Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-03-09
SINGULAR SALMI.
Remarkable Experiences Of the
Passion Play Man.
He Doesn't Care for Money-Wants to
Preach jesus-Sleeps Under Bed
Quilt Studded With Precious
Stones-How He Run Hotel,
AND EMPLOYED TWENTY BARKeEPERs.

ate enthusiast and-type not easily COM
pretended in our day and generation, and
especially in our city-not a man totally
Indifferent to money, and to any of the
pleasant things it can buy. ~ have spent
sl50,o00 on this one thing" he said, "and
cent cash, and owe no man q dollar. 1t
grew ont of two quires Of foolscap on which
i wrote it. and have designed, drawn and
worked night and day in either
doing or directing everything about
it, after studying deeply, and
travelling long and far, grudging no e1.
pense to enable me to reproduce everything
in fac-simile, so far as it was humanity pos
sible after all the centuries that have
elapsed. Ii you were so much pleased with
the little you saw, how much more would
you have been SO If you had seen it to the
end"
i alluded to the violent attack upon him
in the Times, in which 1t was treated as a
sacrilegious speculation, and himself scoffed
at as a Jew. He had been told of it; he
never read the newspapers. He said: "My
parents were Jews, though 1 should scarce
ly now be recognized as one; certainly not
in religious belief. When 1 first went to
Jerusalem
IRas an InideI,
as much so as Ingersoll; but there, when
my feet trod over all the ground where His
had trodden and awakened the same echoes
that His had awakened, ! came to under.
stand Him and to realize His spirit, and
what His life and death had been, and |
wBs an infidel no more. 1t seemed to come
upon me almost like fash. and with an
r,nnr An1 Ln,x ill I
want is to preach Jesus il a way to make
men feel and see Him as no pulpit does or
can do. am crucified by those who claim
to be His ministers. Ne, He is crucified
through me, as He would be again crucifed
were He to return to the world in person.
intend to deliver a course OF lectures here
before / get through, under the title OF
Jew and Jesus And as for speculation"
he contin ued, "look at this building and
the number Of people employ, all reputa.
bic and good people, ladies and gentlemen,
to whom this employment gives bread. The
numbe OF seats makes il manifestly i'm
possible that it can ever do more than
cover its current expenses so as TO keep it
alive"
He said that he would
Never submit Tameiy
to the injustice done him, but that he
would carry his rights and his wrongs TO
the last tribunals OF appeal as long as he
had dollar left, and he was not yet quite
at the end OF his means honestly acquired.
81 care nothing for money. l utterly de-
spise it. except for doing good and my
duty with it. need little Of it, tor have
no luxuries nor personal indulgences.. Ny
pension will always suffice for me-"
asked, what Pension-if might make
such an inquiry"
For my Crimean services"
But such pensions are never anything
very considerable" l remarked.
Mine is a good one, and, as | live,
divide it with relatives who need it more
than do"
"If the inquiry is not impertinent, may
ask how you acquired your fortune?
"In Australia, in keeping hotel"
"What could have led you into that life?"
81 arrived there determined TO make
money, because money is great power,
whether for good or evil, according to the
use you make of it. ! saw what would be
success, and the Criterion (that was its
name)
Was Great Success.
1t was the largest hotel in Melbourne, and
covered block, from street TO street And
there was broad passage through the mid.
die by which you could drive from street
to street. And though never set my foot
in the bar.room, there were twenty bar
keepers under one competent man in
charge OF it. No drunken man was ever
allowed to enter it or 10 be served with
anything il he began TO bet intoxicated.
Once / found a man lying asleep. drunk on
a sofa. Being powerful man then. lifted
him by his trousers and carried him
out q distance OF half a block, into the
street, kicking and cursing awfully. ! tried
to get him on his legs. but he would not,
so lust let 20 of of him and he dropped to
the sidewalk, and l returned indoors with
the applause of the crowd. But the news
presently followed me that his leg Was
broken. / ordered him taken up on
stretcbe, to a bedroom, where his leg was
set and he was treated as we'll as my own
brother could have been. When he got
we'll enough to walk on pair OF crutches
gave him, he wanted to go home aud
handed him check for f25. But he tore
it up gnd threw the pieces into my face,
and sued me for damages. He was beaten
in the first court, and then again in the
second, and again in the last court OF ap-
peal. Judges do justice out there. ] was
of course
Sorry for Him
and for the accident, but was blameless in
the matter. Indeed, have never wroDgea
any man, nor done anything TO be ashamed
OF or blamed for. II had, and il a word
could be said against me, as have been SO
we'll known, don't you think that during
the opposition at first raised against me in
San Francisco about my Passion Play, and
all the excitement which has been got up
bere,it would have been brought up against
meT
/ referred to the efforts by the adverse
counsel to cast doubt on his legal position
that the building in which his exhibition
had been given was bona fide his residence,
and to Capt. Williams having stated that
be thought" there was q bed In one corner
of the room next 10 his Office, and that e
saw no arrangements nor provision for
cooking. asked whether Mr.. Howe was
correct In saying that he might have seen
8 small gas steve in which he did his own
little cooking.
Il have no other re sidence, and here
spend all my days and nights. Here is the
little gas stove which suffices TO prepare
my breakfast and any refreshments re-
auired in the course OF the day. This work
is, of cou-se, done for me by an attendant,
and for dinner 60 out to hotel. Perhaps
you might like to look at my kitchen"
He Led the Way
through the bedroom to q large unfurn.
isbed room, which completed his suite OF
apartments. In corner were two OF the
commonest chairs, facing each other and
supporting a piece Of board to serve as q
kitchen table, on which were two or three
plates. cups, and small coffee or tea pot.
Here is my kitchen" he said, mot adapted
to very high living, as you see, but quite
sufficient for my needs and comfort
These" as he kicked 9 couple Of demijohns
to show that they were empty. rather
look as though Idrank, but do not When
had couple Of hundred men working
here with me through the night l had TO
send for little whisky for their refresh
ment to get through with the work"
Do any of his reverend enemies live al.
ter such an ascetic fsshion7
"Dut here" he continued, SIS something
in different style. No emperor sleeps un
der such . covering as DO" and he tool
me into his bedroom There was there ,
minimum of ordinary furniture. bot tn.
room seemed almost lighted up by fes
articles, of which the chief was dowr
bed cover the richest maroon satin line
with similar buff satin. In the two mp
per corners Of il were his initials. 8. an,
NJ, eight inches long. embroidered in gold
while In the centre occupyfuR about siJ