The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1882-02-07
WANDERING WILLIAM
Homeless, Penniless, Aimless
He Seeks Shelter in the
Station House-A
Sad Story.

II HIS llldl olfc tiit WI
does not know how the other half lives.
Without stopping TO question the truth OF
this assertion. il can be truthiully stated
that there is a class of workers who see
life i'm all its lights and shades. They visit
the rich and the poor, the virtuous and the
corrupt, the pure and the dehled, the
learned and the ignorant, and from all
these gradations OF society CLEAN LIES
whole story. One hour they Fit In prison
cells listening To some story oi crime, the
next they are where youth and beauty and
purity are gathered i'm dazzling splendor.
To-day they hear the deserted wife tell her
tale of suffering and sorrow, Tomorrow
they write the record OF the happy brides
nuptials. From all sources, from every
phase of this strange thing We call life,
these men gather up the threads and weave
them into true, and often startling. records
Do you know them? They are the
reporters, ubiquitous, here AMI there.
seeking for that which goes Ia make up
the full history of the worlds daily life.
To illustrate: Friday night last, one
of these gatherers of the driii-wo0d - well
a. the treas Irers that daily float ON the
current of events, followed three men into
the station house Two Of them were
officers the third poor. wandering tramp.
whom these guardians Of the ciiv's peace
! had found on the streets. The party
entered that door. which * like that oi the
! Inferno over whose portals Is the legend.
''Iie who enters here leaves hope behind.
and trembling from cold and hunger the
wanderer told his story.
NV name is William III. Hunt ] came
| here seeking those who love me. but whom
| | have not seen for weary yea. =. have
not found them, and tonight, with Il sad
dened heart, only ask I" lie down on the
hard floor OF one of these cells. Two
wears ago | was in business in Kansas
| City; not rich, but fairly prospecting. and
| was happy But il is the old story.
Disaster came: | was broken up. and pen
niieSS driited out into the world To seek
bread. Onc day | found myself III Texas
There went Ia work ON a railroad. |
Was brave and, though unused To- such Il
life. tcilci without murmur But sick
MS ~ ne, and my >cdnt wages were soon
gone. Then ! turned my steps toward the
old home. and" Here his voice Juiv-
cred. and he seemed unable iU speak
There l. no old home. The loved ones
! cannot find
suddenly the wanhercr unpinncd his
ragged coat. aud from ihc pocket over hi
heart. drew forth q letter which he handed
10 Officer Barnett. The officer took it.
and hc and the reporter hastily looked il
orer. Ii WAS in a delicate female hani.
and full of a sisters love and devotion
She called him Wandering William" but
not a word of Gliding or crn>urc did that
well-writien letter contain. Ii told him oi
the family> life since he WAS last with
them. ana how he was missed, AMI how
gladly he would bc welcomed home. ~
tramp came here not long since" she
wrote. land he told IL he had seen Won
in Texas. Because he knew You, We kept
him thee days"
The letter was given back TO the mar.
and Officer belong locked him in a ce''
where, doubtless. in troubled sleep. H.
drea med of that sister and OF 4 father
ord mother who had moved from the old
home since that letter was written
Then the reporter lef', musing thought
fully upon these lines:
''Of all sad words "i tongue or pen
The sadd,Si are these. It might have bey!I.'
4 sound of music. the merry trip oi
swift-moving feet. a flood OF mellow light,
a" n. Jay of beauty and gallantry. and the
re"ortcr sees life in another light IlesitS
don, and, with a brother reporter. i soon
bIsily enga .ed in writing up the merry
tine without mar or blot, which is being
crioved hy the SOci"l club that evening
on Ohio street. The light and the dark.