Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-01-23
THE POOR OLD FELLOW.

The EAGLE yesterday morning had some
thing to say about destitute men, poor fell
lows with no homes, out Of work, hungry,
ragged and cold. When we drive them
from our doors we ease our consciences by
calling them ''tramps." But they are not
all tramps, If they are compelled to play that
role. Our rcaders have not forgotten the
case of that poor dcspairing fellow who, a
few days age. being out of money, away
from his country, with no friends and starv-
ing, threw himself in front of the wheels of
moving train over by the IT. Scott depot.
Only that morning he had told different
ones of his pangs and restitution, but he
was ''oniy tramp" and in his despair he
deliberately laid himself down across the
rail, closed his eyes, mayhsp offered brief
PRAYER and in moment the cold wheels of
iron were grinding his quivering tender
Hesh as his soul went out in
awful agony. This was right in sight of
comfortable homes where enough food is
daily wasted to have sustained that crying
soul in that hour of need, Of dire distress,
despair and death. Upon whose hands re-
mains the stain OF that poor old fellows life
blood, we can't say, but there are a number
about this city who, from sheer hunger and
cold, are daily tempted to seek relief from
the knawings of hunger and the pain in
flicted by the cold of this terrible winter, by
giving over the battle as did the poor fellow
oyer at the depot. "Only tramps." How
do you know, There came to one gentle
mans door in this city, over the cracking
snow and frost, as the blackness of bleakness
was setting in, night before last, an old man,
his form bent with years, his white hair
streaming about his soft eyes and kindly
face, who no doubt had been the stay Of
some home sometime, somewhere, where
love reigned and prattling tongues blessed
and this poor old man said, if he had only
had something to eat he thought
he could go through the awful right. He
had hardly taken his seat beside the fire
when young man, youth, who had
hardly got away from his boyhood or for
gotten his mothers face, came also 10 the
same door and with great pleading honest
looking eyes, asked for something to eat.
"Tramps" If SO, so are all the world. But
what We started out to say was something in
in the spirit of yesterdays article. These
men and such as they are only "tramps"
because of enforced circumstances. To per-
nit such men to starve and freeze is inhu-
man. To arrest them as Migrants and stow
them away in the vile cold hole called the
city callaboose is brutal outrage. Let the
suggestion of yesterday be followed out.
There is the council chamber, if nowhere
else, great large warm room with pile of
coal and good stove where for the
few weeks to come such as we describe
might be permitted to gather at
night. The cost to the city would be but a
trife, simply an extra policeman TO stay
there at night to see that everything was
conducted in decency and order. Now,
while the EAGLE has pulled hard for the
success of last nights effort in behalf of
women and children, it desires, it is bound, |
to extend its helping wings to the poor un-
lucky fellows who have been caught by this |
terrible winter out of mouey and when no
work is to be found. Shall we have a pub |
lie meeting, or will the city council by a /
simple resolution conclude the whole mat |