The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1891-04-04
LONDON SANDWICH MEN.
One OF Them who Thought Life Case OF
Erarga Ont.

One OF Them who Thought Life Case OF
Freeze Out.
His name was John Fosh; his calling
sandwich man; face grimy; eyes black
and cavernous; jaws lanterned; general
appearance gaunt; frame shivering with
two coats on his back, and n bundle of
something-shirts call it. Fosh was an
old soldier, and has had five years
of odd jobbing-window-c board
man, match vendor, hawker and docker.
He sticks to the boards when he can get
them, Fosh was dining on air and
washing it down with lump of ice
when l met him in the Dark Arches
formed by Charing Cross railway bridge.
This is one of the favorite dining-rooms
of boardmen. If they have a penny to
spare they buy a penn'worth of pea
soup at the kitchen in Ham-yard. So
understand Fosh to say.
"But, surely, Fosh, you have a penny
over from the day before?"
mot always. How is it when you
don't get no board for two days. Where's
yer penny then?'
$50 some of you were run in the other
day for trespassing on the kerbstones?"
"That's so And I've heard 'em say
as they'll do away with us altogether.
They told us this morning that they'd
pay no more fines"
"What does the law say?"
The boardman must keep in the gut
ter"
"Then why don't you?"
'Why, the ansoms haims at us. They
think our toes is targits," said Fosh,
grimly.
''Then you take to the kerbstones"
SAY, we takes to the kerbstones, and
then the policeman e comes up and
warns us And the swells complain,
and-well it's the last job cap Il take
to-"
"The last hope"
Gay. The very last"
"What pay do you get, Fosh?"
cone and-two pence day, from Q
till $50. And luck them as gets a pair
o. boards. Theirs always a fight for
'em. I'll tell you what it is. There S
too many of us in this ere world"
"Well, how do you spend your one
and-two pence?"
"Fourpence for doss, Salvation
Army, Horseferry road, a coffin bed and
a leather blanket; but it's warm enough
the room is, with steam pipes. At night
you goes in and gets some coffee and a
bit of bread. When you goes at seven
in the morning you gets some more
coffee and a bit more bread Them and
the doss is four-pence-and very good
for the money"
"That's only fourpence."
"After we gets paid at $50 we goes
to a shop knows and buys two penn
orth of cooked meat scraps and l take
these to the shelter. That's supper. It's
not much of sum. That's siXpence
Then there's penn'orth of pea-soup al
Hamyard. They give you good penn
orth there. Seven-pence. Then there
clothes, and a bit of baccy runs away
with some of the rest, and a bit for q
day when boards is scarce"
about clothes, Fosh. How much fol
the outer coat?'
ga penny"
"Only penny?"
1t was not half bad garment.
81 bought it from mate. He had si2
of EN-
"The undercoat, Fosh; how much?"
"Three pence"
"And your shoes?"
"Odd ones. Picked up in a borrow
Penny the right. Two pence the left.
"Some of you go to the lodging
houses?"
"That's so. They charge four-penct
there, without bread and coffee. l dom
run to that Some goes to Limehouse
It's only three-pence there"
"What? They walk from West Enc
to Limehouse night and morning to save
a penny?"
That's so. To save penny"
"No boards on Sundays?"
81 sells matches. Buys 'em at six
pence dozen. Sells 'em at shilling
Made eight pence one Sunday"
"a bad winter this has been, Fosh;
Why, man, you're crying" A
tear or two fell on Fosh's coat, anC
were icicles before / had turned him in
side out. No wonder Fosh found it colo
in his six penny suit. Tell, you what
it is, sir" picking off the frozen teal
with his dirty finger-nails-he was evi
IDENTIFY ashamed of it--'tell you what il
is, life's like this ERE weather. It's {
| frost"
You're in bad way, Fosh. What
are you by trade?"
Fourteen years in the army. Out il
India all the time. Invalided home
Never done no good SINCE
you've been five years trying to get
work?"
Give years. Fights for boards; nights
in the open; casual wards; haymakine
and hopping IN the summer; hawking
matches. l can't go glimming; 1 ain't
the cheek"
"Glimming?"
"Opening lSerridge doors, guvnor"
Fosh is right-"There's too many o.
us in this ere world. Life's frost"
Fosh says there are thousands like
him. Mall Gazette.
Study of Some Lunatics.
"If you knew some of the lunatic'
here as well as | do" said the physician
of an insane asylum; ''you would enjoy
their acquaintance. There are mel
| ha,.a with 1Hbp,,, 7 ,D,ce lo,,,c -,