The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-10-04
hAvE QUEER N

Iur NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
People who Roam the streess-
From the Chicago Times.
'Therx, ARE plenty of queer characters
right here i'm Chicago. too. IL you'd only
take the trouble to look them up" said
the man who sat i'm the background.
Ii ~as at one of the downtown clubs,
and they had been discussing the crs,a-
lions of Dickens and various other unique
i'm fiction. The man who sat
i'm the background smiled as hc paused To
Rht a fresh cigar, and then went leis-
urely on:
s.I'm not i'm the dime museum business,
and don't devote aiy time tn hunting mp
unusual specimens Of humanity; hut l
chance. THERE'S ~ fellow down ON West
Madison street, now. who gives me n
rood deal OF amusement. They call him
for he's sntirsIy out of lis mind.
"He's n coal-black ncgro.6 10 year: old nj
least, and big enough to be- a regular ter
ever, he's perfectly harmless, and some of
his tricks are enough to make a Io9
laugh. He II always fancytng hlm.c,i ,n
sonage-generally "a pOiiceman-.and he
acts ont the various characters with much
sWhmt's the cause, Of his INSANITY ~
ssWhiskey," was the s~entcntious reply.
Of IL, and always took ID straight. Drank
the pure article when he could get II, too.
For a long while IL seemed To agree with
him like water with % fish, but finally IL
went hack an him and lac fell sick. He
was taken To the county hoslsitaI. wnere
Tor q ,o.G wi, Wh y. y. rcovcr,si !, was
found that he was crazy as N loon. and 10
he has hssnn ever since. Curious enough,
that ruined hin dran,-shops,"'
"Poetic JUSTICE" murrhurcd th" re-
porter. ,,,,, ,.,.
for one ar two of these establishments
down on Page street near Naatson,' con-
tin,ied tine narrator, 'ai.d i'm the intervals
with tine funniest quips and pranks.. Per
haps the most killing thing about him is
That never deserts him except whc the
naughty boys have Ruyesi him beyond ei'-
duranc.'.
child could b,, and IN continually. prnnc-
ing about i'm some old rag that he has
picked out of the alley. One day saw
and faded and muddy, ps.rchsh coquctttsil-
~ on his woolly head. The next. time
ran asG, n:' n M, nt ,n MAS a Hs.,,.Ih out am " nS eSiSd
quite gracefully. completing HIS stylish APP
p~earance.
vesting i'm u job lot of bandanas. They
were fastened ON at every concs'ivablc
part OF his anatomy. and he looked like
melancholy ghost 81 the last political
"A few evenings ago hc got il into his
head that hc was "A policeman ana sta
toned himself AT one of the crOss-walks
TO help Insoplc. over, you know. He HAL
ON N fireman's helmet and carried - rusty
IRON Spoon which he extended when be-
wanted the horses to- stop. Presently
some hssd hoys came along and al course
they caught onto the racket directly and
"TS"s ,%%,.isadcd tina. they wished
to cross the street, but were
a%rs"diuiis afraid Of the teams n.m
ACROSS. one AT a time. with the most dis
tinYu,siUrd uoliteucss. No sooner were the
young. rs,ss'als landed ", the other side
than they cat round the block and appear
brisk and smiling. ready FOR another
trip through the dangerous maze of vchi-
s.ams. mp from time Ia time. and the way
kept Crazy Leonard trottinR was "a
.'Prcs.ntly, however. he began to get
tired and to wonder audibly why there
wers. so many ''skecry" pedestrians. Most
of the lads sImelt "a mice and got away. but
one of the little. chaps wasn't quick enough
and Crazy Leonard was proceeding tai ex-
ectte summary vengeance upon him. when
a real policeman happened along and put
"Anothcr time. as l was passing down
Latin street, ha.ileld Crazy Leonard,
logged out i'm military rags. and cading
an imaginary army through various queer
maneuvcTs. The enemy was there i'm the
shape Of the ~obiquitous small boy, and
harsasss-d this antctner general in the ~
gion of the legs until he charged upon
u and caused Il tai retreat in great disor-
der.
.e'razy Leonard doesn't seem to have
the least fear of personal injury. Once
noticed "a lot of people gazing anxiotisly
at the top of IA ~seven-story building on
Paulina street. OF course l looked. too,
aud thers. WAS that ni0gcr just marching
hack and forth at the edge of the roof and
singing salvation tunes i'm u voice high
enough to match his position. How he
ever got up thers, WAS ~ mystery. A Z amy
ate he wasn't trough down without "A
lot Of trouble.
Leonard walking softly about dandlinH IA
s~upposititioHs pair of p~icknninnics care
fully in his arms. ( such times his vocal
efforts ARE simply trsmendolls.
"'Dey's awful cross chillens, massa.'
he will say, with a sorrowful shake of his
head.
"He's particularly fond of standing at
the corner and giving pamphlets or bills
90 the passers-by. During q single week
ne has bestowed upon me the qunrter-sec-
ton OF "a hymn-book, two stray leaves OF
sThe Duchess' new novels. AN invitation
% some meet. Z held several years ago,
and n stirring exhortation to look after
mv .piritnal welfare and keep out OF the
road 10 sheol.
s.He min0les not a little reason with his
uueer va1aries now and then. remem-
her there WINS. some time ago. funeral in
the family Of the whiskey-seller for whom