The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-10-15

| birthday OF ELLSWORTH. Inc writer was tnen
law student in the office of ]. E. Cones, Esq,
at 20 Dearborn ST., Chicago After recording
his purpose to keep diary, Ellsworth closes by
saying that he intended to sleep upon the office
floor that night. The next day he purchased a
desk, and not having money enough to pay for
the same called upon friend, of whom he Dor
rowed SO. Referring to the loan, Ellsworth
said: By the way, this is an instance In
small way of the importance of little things.
Two years ago when very poor l went into an
eating house on some errand. While there sew
eral friends came in. AS | started to 60 they
stopped me and insisted upon my having an
| oyster stew. / refused, for / always made it a
point never to accept even an apple from any
one, because | could not return like courtesies.
While they were clamoring about the matter,
and trying to get away from them, the waiter
| brought on stews for the whole party, having
taken it for granted l was going 10 stay. To
escape making myself more conspicuous by fur
Their refusal l sat down. How glorious every
morsel tasted; the first food | had taken in
THREE DAYS AND NIGHTS.
When 1 came to Chicago, with pocketful of
money, l sought cut and made him take 90
cents for the stew. Well. when l wanted SO l
went to him, and he gave it TO me freely and
he would take no security. - y Two
pounds of crackers and sleep upon the floor to-
night"
On Wednesday, April 13 the following record
!
day; one pound of crackers; one-half pound OF
cake; sleep on the floor tonight"
| The next day he made this record, in which
is a hint of gaunt hunger: According to
promise, went for Mrs. -, and took her to
Mrs. --, at fremont House. The good
woman insisted upon paying her own fare in
| the omnibus. She meant right so l could not
take ofiense at it, simply insisted upon her
dropping the matter, and paid it myself icharg-
ed it TO my dinner). Very pressing invitation,
nay, command TO take dinner at fremont with
| her and Mrs. -; refused. Gentlemen who,
| like myself, live on crackers and water seldom
| dine at hotels. = y One pound crackers:
am living like King; sleep on floor to-night."
Il am afraid, he wrote on the 18th of April,
that my strength will not hold out. | have
| contracted a cold by sleeping on the floor"
He continued to eat crackers read Black
! stone, copy lawyers briefs, and sleep upon his
office floor until the 3d. when he varied the
program by not eating anything, having been
| absolutely without penny on that day.
On April 90 he made the following record:
Cadet meeting this evening. l told the Ca
diets if they wanted
A COMPANY OF SOLDIERS
in every sense of the word, and were anxious
to make that company source of improvement
| morally as well as physically, then l would
command them, and, commanding them, would
enforce the strictest discipline; and without
ing to be governed by my wishes, and work
hard and increasingly to place the company in
a position second to none in the United States,
| would have nothing to do with the Organiza-
ton. If they voted for me, they did so with
their eyes open. l was unanimously elected.
Had au opportunity to buy a lounge for 1915
to-day and purchased it, | am nicely fixed
now. l can sleep on the lounge and have my
blankets to cover me. / have an overcoat for
cold nights. Now, if l could only be sure of
something else besides bread all the time some
meat or something for change, would ask
nothing more. One and half pounds of crack
ers"
Referring to the lounge the next day, he
made this entry: Il was very lucky in getting
my lounge just as ] did, for mother would be
put OFF no longer and wanted to know in her
letter to-day where was boarding; so | could
write back to her had good lounge to sleep
on. The eating part | omitted, saying that
everything was going on nicely. There is no
use OF making father and mother God bless
them , miserable by the knowledge of my cir
cumstances. ! owe them already more than l
can ever repay. One and half pounds of
crackers"
Through all his trials Ellsworth kept his
courage unhroken. Although as poor as per-
son could conveniently be- he uttered but few
complaints, and never seemed TO lose hope.
In his battle with poverty he displayed his
Unborn herosm, his nobility of character, and
above all, devoted - -
LOVE OF HIS AGED PARENTS.
Hisentries, penned apparently in good nature,
and favored with ghastly humor, are touch
ing i'll the extreme, and a feeling of sadness
and sympathy overcomes one as he reads. For
instance: May .. l am getting so weak
that do not seem TO realize any benefit from
sleep am almost getting to loathe the sight
of crackers. If l had something else to eat,
and enough of it, or if l could have regular
meals could learn twice as fast and easily. 1t
is no light task to confne your mind to your
reading when your stomach is absolutely crav-
ing for food. If i get enough ahead by copying
/ will try some dried meat of some kind, and
see if that will not produce a change"
During his cracker diet Ellsworth was chal-
lenged TO fence with an expert who was a
teacher of the art. On the oath of May the
young half-staryed law student met the teacher
at the armory Of the cadets, and in recording
the contest in his diary that night wrote
" This evening the fencer, of whom l have
heard so much, came up 10 the armory to fence
with me. He said to his pupils and several
others that If held to the low guard he would
disarm me every time. l raised my foil He
is a gymnast and fully expected to be beaten.
The result was disarmed him four times, hit
him 30 times; he diSarmed me once and hit me
five times. | touched him in two places at the
same dlORge and threw his foil several feet"
One evening he met an Englishman near the
fremont House. The foreigner was hungry
and penniiess. Ellsworth had 10 cents which he
gave to the stranger, and as a consequence was
deprived for the next two days of his customary
crackers.
Another interesting feature of Ellsworth's
life was
A LITTLE LOVE AFFAIR,
aglimpse of which is given under date of May
%. After telling how in a fit of extravaganza,
he entered restaurant and purchased an order
of buckwheat cakes, he wrote: " As | came
back stopped at Mrs -, and told her it was
not right for me to see her. and would not call
there again, as | was convinced that it would
only work rs both harm. | told her | loved
young lady and was engaged to be married to
her. She said that could make no differ
ence in her feeling toward me. She is most
perseyering in her love. She has found out
nearly the extent of my resources, and insisted
upon my accepting money. TO do her justice,
she was as delicate about it as possible. / babe
her gOod-by, and came home in perfect shower
of rain. l dare not stay longer. Heavens!
what a shame that such magnificent woman
should be bound to a man who appreciates her
no more than he would handsome horse or
dog"
HIS DIET OF CRACKERS
began to tell on him, and Oh the 18th Of June
he writes / have not the slightest idea how
or when wrote the preceding page About II
tonight sensation similar TO what one expe-
riences when taking morphine came over me
suddenly. / was somewhat alarmed, and i'm
mediately started for my ROOM" His next en-