The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-05-25
"DICKENs,s DUrcHMhM"
Hardly the Abused Creature the Novelist
Painted 1HIm.

Pom the Philadelphia Inquirer.
IL is rather a trite subject to refer to the
prisoner whom the great novelist made famous
| by his pity and who afterwnrd became known
as "Dickenss Dutchman," and yet there are
features of the marvellous manner in which
/ he gave the lie to the story Of Boz" which
Richard Vaux told me. OF which he Is part
which may not DO generally known The
reminder that this man, Charles Langhemer.
| was one OF the prisoners with whom DlcRen,s
conversed. of whose condition he drew such
q mournfui picture, il scarcely necessary.
He compared the little garden leading into the
main cell to grave; more del9gt9u,
difficult to imagine. | never saw such pic
ture of forlurn afflction aud distress on
kind OF misery that impressed me q, more
than the wreichedness Of this man" What a
ihtS bis grave By the of heaftess regulations u
tho system OF solitary confinement That was
Langheimer was still alive. But that L. not all
the tale When the novelist saw the German a
me %as In the After that he
served twelve more or fourteen IN az. IN the
same institution. | once saw him In the guar ,6
brief Imprisonment in the county prison Win
tears pouring down his cheeks lie begged 10
time was doubled His request was granted.
With Lunghelmcr stealing was a disease;
Mr.. Vaux tells me that at one time ne c3nid
have trusted him to carry thousand dollars
in gold TO bank, but upon his return, II he saw
a doorway open. he could not resist the temp
tation to enter 1t and pick up the iirst thing ne
could lay hands on. After his last tmpri7on-
mont his daughter, who u married 10 very
respectable man refused to have anything
more to do with him He was then 81 years OF
age, and without "a renny. He was given an
order Of entrance to the almehouse. WIN tnii i
said See what have come to- Pieuse don't
let me go to the almshousc. send me out to
the, prison. 1t is, the Cn,y good home ever
Please send there,
II Dickens could have heard those words l
wonder what he would have said
Charley" said Mr.: \aux. don't know
whether or not the Warden can take you m
and then. toe you are dreadful nuisance nee;
But If you will promise to behaye yourself you
can 20 out to the prison and ask the Warden II
he can find room for you"
and pleaded earnestly that it might hc granted.
Finally the good hearted Warden said: We'll.
II you behave Yourself ] guess we can lind
room for you and enough for you to eat The
almshouse pass into bits. which Mr.. Cassidy;
tho Warden, afterward collected and rnsted
and tho card 10 now one oil the
curiosities of the big building. The next
Langheimer, who began one Of his customary
complaints similar. probably. to that which
deceived Dicken.-this time the trouble being
OF an alleged rheumatic character. Mr.. lauX
him until he screamed. The next time they
met. the old man said. lauRhingly: MIR. NauX.
shake NIL the rheumatism out of me- But in
q lew days the pains Of old age, whose meaning
violence. and he sent for the Warden. When MIR.
Cassidy saw him in his cell he knew that poor
LanRheimor's time had come: and two hours
ater he quietly breathed his last IN the prison
In which he had spent the greater part OF pro-
onged life. Solitary confinement had permit
ed him to die OF old age.