Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-24
SINCE HIS RELEASE.
MILLER's STRUGGLE TO RECOVER A
PLACEIN THE WORLD.

His Start as Laborer in a Lumber Yard
Working for and Living on Nine Dollars
aWeek-Forty Cents Left for Luxuries
-Raum and MitIiewiecz.
The record James Miller has made for
himself since his release has been the
wonder of all who knew him. Though liv-
ing under heavy burden he rapidly forged
ahead. The following is part of his life
story told by himself and covering the time
since his release:
Time sped on and the day dawned
when the sentence which the law had in
ficted was finished, and the prison doors
swung back and 1 emerged forth to begin
again the battle of life with very little
money and not more than half dozen
friends in the world. L determined as l
Tanned the future that 1 would do two
things; one was that would take no fnan-
cial assistance from anyone, that 1 would
stand alone and make myself place in the
business world as far as possible unaided
and unassisted. My health was very poor
for a year before my discharge. 1 had
hemorrhages several times, and the doctor
declared me to be in the incipient stage of
consumption. A kind friend gave me
few weeks rest at his country home, and
when had become acclimated, so to speak,
l started to look for employment. / didn't
want or ask for a position as bank cashier.
l only sought some honest labor by per-
forming which could earn my bread. The
Pittsburg Lumber Company was just start
ing in business at that time on the ALLIE
gheny Valley Railroad in the vicinity of
Forty-third street. Mr.. Strous, one of the
members of the firm, gave me employment,
and my duties were many and varied. l
was a bookkeeper part of the day, and few
hours later would perhaps find me unload
ing car of lumber, and little later in the
day 1 would probably have to deliver some
of the same lumber that had unloaded in
the morning. worked on with dogged de-
termination, and with feeling of hopeless
ness that's in expressible.
Not Living In Luxury.
Everywhere went it seemed that people
took keen delight in resurrecting the
story of the past. was paid 50 week, Sc
of which l spent for board; 81 90 per week
which 1 manipulated at night with hope
that when 1 had become proficient in its
use might get something to do which
would increase the remuneration. Sixty
cents week was spent for car fare to and
from my work, and so cents was paid to the
laundry. will never forget with what q
sickness of heart / used to gaze at the 40
cents that was left each week after the bills
were all paid, and think of the years gone
by when L had spent that many dollars in
day.
The first gleam of sunshine came from
little kindly act which one ofmy employers
unconsciously performed and which sur
prised him when L called it to his memory
a month or two ago. He had taken in
partner and the partner had taken charge
of the Office and the books, i being employed
entirely outside in the yard. 1t was neces-
sary one morning to send team with some
lumber over to Allegheny. The evening
previous he had called me in the office and
gave me instructions regarding the loading
of the lumber. / called his attention to the
fact that the teamster would need some
money to pay toll. With look of surprise
he turned to me and said.
"Why get it out of the safe, the combina-
tion has never been changed; it's Just the
same as it was before Mr.. 5. took charge"
The First Trust Reposed in Him.
It was the first trust that had been re-
posed upon me, and L will never forget,
for thought with a thrill of joy if this one
man will trust me / can make others do it,
and / think the confidence then begotten
was the lever which enabled me to move
from that time on. When
spring came there was a little increase in
salary and 1 was put on the road selling
lumber.
was ordered one morning to prepare my
self for journey to West Virginia to
place called Burning Springs, on the Little
Kanawha river, to inspect a large amount
of oak lumber which the firm contemplated
buying. The river being high with the
spring flood, it was necessary to go horse
back quite distance across the country.
Night found me one day at log cabin in
the wooded hills of Webster county.
Putting up my horse, after supper as sat
on the porch of the cabin the woman ap-
preached me and said:
stranger, notice that you wear white
shirt. A neighbor of ours has died over
here. The nearest store is 40 miles away,
and we would like to procure white shirt j,
and collar and tie to dress the corpse i
in"
1 cheerfully placed my store of clean
linen at her disposal and she carefully Sc
lected what she needed, at the same time
keeping up a running fire of thanks In
that portion of the country there was
neither wagon roads nor wagon, and when
man died the neighbors gathered from far
md near and the male portion of the COM
nunity acted as pallbearers, the corpse 4