The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1884-07-24
A Martyr to Identification.

''Give a poor man dime to get q
meal?' said a tramp, the other morn
ing, in Washington square, to a smart
looking business man who walked
briskly by.
The tramp was very pronounced
specimen of his species. His eyes
were deeply sunk in their sockets; they
were bioodshot. He looked haggard,
careworn and demoralized generally.
His grizzled hair was intricately matted
over his pericranium, and his whole
appearance was not such as TO inspire
either confidence or respect although
his features did not lack a certain re-
finement
Give poor man a dime?" he re-
peated, plaintively.
There you are, responded the busi-
ness man, tossing the coin into the limp
and ash-barrelly hat of the tramp.
But what has brought you to this
condition? You look as if you had
seen better days. Is there any ything l
can do for youp"
Tie tone of the tramp seemed TO
interest the man of business.
Those are kind words, sir. You
can do something for me, and it shall
not cost you cent"
What is it my good fellow?''
Il want you to identify me-
Identity youP Why, | think l should
now know you among thousand"
"You misunderstood me. What |
want you to do is to swear that | am
Eusebius Slote."
But how can l say that it is your
name? | don't know you"
"Ah," said the tramp; 'they all say
that"
Then he drew from hole in his tat
tered vest piece of paper that was
soiled enough on the outside to have
been receipt for ton of coal, and
been carried with coal itself He OPEN
ed it and called the business mans at
tentiOn to it.
Read that"
The business man looked at the docu-
ment. 1t was draft on the Gotham
bank of New York City for ten thous-
and dollars, payable to Eusebius Slote.
"Well that's all right. The Gotham
bank hasn't busted. If it isn't a
forgery, and you really are Eusebius
Slote, why don't you go and get the
money!"
81 can't do it
'Pshaw! l guess YOU'RE a fraud
the draft isn't yours at an o. o.
along. Il can't afford 70 ioSo "v. anr.
more time" and the business MY y
started to leave III
Don. go!' shouted the tramp, .let
ne explain. 1 am no fraud. If YOU
VIII Identity me | am saved. / need
no longer beg for ten cents to oct q
meal. Listen to my sad story. Mans
lnhumanlty to man in refusing me
identification, has blasted nv life, T
came to this country with this draft
for ten thousand dollars on the Gotham
bank. 1t was my ALL [ thought if
better to take the draft than carry The
amount in gold. How different thinos
might have been if had had the speciei
L knew no one in New York. was
we'll dressed, full of hope and vipor.
and the future seemed bright and sIop-
ping over with promise. | presented
my draft at the teiler's window of the
Gotham bank
''He asked what my name was.
told him Eusebius Slote. He said I
must get somebody to identity me.
answered it wasn't possible, as | knew
nobody in the city. He replied that
he could not help that 1 then remem-
bered that had a friend in San Fran
cisco. l telegraphed for him: but.
alas! my dispatch arrived only to find
him dead. then wrote to Europe, and
two or three of my friends left their
wives, families and business to come
to New York to identify me; but
then, as they could get nobody to
identify them, they had to return and
my draft still remained uncashed. Nv
ready money gave out and ultimately
L became Il tramp, as you find me.
DAY after day | have pleaded with
the benevolent to identify me; but none
of them will do it; even you refuse.
Here l am walking about with ten
thousand dollars in my pocket, with
out shelter almost without clothes,
because there is no one who will swear
that am Eusehius Slote. am getting
old. | know Icannot!live much longer,
and when die, perhaps in the Charity
hospital, my death may be put down
to this cruel unnatural law of identifi-
cation. | shall be buried in Potter's
Field, when / might have handsome
tomD in Greenwood. This is indeed q
hard, cruel, unsympathetic world And
the worst of it all is that my friends
are now all dead, so there is not the
remotest chance of my ever being identi-
fed by anybody who really knows me"
-PatcS.