Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1889-12-18
saNI eAo A SAILOR.
80 - o. RS a Number cf Sliic
Ecaps on Street Car.


his walst, but who-e bright eye and
upright bearing 81 oke the man OF ma
turity. not decrepitude. At Sjate street.
as the car rounded into the loop,
second old man. evidently farmer,
stepped on board and took a seat by the
ancient Of days As the train Iassed
on around into Wabash avenue again
perhaps a dozen others got on the car,
all well dressed and clearly moving IN
an element aside from that Of the two
strange characters wEo sat side by size
The old man moved up to his farmer
companion and the two fell TO talking
t,rtil IIaylin's theatre was reached.
The car stopped and several pa SoEs
GOT out TO Join the crowd pressing INTO
the foyer.
HAD VISITED THE THEATRES
Lots OF folks going in there who
can't paw their rent, said the ancient
Lots Of 'em don't own the clos on
theIr back. Got to take them home to-
morrow and pay rent on 'em-"
did you ever visit a theatre"
asked the farmer in an effort to lie
agreeable.
Yes" said Longboard, and then
after pause he added I've been TO
theatre in Hong Kong He shifted
his legs, and bent his eyes kindly on
the farmer as n man who knew he had
struck hard and was willing TO give the
victim time to recover.
s'nong Kong in JapanFn asked the
farmer, dazed little. yet hoping his
companion meant some city near home.
NO, Hong Kong amt in Japan;
it's in China,n said the other. And
I've been To theatre in Toxic, too,
that's in Japan; and in Calcutta"
well, you've Travelled" said the
farmer.
Yes, I've been to shows IN Paris
and London and Liverpool and Leg
horn and Alexandria; and I've been
10 shows-not theatres, but the best
they had-on the east coast of Africa,
and IN Melbourne, Australia and
Honolulu, sand Nich Islands, and I've
seen tile shows in the Chinese quarter
in san Francisco.
Several gentlemen bent forward and
fired questions at the old man He was
in no wise disturbed; he looked calmly,
kindly on them all, and met every
thrust with a precision which showed,
rocky" as he looked, that he had
either been over the ground or had
studied his story wonderfully well.
ION what ship did you sail to
P.IIs2" asked one OF the first.
Paris amt no seaport" said the
s,"Ie''. - .-..yC.c1 ;Ac=e - $500 in
a diligence. We cal I'm omn.buses. "
GLOW Old are yOu!"
'-Seventy-niue. 1 was born in 1910
in Wilton, lite town in New York
state, on the edge Of an Indian reServa-
tiOn.
In May, 1915. my fathers brother,
who was "A sailor, took me for a walk in
Q - I f1Ts1flTF erar hanLs ff11
1885. lie carried me to New York
and put me on board 4 vessel TO Liver
pool, that he had shipped on for three
Years voyage.
We never reached New York for
seven years, and then l had good
chance TO ship again and went off with
out getting home. But l always recol-
lected my folks and where l used to
live, and how old l was when uncle
took me away.
learned TO read on shipboard and
used TO get books and read about
strange countries. Then l would talk
TO sailors, and when a voyage was over
I would ship on some craft going where
I wanted to go. That way learned
pretty near all languages. Any OF you
talk Fiench?"
The lady did, AMI he proved to her
his claim to a mastery OF that tongue.
Anybody talk Russian, or Spanish,
or GermanI'
The lady tried him in Spanish and 4
gentleman approved his German. The
other languages had TO be taken ON
trust, but the passengers exchanged
glances eloquent Of faith in the an
cient.
ONE OF MEACuAM'S HEIRS.
In 1877 he continued, II drifted
down 10 New Orleans, and old man
Meacham there a rich old slave dealeC
you've all read about m-was get
ting up a crew for the slave trade, and
| shipped with h m. He wanted only
choice men and he got 'em. lie paid
everyone the best wages for able sea-
men, and tesides that arranged that
each one who stayed with him rlve years
should get - O,OLO from his estate
when he died.
"Old Meacham died three years after
he hired his crew, and only two fellows
stayed IN his service till the five years
were up. They had got good pay for
their work, and got good offers to ship
again; and they eft and went. / stayed
the five years, and got the 5000 he
left me in his will l went INTO busi-
ness for myself then-bullt boat for
500 600 and carried passengers to
France and England. L wouldn't car
~ Il ton of freight for no money, and
my packet was the finest thing that
ever floated out OF New Orleans. Pas
sengers had to pay for 1t, though, and
made a heap Of money. In 1874 |
built the first ironclad boat that ever
put up In Boston. 1t was before the
day OF metal bottoms, but spent S47,-
600 in iron plates half an inch thick on
that boat. She run all right, but she
run into an iceberg in fog bank OFF
Newfoundland in 1916. and was sunk
with crew, passengers and cargo.
"I'Ye butt many n vessel in my time,
and made heap of money. l was in
the Red sea trade till 1 lost a square
rigged ship there. I've lost one ship in
the Atlantic, two in the Pacific, one in
the Red sea ani three in the Mississippi
river.
of the gentlemen.
Benton Harbor, Mich. Nice town,
too. just drifted there. Got some
money left, but I've lost heap"
The end of the trip had been reached.
The lady had left the car some blocks
back, and only three gentlemen stood
beside him. The old man turned to
60,
I'm stopping till Tuesday at 1926
Calumet avenue. You can find out
there Pm telling the truth. But you
young men look here, " and he grasped
the two nearest him with a vigor that
would have done credit to half his years,
I'm old enough to be your grandfather,
and L never drank, chewed nor smoked,
but I've seen more life in more lands,
had more fun and more trouble than ali