Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-08-24
ATYPICAL SOHENnAN.
Some Incidents in the Career OF
the "COlOnel of the Irish
Brigade"
New York Letter.


One Of the brightest and cleverest
Bohemians died this week Of apo.
plexY, and quite suddenly. This was
Colonel John Keegan, who about a
year ago was sentenced to imprison
lhent for criminally hbeling Senator
Winfield, Of New Jersey. In the lat
ter years of his life Keegan was run
down" considerably. He got into bad
odor in the metropolitan newspaper
Offices, declined to do "slush" work,
and under repeated rebuffs his spirit
broke and be drank rather too freely.
That is the misfortune of men who
have seen better days. Such of their
former acquaintance as wish to be
kind to them invariably ask them to
take q drink when they meet them.
A poor fellow may be starving
at the time but he could not
suggest to his host that a l5>
cent bowl Of soup would do him
more good than the twenty. five cent
glass Of whisky to which he is invited.
Thus they invariably end with becom-
ing drunkards, and then everybody
avoids them. Keegan had not quite
gone SO far as this last stage, but he
was rapidly approaching it. | re-
member him in bis prime, some seven
or eight years ago. He was then a
handsome, dashing fellow, 4 trihe
above the medium height, Of capital
figure and a handsome, genial face,
which men liked and women fell in
love with. He had black hair. which
be wore long. snd as he affected a
SLOUGH hat and a military cut in his
clothes he looked every inch dash.
ing frontier officer come back to civis
liEatioR for recreation. He could
sing OF make q speech, dash off q
heavy political editorial or turn out a
cleser little sonnet. He could tell
stories BY the hour, sit up with lot
Of agreeable companions and a bottle
for tWenty-four hours, or make
half a dozen frenzied with jealousy
of each other. One time he was
sent to Long Island BY the Herald to
report q political meeting over which
Mr.. August Belmont was to preside.
1t was just the time when listers FIRST
made their appearance. Ksegan hap
pened to be flush, and he invested 500
IN one of those uncouth wraps. Then
he dressed himself in fine style, put a
yellow rose in his bottom hole and went
to the Long Island village where the
meeting was to take place. He went
up to Mr.. Belmont and introduced
himself as Colonel Keegan, late Of
the Irish brigade" He said be had
just come up from the South, and az
he happened to pass a few days in
Long Island he thought it would
be advisable to tell the people
something about the results Of Repub.
lican misrule in the South. Mr.. Bel.
mont was delighted. He introduced
him to the audience and Keegan made
a ringing speech Of an hour which
dazzled everybody. Then he sent BIZ
report to the Herald, remained II
Long Island for several days, wa
made much of by the leading families
and, Of course, had all the ladies a
his feet, Somehow the real personal
ity Of the Irish Brigade" here leake,
out. Mr.. Belmont became very wrotL
wrote to Mr.. Bennett about it, anu tn
consequence was that Keegan was dis
charged, to Keegan's delight, for
showed him how much Belmont wa
hurt about having been imposed upoI
and of course he got at once an en-
gagement with another paper.