Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-02-06

A Promising Life Ruined ami
Wrecked by a Coin VITA
a Hole ia II.
Cincinnati Commercial @ ea,etts.

prisoner rolled up a little torch an
passed it out between the bars Of hj
cell, pointing to the gas jet in the col
ridor. The reporter lighted the papel
and, handing it back, the speaker pu
it to the bowl Of his pipe and beea
putting vigorously.
The man behind the bars was Der
haps forty years Of age, tall aud thir
His face was dirty, bis beard was rap
ged and unkempt, his hair was tan
gled, his clothes had not been mad
for him and they we're torn, greasy
and patched until the original patterl
was entirely hid. To cap the climax, h
snelt badly and the odor OF his vile pip,
only made things worse. Half al
hour before he had been sentenced in
the Police Court to three months in
the workhouse for vagrancy, and h,
was now waiting for the prison van Il
take him away. When you had .
pipe and tobacco, what made you ash
for cigar?' inquired the reporter.
What for? Why, to get one, Q.
course. When | can get a cigar
smoke it. don't like this pipe any
more than you would"
Did you think that the Judge was
severe2"
"Oh, 70; didn't. You get you-
grub regular and are kept warm out al
the Works, and it's not so bad"
We'll, were you guilty.
Guilty, well | should smile I'm
about as guilty az the rest OF our 70
tired citizens; haven't done a stroke
OF work for two years that | know
And you have managed to live all
that time without doing snything?'
Rather. Without dOihg any further
than eat" "
man
"Of course I'm healthy"
And you certainly appear 10 be
sensible enough. Tell me why you
liie?"
Simply because | saw it vasp',
any use to struggle further againt fate,
| just got tired out trying to do right
and so Iquit."
How was it?"
well, it's a rather peculiar story,
and l don't think that you would
take any stock ip it if | told it to yon
To begin with every misfortune in m,
wrecked and ruined life has beer
caused by a cent. Yes, sir, a common
copper cent with hole in it. some
times say that | am cnrsed with senti
ment. Dye SEQ the pointS hal hal
and the prisoner laughed the way
steam whistle would be supposed to in
dulse in the relaxation. II wa
educated, sir, az we'll as yoI
doubtless are. When
graduated with honors from eolleg,
(Yale, mind you), | returned home t
Boston, aud went in business with M
lather, with just as good chance O
being rich man hetore | was thir.,
as any young fellow ever had in til,
world. Things we're going swimming
ly, and | fell in love with Just as pret
ty girl as ever lived, in her palstia
residence on Beacon street. Yes, sir
palatial, and her dad had the rocks
oh my, and the girl was willing, and
he didn't have the least objection tC
me as a son in-law.
There's no use going into deta lis
it's all very amusing now, but it wal
cesious enough then. | loved;and my
love was reciprocated. At big party
one evening she, that's Lulu --hei
name was Lulu, understan d-gave nj
a cent with a peculiar looking hole il
it, saying it was for good luck and
wanting me to keep it. OF course
kissed it and then kissed herr shat Is
when no one was watching. Well,sir
that cent was the beginning of al
my troubles, One day not long ago
was riding in street car, and whsI
the conductor came round after hi.
fare, | found that | had only half
dime 10 my pocket and that cent. Yor
know street car fare in Boston is sil
cents, Well, | had to give it to him
and he handed the cent back, sayinl
that he wouldn't take it because i
mad a hole in it. That mado me mad
and then he said if | didn't fork ovel
another cent he would have to pu
me off the car. OF course | wouldn'
get of and there was q big rumpus
and at last he got two policemen, ant
they hustled me up quick enough, ant
just as | was jerked off the platform
saying things | shouldn't have said,
was so angry, who should sec in tha
car but Lulu's mother. She had hat
her veil on, so | hadn't recognized
her before, and she had seen the who'll,
affair.
"The next day | was fined twenty
FIVE dollars for disordOrly conduct, ant
| had pl sooner left the court than
received note from Lulu saying tha
the match was broken of, as sh,
would not have anything to do with
man disgraced as ! was. Then
went on q big spree lasting a week
which wound up by me gettipl
thirty days in the House Of Correc
ton. After that my folks wouldn'
have anything to do with me, and
left Boston and came West. | trle,
my hand at everything succeeding a
nothing, always sinking lower an,
lower. At last one night while in
saloon | got an opportunity to rob tn
cash drawer. | was suspected, ar
rested, and was about to be allowed t
90 when the saloon keeper recognize,
a cent, which had been found upo
meas one stolen from him. 1t was tina
cursed copper coin with hole in Il
Of course | went out for petit larceny
When | got out ! tried to d
better and got good situation. q
my first pay day | received tha
identical mutilated cent, aud the men
ories it awakened so worked upo
my feelings that ! went Oh An
got gloriously drunk. Out to tn
Works | went again, and that wa
the last time ever tried to reform
No, sir, reform in my case don't pay
Several time that cent has turned u
since then, and it has always foand ID
sunk TO a lower degree OF degradation
until now ! latter myself that I'y
reached the bottom. Now you Sc
why | consider myself cursed wit
sentiment And as.he spoke thss