The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1890-07-19
ONLY A TRAMP PRINTER
How He Saved a Starving Family
by Robbing Grocery.
He Served Faithfully in the Union Army
and Ended Ills Days as He Had
Lived, a Tramp Printer-A
Queer Character.

and Ended Ills Days as He Had
Lived, Tramp Printer-A
~-.. Queer Character.
Hon. S. P. Bartlett, of Quincy, III.
relates the following story, which Is
told by J. M. D. Davidson in the Quincy
Wing:
Some years ago, when I was quite
lad, I worked at the printing trade II
Quincy, and held cases on the Wing, IN
the same Galley" with a tall, stoutly.
built printer named Tim Cowan. he
was a veritable tramp; not from neces'
sity, but from the reason that so many
of the guild area restless love OF row
ing. His was a type of character not
infrequently met with, embodyina
many points of intellectually aud YER
satility of talents, and in his case these
were developed to a remarkable degree
He was a philosopher, poet and an
orator all in one, and the beauty OF his
language when the poetic mood was on
and the lofty character of the sentl'
ments he expressed, were perpetual;
marvel to me.
Cowan took fatherly interest in me-
and used to give me sage and sensible
advice, occasionally enforcing It bJ
stories or incidents from his own ex'
perience. One day: in the course of one
of these talks, he said:
''Bartlett, do you think it is ever
right to do wrong?''
OF course said it wasn't, and he re-
piled that he thought there were oc'
casions in life when not only was ii
allowable, but mans duty, to do what
was in itself wrong, or generally con
sidered 80. tsTo illustrate" said he
''let me- tell you an incident from my
own experience, and l will leave yov
to Judge if am correct in my assertion
zone cold winter I strayed into
little country town in Ohio, and got
Job of type-setting in the only printing
Office in the place. One evening, soor
after arriving there, started out TOR
stroll. 1t was cold night remembe,
that because had no overcoat. In the
the course of my walk passed tumble
down and apparently deserted shantJ
in the outskirts of the town, and wa:
surprised to hear sound, as of groan.
proceeding from the interior. stopped
and knocked at the door, but received
no response. My curiosity was aroused
and went around the house and pushed
open the rear door and stepped into the
house. l found myself in room amlds1
a scene of restitution and woe that vii!
never fade from my memory. In tf
corner Of the room lay man in the last
stages of consumption. At the fireplace
with her hands clasping her knees.
which were drawn up to her chin, was
woman, surrounded by two or three
little children. They were lowering
over a few smouldering sticks in bot
tomless iron kettle, trying to extrac'
from them little warmth.
r."They told me they were movers, who
had come there the summer before and
had found and taken possession OF this
shanty. The man was taken i'll here, and
for time they had gotten along by sell
ing. one after another, their horses, thei'
wagon and most Of their furniture. Final
" winter came on, and they had nothing
left to live on except the charity OF the
people of the town. Considerable had
been done for them, but the people had Al
last got weary of the drain and had be
gun to neglect them, SO that they wert
now destitute of clothing, fuel or proper
food and they knew not where to apply
for them. a
ST made up my mind something must
be done for these people, and | promised
them that would see that they had RELIEF
at latest by the following evening, which
was Saturday Invent uptown and spoke
toa number Of people about the case, bu'
they all said the family was shiftless and
undeserving; that the woman would moi
work when she had the opportunity. ]
wondered how the woman could worl
with those children and that sick mar
to take care OF. Finally I gave up the
attempt to get others to do any thing
and determined to take my own wages
to them the following evening.
ION Saturday night the proprietor Q:
the paper came into the composing
room and said: Boys, I haven't sue:
ceeded in raising any money to pay yor
off tonight. / expect some early next
week. Meantime you'll have to stand
your board bills off a few days,
Il told him what I had promised 70 Dc
or this family =, and asked S. he could y