Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-07
MURRAY'S MUSINGS.

DURING the last few years number OIL cases
wherein innocent sick people have been
found in the streets and locked up on charge
of drunkenness have occurred in this city. 1t is
not an uncommon thing to read of man being
clubbed on the feet to make him get up and
move on" The other day man thus treated
died in a prison cell. He had not only been
cluDbed, arrested and locked up for intoxica-
tion, but had also been arraigned. tried and con-
victed for it. He was then sentenced for ten
days, and was ehucked into cell, and died
there before "a hours It was then discovered
that he had not been drunk at all. but was
suffering from broken skull. The pressure of
the fractured skull upon the brain made him
dizzy, and unable to talk coherently, even to
give his residence. This same examination by
the prison surgeon ar the time OF the arrest
would have resulted in saving the man's life. A
more sickening miscarriage of justice could
scarcely be conceived A stranger is
dubbed and robbed in public place in great
city. The robbers get away with their booty,
leaving their victim unconscious on the side
walk. A policeman comes along, kicks at the
man and tells him to get up and move on. The
stranger murmurs incoherently but doesn't
he is drunk, and being drunk needs good
waking up, SO he applies the usual remedy
adopted in such cases-clubs him smartly on
the feet. 1t is said that in order to reach the
brain effectively through the spinal chord moth
ing is more efficacious than smart raps on the
soles of the feet. This was a favorite mode Of
religious awakening used in Cromwelps time.
It served to jog many a mans memory in the
lnQuisition. Our own police officials have dis
covered that night stick applied to the soles
of an unconscious mans feet will usually,
to use bucollc phrase, fetch him to his
milk" unless the man is dead, when no satis-
factory results are obtained.
In this case the foot torture only served to
tumble the poor victims brain the more. for try
as much as he could he was unable to stand or
talk connectedly, and could only cast appealing
glances at his blue-coated inquisitor, who forth
with threw him into an express wagon and
carted him to the station house. Even the
highway robbers who ''slngged" the man thus
treated must, seeing this, have repented andre
solved to lead Virtuous and honest life there:
after. That man might have been any one of
you who come to visit New York. The bare
fact that such thing is possible is enough to
make man shudder, Yet it is not only possi-
ble-it has occurred number of times, and
VIII probably De repeated again and again as
time rolls on,
Luck In a Blind Man.
THE number of people who take stock" In
luck cannot be fairly estimated by the pro-
portion OF people OF good education and hard
sense to those without. Every other woman
living believes In luck. and every man of sport
ing procliyities has his superstition. There
IS one man who does business on Broadway
who is not superstitious, neither bets nor spec
nlates, who has sensible ideas about luck and
works these for all they are worth. He is the
blind beggar with the dog. He
usually operates on the corner of Thirty third
street where Sixth avenue runs into Broadway,
! spot convenient for sports, male and fem ale.
He ostensibIy sells matches and pencils. At
east he is licensed as street peddler. But he
IS really professional street beggar. During
me racing season he works the Broadway cor
ler near the Brewer House. resort for sport
ng men. And he does good business. A
quarter or half-dollar for luck" is one of the
most popular expressions Of superstition of
gamblers and fast Seople generally. They
ion't think it necessary to hunt one up, but to
pass one without gift is sure to be followed |
~ hard luck. The economical sport may 60 |
lround the other way or give only a penny, |
,ut he does not dare pass the man and dog |
Without something, otherwise he better let the |
imposed winners alone for that day. And |
hen the actors and actresses who go that way |
III chip in their contributions to the old blind
mans till. 1t almost seems lucky for him to |
lave been born blind.
A Democratic Mayor.
MAYOR GRANT never said II am Demo-
crat," but he is very democratic in his nab
IS. Amy one who has business with him will
ave no difficulty in obtaining a personal in
erview. He is quite as accessible during busi-
ess hours as is any Mayor of country town.
'hough the Mayor of New York is about as i'm
ortant a parsonage as the average Governor
f State, and has vastly more patronage
1ithin his disposal than have four-ifths of the
Governors in the United States. he is not sur
ounded by the net work of red tape that
edges in these executives. When he is through |
is days work-and it is days work, too,
hat would try the patience and ability of the |
est man to the utmost-he often rides home
0 street car. Getting of the elevated at
'orty-second street he takes the Boulevard sur
ace cars for his residence on the West Side.
lie joins the great mixed throng that goes that
Iay in the late afternoon and reads the even
lg papers on his way home. He is always
eatly and tastefully dressed wears straight
rimmed straw hat, and while not one in a car
,ad of people know that he Is Mayor of this
reat city, he is every inch gentleman. He
a rich man-rich enough to make s., 900 BIRTH
ay presents to his god-daughter, Flossie
roker, but you wouldn't suspect it from his
le admiring glances of the ladies are appar-
1tly lost on him. He appears to be quite
aamored of his present bride-politics.
Sagacity of Horse.
''HE surface roads have the patent table
switches. They consist of an iron table
ithin and one without the tracks, one balanc-
me track here, and there these switches are
Irned this way and that every minute, the
oeration being performed by causing one
1rse to tread upon this or te( other table. |
oming down the street tie other day on the
ront platform Of a sirface car noticed the |
liver Looking another way as we appr cached
le of these switches. The switch was turned |
70 u,ySng way. and while l was wondering
neither was on the wrong car or we would
,on be on the wrong track the old white
,rse on the near side showed his fellow out
de the tracks upon the right table, skillfully
roiding the inside plate himself by a half hop,
i right and flying. That beat any trained
,rse ever saw, because it was practical and
I'd been picked up by a despised and generally
lecrated animal-the street-car horse.
Arrival of Cunarder.
p you would witness an interesting sight, go '
down to the Cunard pier in the early morn
q when big steamer comes in. Say the I
ssel arrives out-that is, off Sandy Hook-too i
te to get to her berth the night before. If S
Q doesn't get to quarantine before o'clock q
e health officer will not board her and she {
ust wait that officials pleasure The morn 5
q papers announce her arrival out, so the 9
st thing in the morning the relatives and ,
ends-husbands wives, children, sweet 4
to flock down to the pier Some
we, doubtless, passed sleepless night, some T
We come down before getting anything to u
t. You can see them slipping into the nearest ,
ting houses along the docks to repair the !
stake. 1t is O'Clock before the Custom L
ouse officials begin to arrive. By this time e
Q extremity of the dock is crowded with u
otley group of anxious and happily excited h
ople. A rope stretched across prevents the =
er-solicitous from going overheard to meet e
e expected ones. The boxes and barrels and IL
lis OF rope are occupied by the more youth
portion of the crowd. All eyes are strained L
ward the Narrpws for the first glimpse of the =
coming steamer, now and then being q
rned upon a prominent young man with a is
lss. Il
Pretty soon some one cries, There she isr' n
Id then an eager buzz and chatter runs over .
and nacks are craned and twisted to the | =