Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-03
A WRECKED LIFE.
Sad Story Of What Promised to Be
q Brilliant Career.
THE RESULT OF THE WINE CUP
Wife and Child Forgotten in . Drunken De-
bauch and . Bigamous Marriage Contracted
Prom . Theological Student to . Coal
HEAVIER on an Ocean Steamer.
Written fer The EyeninR Star.

Written fer The Evening Star.
I0NE DAY LAST WINTER while on q shor,
" business trip TO New York dropped in to
see lawyer friend Of mine. We talked about
all the various things that usually come up for
discussion when two southerners chance to
meet in Gotham. From out Of the hotch-potch
Of news and gossip have here rescued q
hitherto unwritten chapter in the life of q
talented and ambitious young southerner.
The story 10 Q sad one, and in the main details
it is true.
About a year before there had come to New
York from Kentucky town o young man who
possessed decided talents as q writer and con-
versationalist. He was of splendid appearance
| and his frank, handsome countenance would
have attracted notice anywhere. He was the
| scion OF an aristocratic family and was the
graduate Of prominent southern university.
During his college days he had made the &C.
quaintance Of a beautiful lady, the daughter of
one Of the leading families Of Kentucky.
Scarcely before the ink had dried upon his
Latin sheep skin the young graduate, flushed
with the hopes Of brilliant future, took this
fair young creature to himself as wife and
helpmeet, the ceremony being celebrated by
the two families with great eclat and rejoicing.
In accordance with the desires of his own pa
rents he soon after enrolled himself at a theo-
logical seminary preparatory to entering upon
his career rs o minister.
His young wife accompanied him, and here
| their honeymoon was spent. The divinity stu
dent applied himself with diligence, but grad
ually as the newness wore away he grew FESTIVE
and sighed for q more active contact with the
world. With a penchant for journalism, he
was inspired with hope by the success of an ac-
New York Immediately after graduation. The
frequent letters of this friend had done much
toward producing dissatisfaction with his own
lot. and before he was aware of it he had
reached determination to disregard the
wishes Of his people and to exchange the theo-
logical text book for the repertorial pencil.
TO WIN FAME AND FORTUNE
Leaving his wife and beautiful sum haired
babe with the parents Of the former. he left.
nothing daunted, for the great cruel city,
where he hoped to win fame and fortune in the
ranks Of the journalists. He carried letters Of
introduction to a number of prominent people,
who did all in their power to secure for him an
engagement on one of the New York Gailies
They were confronted with the same old stories
applications on file. The situation
was a depressing one for the hitherto hopeful
young southerner, but the little wife, far away
among the blue grass of her Kentucky home,
waiting patiently for her brave young husband
to prepare for the coming of herself and babe
never knew Of his disappointments. His pride
had touched his pen, and instead Of a tale Of
dependency the golden words Of hope flowed
out upon the white sheet Of paper that the dis
tant wife kissed SO tenderly when she had
finished reading the comforting assurances of
approaching success.
With steadily diminishing purse the young
Kentuckian bestirred himself and at intervals
secured small assignments of literary nature
from some OF the publishers Of sensational
story papers. The erstwhile divinity student
soon found himself grinding out blood-curdling
romances that would have produced a terrible
shock to the moral sensibiities Of any of the
staid professors who had but a short while be-
fore led him along the byways of theology.
After a precarious existence of several
months he secured place as reporter at the
munifcent salary of $40 week. Paying SO
q week to his landlady. he was compelled to
continue his ''blood and thunder" work in
order to make surplus money that could be
sent home to the wife and little one az tangible
evidence that he was doing we'll. After being
installed as a reporter he hustled with an
energy and wrote with a vivacity that COM
manded the respect Of his fellow
workers. There was no assignment how
not enter upon without hesitation or COM
plant. He soon had the satisfaction of see
ing his salary increased, allowing him to par
take OF more creature comforts and to transmit
to Kentucky increased remittances. With
smiling fortune he acquired new acquaint-
ances, who irresistibly led him into paths of
temptation and vice. The midnight supper,
with wine," after the last bit of copy had
been turned in, was soon followed by whole
nights given up to bibulous revelry. The
demon OF the cup ere long possessed him with
its tempting allurements until he had become
q confirmed victim Of drink.
STUNNING" EXPERIENCE.
One Saturday night after he had drawn his
weeks salary and his last assignment had been
faithfully performed he joined party Of young
men and went Summing" visiting in their
tour many Of the worst dens of iniquity in the
city. As o natural sequence, they drank
freely and soon became picturesquely hilarious.
They met fast women on the streets, joined
them and accompanied them to their haunts
The young Kentuckian made the acquaintance
Of a captivating nymph, who soon entranced
his drunken brain with her borrowed beauty
and her glib tongue. He shOwered his hard
earned cash upon this gay deceiver,
his wine and gathered within her
grasp every extravagant token Of his drunken
lnfatuation. Keeling with champagne, they
sought the street and wandered aimlessly along
until, incredible as it may seem, the sudden
proposition came from him that they Ego and
get married" Having nothing at stake and
caring less for the sanctity Of a marriage tie,
she assented, and the two with all the precipi-
tatlon their condition would allow, pursued
zigzag course to the nearest hack stand, where
an officials residence. Half dazed with drink
they were soon pronounced man and wife,
With the debauch above narrated the young
Kentuckian disappeared from view. Neither
the managing editor nor the reporters in the
office where he had been employed could account
for his absence from his accustomed desk In
quiry at his boarding house and of the gentle
men to whom he had brought letters Of intro
duction failed to elicit any information as to
his whereabouts or the cause Of his sudden dis
appearance, until, rs day after day passed with
out his reporting for duty, all became settled
In the belief that he had returned to his south
ern home.
SEEKING FOR THE LOST ONE.
A few weeks afterward there arrived in New
York, over the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, a
venerable lady and q young man, evidently her
son. They took rooms on the European plan
at one Of the uptown hotels, where the register
revealed the fact that they had come from the
same Kentucky town that had been the former
home OF the unfortunate subject Of this sketch.
Soon after this they took q cab and were driven
to the lodging house where the young SOUTH
erner had been formerly domiciled. They
showed to the astonished landlady paper con-
tanning notice Of the young mans
marriage, and announced that they
younger brother. They had come to investi-
gate the truth concerning this marriage, and
their disappointment was keen unto anguish
when told that all efforts TO ascertain the
whereabouts of the missing man had been
futile. The old lady and her son next visited
one Of the gentlemen, distinguished LAWYER
to whom letters Of introduction had been borne
by the erring son. He, too, was unable to
throw any light upon the young mans where