The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-07-31

patriotic and sentimental speeches ana
singing songs. Like the Wandering
Jew, hidden to traverse the earth
without stopping or resting, Boots seems
to be walking out life sentence OF perpet-
ual motion. 0narriving at town or village
he mounts up to some conspicuous position
and gives series OF view halloos' that at
tract the townspeople. They break into
peals of laughter at his queer savings and
ludicrous songs. Then he passes his hat for
COINS. His chief theme is love, and on this
subject alone he seems to have full control
OF his faculties. His great blue eyes dilate,
the bearded face, usually expressionless, is
lighted up with animation and intelligence,
and in clear ringing tones and smoothly
rounded sentences he gives full swing to the
passion OF his early days. He has a little
hut near Plattekill Glove, between Overlook
and Roundtop mountains, in which he occa-
slonally lodges at night. Here are collected
all sorts OF curiosities that he has picked up
In his travels. The spot would seem to have
been selected with care. 1t is one of the
wost romantic aud picturesque regions of
that charming country. Near it is the Platte
kill falls, cataract of I'D feet. which. while
not so extensive as Niagara, resembles Niagara
in the wild beauty of its vast towering banks,
worn by the ceaseless flow of waters into
sounding buttresses and mighty bastions. 1t
is not easy to visit this wonder of the Cat
skill mountains, OWING to the tall, sharp
rocks that surround it; but 1t will not be
long before it will be thoroughly explored
by the lovers of wild scenery.
The interior of Boots
VAN sTEENBERG's HUT
is dressed with evergreen and laurel. Above
the chimney piece is an elaborate frame that
was once gilded. Within 1t is the picture,
now very much faded, of Jenny Lind This
is the key to Boots history. When only
Of H.. IL
He had considerable sum of money with
him, and he became fascinated with city
life. One evening in September, 1850. in
Triple hall, he heard Jenny Lind sing. He
became infatuated with her. In the $50
concerts, the extent of her engagement with
Barnum, he listened to her nightly. He
expended nearly $1,000 on bouquets of
her himself from his seat in the pit.
After this she sang in Castle Garden.
While standing at the stage door of this
theater one night after the play, as was his
custom, in hopes to catch glimpse of Jenny
Lind, Boots" felt light hand touch his
arm. 1t was the songstress herself. She had
recognized the young man as he who had
nightly thrown her flowers from the pit.
She handed him her card "BOois" saws:
''She was living near the Bowling Green.
[ went to see her. She treated me very po
htely. / asked her TO marry me. She said
she'd think about it. 1 went to the house
every day. l hung about the place every
night. Sometimes she would see me and
sometimes send word that she was not we'll
L thought of her while awake and dreamed
of her while asleep. My existence was wrapt
up in her. At length, when / thought was
sure of winning her, man named Otto
Goldschmldt arrived from Europe. This
man seemed to have supernatural power
over her. She discarded me. The smile
from her sweet lips that usually greeted me
as l sat directly under the footlights was
turned into q cold stare"
AS he said this, Boots seemed overcome
with emotion. Tears trickled down mis-
weather-heaten face. The train of his
thoughts seemed lost in chaos, and he APP
peared to be no more a reasoning being. He
had sent to her native city, Stockholm, for a
large picture of her. and had had his own
picture engraved and copies sent 10 her. In
all he had expended over 81 900 on Jenny
Lind, and be soon found his money well
nigh expended. BON he heard of her mar
riage to Goldschmidt in Boston. The auxi-
ETY., the heartburniDgs that bad rent his pas
toral breast for months, then eliminated in
a severe mental shock, aud his reason was
dethroned. He returned TO his home on the
Hudson, and endeavored to raise money
wherewith to follow Mr.. and Mrs. Gold
schmidt to Charleston, whittier they were
first, but at length becoming possessed with
the notion that he had money in the Kings
ton savings bank, he went there, drew a
check for $500, and presented it. 1t was
signed with his name. Strange to say, dis
tant relative bearing the same name hap
pened to have an account at the bank, and
Boots" signature was very similar. A for
mer teller of the bank, in conversation with
a reporter of the Sun at Saugerties last week,
said:
HE had no difficulty in identifying him.
self as Tobias Steenberg, and through ex
treme carelessness the check was paid. 1t
was some time before the mistake was dis
covered. Then Boots was found, but ne
had spent
THE MONEY,
and it being ascertained that he was non
compos mentis, and innocent of an inten-
tional crime, nothing was done about it, and
the bank was held responsible for its error"
The story of the check is still current in
Kingston and its environs.
With the money thus obtained, Boots
returned to New York, purchased a hand
organ, and took the same steamship as did
the songstress and her husband. He set the
organ up in the cabin in front OF her state
room, and ground it by the hour. He con-
sidered this serenade. 1t became a nui
sance. Boots mental condition became
locked up until Charleston was reached.
Boots" followed the newly married pair
from Charleston to Columbia, and thence to
New Orleans He ascertained the situation
OF the room of the songStress, and then play
ed in the street as near it as possible. In
Charleston he played in the hallway of the
hotel, but this was soon forbidden by the
proprietor.
After several months Boots became
thoroughly exhausted mentally and physi-
cally, and found his way back to his home
at Kingston. This was in 1851. Since then
he has wandered from town to town with
children at his heels. He always treats them
kindly, and is favorite. He attends nearly
all the shows in the villages, and Is invariably
admitted free. His EXPLANATIONS at different
stages of the performance create amusement.
In the Collingwood opera house at Pough-
keepsie especially he is favorite. He visit
ed the Centennial exhibition, travelling the
entire distance on foot. He attempted to
make patriotic speech from the platform
erected for the opening exercises. He was
thought by the police of Philadelphia to be
intoxicated, and was roughly handled.
Boots was frightened. He hurried home
ae 70 81 40 hfs faoo uould taka him and he