Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-06-04
DRAGGED DOWN BY RUN.
The Stcry of n Tramp who Once ae
fused n Nomination for Congress.
THE GLASS OF WINE THAT WRECKED A PRoNIS-
ING CAREER AND BROKE UP HAPPY HOME.


THE GLASS OF WINE THAT WRECKED PRoNIs-
ING CAREER AND BROKE UP A HAPPY HOME.
From tie New York Herald
"Git out Of here, you blank banked tramp.
OF III pitch you out of the window, blank b, ank
you, said the barkeeper of a Chatham square
saloon to poor specimen of humanity who was
stealthily trying to ease his appetite with some
musty cheese and crackers on the free lunch
counter.
Would you like drink z" said the reporter
to the man whom he saw minute later look
ing the very picture of misery in Oliver street.
That would sir" he replied
lkTts was furnished him a: a neinhboring
saloon. The poor devil swallowed three fingers
OF whisky at "a gulp almost. and turned like
Vanished creature. as he was. to q bowl OF pigs
feet. which constituted the solid portion of
tree lunch provided in most the downtown rum
shops
THE CURSE OF RUN.
''Oh yes" he said, in reply to the reporters
remark, I've seen better days, sir, and rum has
brought me down. It is a disease with me. /
fear, which cannot be cured this side Of eternity
l am now in my fOrtieth year, yet one foot is in
the grave"
But what's the use," he said after a pause.
Ito tell you who am or what I've been. You
wouldn't believe me. I've been able TO get rum
when couldn't get bread. You see this scar on
my jaw, don't you? A bullet from confederate
sharpshooter made that at GETTYSBURG and came
30 near cuttingmy windpipe that couldn't con-
slider 1t ajOke by any means. This scar on my
right hand was made by a sabre. / carrieda
sword then and wore epaulettes Onmy shoulder.
l set up my shinge In a law office in Denver.
Col. after the war, graduating under old Prof.
Wedgewood at the Columbia night law school at
Washington, paying for law lectures while a
1.400 clerk in the War department was a
hail fellow well met in those days, and had
&c, 600 or so''
ALMOST A CONGRESSMAN.
"Well, with sigh, II was ambitious, and
asked for foreign consulate, not being salts
fled with law, though had good practice for
a young man. refused, while chairman of
republican convention, to accept nomination
for Congress, as l felt warm friendship for
Colonel -, who had been delegate in the
House from Colorado when territory, and he
promised to get me a foreign post Tampico,
Stettin and other places were too small for me-
SO struck for the post of secretary of legation
to COnstantinOple. had been very temperate
fellow until was twenty-three wears of agc-in
TACT, during the carnage of war had not even
tasted anything in the way OF rum stronger
than cider. ] remained about Washington a
year and half, and in the meantime was daz-
lied with the gayety of the capital. My asso-
ciates and friends were as numerous as Dutter-
flies in flower garden, and began to like
champagne spent in fifteen months in WASH
ingtOn every dollar had. and yet received no
commission. One day a Senator informed me
candldly that the COnstantinOple place had been
promised to Maryland chap whose father had
made fortune running the blockade and SYM
pathiZing with the rebels during the war The
Secretary of State would not appoint you. be-
cause on two or three occasions when you called
TO see him he smelt whisky on your BREATH
was told
RUINED HOME.
IL was too proud and ambitious to accept a
government clerkshp again, so went west and
fell back on the law. But l neglected some of
my clients, and rum got the master tor q year or
so. l struggled in the mines of Nevada, doing
the law work of some of the claimants there |
fell In love with the daughter of an English
miner and-unhappily for her-married her The
father idolized the girl and set us up In life in
San Francisco. For four years lived as happily
as prince but for the life Of me couldn't give
up drink. beautiful child was given us. and
one night in a drunken, maudlin condition. |
woke up to find my wife and child gone-ied
from me forever. fed to England, but could
find no trace of wife, child, or father-in-aw in
the great city of London. Great God. what a
hell on earth I've endured since worked for
a time as common aborer in Chicago. tried
to reform, time and time again. but saw most
Va Vic PlOiCssSo CHltslltliS were OUlV dFTant
hypocrites. All my friends of former days
turned their backs upon me, and most
OF them would not recognize me. Some
OF them would pass by on the other side
when they espied me. 1 couldn't even get a
messengers place i'm any department at Wash
lngton. L resOrted to every device to obtain
drink, except to steal. thousand times have
thought of suicide yet / never had the cour-
age to attempt it. I've slept in Railways and
the parks and in cheap lodging houses for two
years past; have been scOrched In the sun and
all but frozen to death in the seet and snow
storms, yet live. Sometimes I've put in a
ton of coal for quarter. or swept out the
saWdust OF liquor saloon for a bite to eat and
a drink. am beyond redemption rs you see
There are thousands just like me. But for the
accursed rheumatism, which has laid me up in
the hospital for the past few months. I'd enlist
as private in the army or marine corps-and
once commanded a thousand brave fellows
The noise and confusion of battlefield would
be music to my years now. Would | had left
my bones on Gettysburg's heights.
''Oh, yes. Eye tried often to get something
to do in this city of late, but in nine cases out
of ten I've been rebuffed. / asked for copying
or anything to earn living. Only yesterday |
was turned out of half dozen places where !
was looking for work by the ianitors
MOTHERS UNHEEDED WARNING.
"YOu see me as am. Yet / haven't lost all
self-respect. haven't any chum, and never yet
went on the tomato-can racket. as they call it.
shun the main streets. and am ashamed to
meet the gaze of gentleman. The memory of
my Wife haunts me like dream. and the alice
ton she once bore for me keeps me from the
lowest haunts of vice. All! the curse of rum.
The first glass Of wine ever took was handed
me by the daughter of justice Of the United
States Supreme Court who was a presidential
candidate. The lady's husband was Governor
and afterward United States Senator. That
one glass Of wine has been my ruin A sainted
mother warned me when was child never to
touch it. She died of a broken heart for she
had felt the curse OF rum. j have a brother, a
thousand miles from here, who fills the pulpit
Of a leading church, and they tell me he is one
of the most eloquent Of men. | have sisters
who are well off, and who are doubtless now
thinking Of my accursed fate. But | am too
proud to let them know the truth. have asked
bread of some whose flesh is akin to mine. and
they nave given me q stone. The dark river
may yet be my refuge, and if the fishes don't eat
my flesh possibly from the Morgue I'll be taken
to Potters field.
"Ah! but I'm a coward. I've talked too
much: deserve no sympathy. ask for none.
The reporter forced the man to accept a little
change.
81 thank you, sir, but would not have asked
It" said the tramp. al feel there is no hope for
me in this world or the next; but, as YOU bid
me hope, will try" and he turned aside to
brush away q tear.
The miserable drunkard went one way. the
reporter another. Did he startly directly for a
beer saloon? No. The reporter saw the door
fellow enter a ten-cent lodging house. He had
slept on the docks the night before