The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-07-18
GENERAL TOM EAGAF,

a Onoo brilliant boldier, Sentenced ns q
New York TSaEnI,-A SAd Sf0ry.
Fe' York Correspondent Philadelphia Record. q
That truth Is stranger than fiction Ia .
trite saying; but was never more impress.
ed with this fact than in reading in one Of
the morning papers day or two since a
local paragraph giving an account OF the
arrest Of Thomas W. Eagsn for vagrancy
and bis commitment to the workhouse,
Thomas W. Eagan was one OF The most
brilliant soldiers Of the late war. He was
the colonel Of The Fortisth New York Vol.
unteers, known as the Mozart Regiment,
and Eas aiterward Msjor. General, with a
splendid record. He wan one Of the most
dashiug officers In the Army Of tho Poto-
mac. Wherever there was q fight ths,e
General Eagan'a command was sure to be,
and In the thicsest Of the fight the General
rode bis fiery war.horse, a horse that was
almost as well known in the army as liz
owner. General Esgan's record before he
went into the army was not q very credita.
BILE one. He was said to be professional
gambler and local politician Of pretty low
type; but bis war record wiped out his
record Of peace and gave him a brilliant
position. When the war was over he was
made an officer Of internal revenue in New
York, but gambling and o love Of drink
proved too much for him. u
The first time / saw General Eaean he
was dressed in a Colonel's uniform, march.
ing at the head Of bis regiment sf,er.
ward saw him as General mounted on
his tamsus charger, looking the picture OF
q gallant soldier. The last time / saw him
ne was walking along Printing House
square, old and bent, though be is really
nut more than IS or 30, and 80 ssedy thar /
took him Tor a tramp. He recognized me,
though I did not recognize him, and he
stopped aud wept maudlin fears 10 think
that one, who had known him could pses
him on the street and not recognize him
now. He had sunk pretty low then, and
be kept Oh the downward scale until he
nnal!y became an oas and.out tramp, and,
as drink had touched bis brain, he was quite
lnsane at times, 80 that II was thought best
to arrest him. BE was taken before Justice
Smith, Of the Tombs Court Justice Smith
bad known General Etgan in bis paIlniest
days, and they called each other Tom and |
Sol; but times had changed. When the |
Justice sentenced him to the workhouse |
the court officer who was to take him there |
begged the Justice to change the commit
ment othe asylum, as the man WIS eyi.
IDENTITY out Of his head, and be could not
bear to lead bis old General, one whom he |
had fought under in the war, to the work.
house, so the sentence was changed,
General Eagan's first wife was, and. still |
ia, one Of the abandonment and most at.
tractiye women l haya sver met. She was
afterward the wife OF John #, RAYMOND. |
from whom she wss divorced four or FIVE |
years ego, and Is known on the stage as |
Marie Gordon, She was Rsymond's wife
Tor about fifteen years, when they had
come trouble which led to divorce. Raw
mond soon afterward married Courtney
Bsrnea, Rose tytipgs's daughter. The first |
Mrs. Raymond went almost Immediately |
10 London, where she has been ever since, |
She had one child, the son Of Eagan, to |
whom Raymond WAS good enough to give
bis name for the years tina. he was married
to her. I think, that il had been told,
when used to see Esgan gallopinp around
the camp surrounded by bis staff, that he
would one day be sent to the workhouss as
tramp, I would have laughed at the per.
son who told me as one with the imsgina.
ton Of poet.