, 1885-06-07
the OLD sroRY.
a Victim Of .Pauper Ailey,, Tells His
Tale.

While indulging in a saunte one even
ing lately, along the shore Of Lake Min
nehaha, at a point between Seventeenth
and Eighteenth streets, Nj. Boardman,
the manager Of the opera house, fell into
conversation with an exceedingly dilapi-
dated old tramp, who surprised him with
his mixture of elegant language and vaga-
bond slang, and he became interested in
the story which the wanderer told. Said
he, II went to California in the days oil
gold, a fellow passenger with d. o. Mills
and Mackey, the bonanza king, and for a
timc prospered beyond even the most
glorious anticipatious of which any of us
had INDUCED. Mills and Mackey and |
were in the "~diggin's" together, and |
achieved a fortune before they had Sc
cured much Of a start. Indeed, | ran
ahead of them in m~oney-getting from the
beginning, and frequently loaned them
such mounts as they needed, and often
we drank together at n saloon near the
water front, in San Francisco, which was
then kept by Flood & O'Blien, who after
ward became immensely rich through
Mackey. In the palmy days of the Com
stock, the entire party became won
drously wealthy and / was a pet of for
tune and the toast Of legions Of friends.
The old dame went back on me at last,
however, and | took a tumble. | went
heavy-too heavy-on the stock board,
and one day | walked out of Pauper alley
as Door a man as any lunch iend in that
classic precinct.
What is Pauper alley2 Why, it's a
short and narrow street, sort of court
at the rear Of the stock exchange. which
runs through about two blocks in that vi
cinity, and it is filed with fine saloons and
brokers Offices, and is the resort of curb
stone brokers and business men, million
aires and the have beens,' and on ac-
count of the numerous ones of the latter
character-those who have lost fortunes
and still linger about the place where
their gold took wings and few away, it is
called 'Pauper alley I lounged about
there for years after l had Dothing, living
in a precarious way; borrowing first a few
dollars from former associates, then four
bits, two bits, n bit, until l became a
mendicant. A man is terribly ruined
who loses millions, because it d~iscourages
him from working for small pay when he
thinks of how he has given away, squan-
dered and dissipated 50 much in a sitting
with a party Of bon-vivants, that it would
make some men rich. If had nov what
| have paid for champagne at a noon
lunch, l would be independent. But
am old and never will have it. l would
die fit were not criminal to kill myself,
besides / havn't nerve enough to fly to
other ills l know not Of. From cham
payne l came to dregs of beer; from fine
horses and carriages to a lame and long
walk from boxes at the opera and superb
suites Of rooms TO a box on the sidewalk
or in an alley, or a place among the hay
bunkers IN the wharf. My brilliant and
well dressed associates faded like dream
and there is no one on earth who cares
what my misery may be. It's bad-too
bad. Then the poor old wretch burst
into tears, and finally, between his sobs,
he said: ITO make a long story short, ]
am badly busted, boss, and won't you
gimme a nickle to buy a glass &C beer?''
Boardman gave the ancient wretch q
coin and he shufied off toward a beer sa.
loon near by to drown his sorrows in the
flowing bowl.