In the basement Of
No. 45 Ridge street, The sergeant mado a note Of Il
IN routine sort Of way feeling special interest In
tho case, but when the old added In a casual
way, 'Straw John, you know" the sergeant and all
within hearing became suddenly interested. Rounds
man Farley at went to the place, and ambu-
lance having been sent for poor Old Straw John was
teudcrly lifted into and carried 10 Bellevue Hospi-
tai. He very III, and when HERALD reporter
called HIM yesterday he seemed to be almost light
headed, though he answered one or two questions
clearly enough He could not be drawn into any con-
nectcd conversation, but when the reporter usked
he could do ANYTHING Tor MIN he replied cagery:-
'.Yes, they've got some papers ovcr there that
must have tonight must, must" Aud then 10
explained that the papers were III his pockets.
"lhcres gun there, ioo,' he continued "and
must have that. small cannon. you know"
The kind hearted orderly nude search through tho
clothing old John had worn, but there pa
pers there, and the OH man got terribly excited
81 shall go away from here at once" said 't they
behave like this don't call this very good
But sufficient 10 get him to tell his history
and It had 10 be gathered piecemoal and incomplete
from among the many who knew MIN among the
side tenement houses; for the Old man has been for
thirty years ons OF tho most eccentric most
widely known of the many queer characters that
attain local distinction Roundsman Wall said, .'wny
Pye known MIN since remember, and he
was always just the same. don't suppose you can
find who have grown up on the east side that
on
were boys, and everybody will toll you a dinercnt
story about how much he was worth and about his
family"
HIS AyTEcEDESTs
What is definitely known about him Is that for over
thirty years ho was straw pedler who used drive
diupidated old horse in front oil an old iashiou cd
hay wagon until some hvo years ago. Mr.. Bergh's
20 icty deprived HIM OF the horse. He WIS witty and
quick, and when surrounded by u crowd, as hs gen
orally was, who w0ald chaf him, he had always an
answer ready. He never lost his temper excepting
when boys annoyed him. aud then he would throw
stones at them and curse rrghtfuly threatening TO
cut their hearts out But the boys would dodce
was harmless, and the police when they saw u crowd
around his wagon would walk away, Tor thcy knew u
sure to DO good -natured crowd and that moth
ing worse than u lew rough jokes would happen
There are nutnehtic instances on record when his
straw was set on IRE, but thoy lew, ara occa-
sionally 'lewd fellows tho baser sortn would
throw stones NJ MIN, but not oiton.
positively about him, he lived In u sort OF shanty
alone with his dogs, dozen or more number, on
then used 10 go out Long Island certain days TO
buy straw bnying four or i've loads at on somo
| trips and trading with the farmers Tor IL when
| ho could, paying out money whom he had
to with great reluctance. THIS straw he kept his
shanty, and his dogs he tod with wnch he
brought at night irom the old slaughter houses that
were then situated near Fith street. Tho dogs 20
kept for protection, and they were nuisance
TO the negnDors aud 10 tue pol &C OF tho Fifth pro-
cnct, then situated near tho place, that both
neishbors ana policemen would XIII one Of them
ever good opportunity was presented.
He aiterward moved to Ridge street. near Deiauccy
In which hcighborhood he has lived for eight ten
years. In the cneapost poorest lodgings no could
obtain spending literally nothing excepting for his
rent and food. his clotning, wnch perhaps drst
esption OF an old army cvercoa. whlcn be has
| worn for many years, using the hood Of n
IN lieu OF hat Yhe rest OF his garments
wore OF old moa bags patched together and tied with
s,riugs Even his shoes were made OF scraps OF old
boots aud shoes picked up, he only knew where Ynd
fastened one over another until each shoe tktee
or four inches thick. He is singuiarly intelligent
looking mau, whose eye even yet IS clear bright
eighty years old. Ho told the reporter was rinety.
e,gni but .h,s was evidently net truc he probably
did not know what ae said.
| BusiyEss
Alter the condscaon OF his horse by Mr.. Bereh
but continued trading ard .peding industr,ous,y.
| He used 10 buy and sell knives hatchets saws aud
and trading wDsnevor he could nna a CUSTOMER, ire
aa.nly :. rs thought Of ate years sing money by
| MS poor tttlc speculatOnS. Lately he TOOK
| ecting the old Tin cans that the poorest people
| throw away, alter using the preserved vegetables
| contained la thom. These cans ho would make INTO
| pals, using ola baie wiro Tor handles, anc would
carry u string OF them on hts back. trying to sell
| tnsm Some Two months ago he Iound u cheaper
lodging place than tho miserable one he had occu-
| pied. anu hircd u numocr OF young men 10 help him
move his 9Th ngs" which he valued highly. He had
literally no furu ure, not even q char, but a great
quantity o stun that Junkm would buy besides old
rotten bags aud fraamcnts OF metal and a huge and
| very diapdatsd TIN trunk. These things no moved
into an unused room III cellar under rag and JUNK
shop ON the corner oil Dolancey street, which he
since occupoJ hsvag paid seventy dve cents tor the
| two months rent This room The reporter xtmin I'd
yesterday. The noor Is the ground and is carpctcd
thick with nIth There - NO provision Tor IRE and
| lie burned 10 light Hundreds of worthless fragments
were tcstiered AZ random through the place, which
trunk and u ladder were The only articles tia, had
even he dignity OF size, ana everything was htny
MS an unused cellar III house apparently ahunircd
years Old would naturally be- Here hc slept though
there was no place, even on the ground, where he
could have lain at tul length. Here he ate though
he had never . ash Or u table Hors ne lay sicx
aid would have died II his noigh had not vuKod
| the authorities.
| THE MANS MONEY.
| Being known SO long and 50 we'll, and being know
TO spend no money Tor what even tho poorest dccin
ncccssarics, was natural for people suppose him
wealthy, and Tor many years he has boon repued TO
DO IRON so 90 to 600 600 the AZURE being
| 1xed solciy Dy the spcagers' inncy. No one ever
succeeded though many tried, to get him TO tell how
much he had, but De has told deren different
stories abou' his property. saying to one that
| he owned houses on FIth avenue, 10 another that
hv had property Boston, ana on. 1t seems PROV.
able that he has properly somewhere, though II l. not
Key that II is OF great value; but, lar could he
learned, no ono bat himself knows wncre or what It
IL. aud tho secret Is likely to die with him. tor his
and illness render u iprooabIe that will recovc
impcpetrabic, Tor TO he said that he was bach
eor, while to others he tod contradictory stories
ABOUT daagh VINO had Ieit him aud brother IRON
whom he was separated.