The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-02-21
ONLY A BAsY,s RATTLE.
Sad and Lonely Death Of a Penitsnt
Drunkard In the Cell


'For Gods sake lock me upl" Il wa
Christmas eve and the sergeant in charg,
OF the Seventeenth street station, Sar
Francisco, sat in his little Office listening L
the rain beating a ceaseless tattoo on the
windows. The sergeant was gloomy
| Visions Of a coy sitting room, q blazing frs
in the CRATE, a brown-haired, brown eyed
! httls wife helping the little tots hang ur
their stockings for Santa Claus, made hour
he knew he would have TO spend in the
station before he could 60 home seem in
terminable.
quick!"
The sergeant was on his feet in an instant
ana stood staring at man who bad stag
gered through the open door into the Office,
and was begging to be imprisoned. The
man was not over so, straightforward, with
broad shoulders and the torso Of a hercules.
DE was bare-headed and without coat or
vest. while his flannel shirt, open in front,
showed that his breath was coming faster
and faster as he stood trembling before the
| officer. His hair was matted down upon
his high forehead, while from beneath
heavy brows a pair OF steel-blue eyes
CLEANED with the light one sees in the eyes
Of an animal at bay.
Who the devil are you, and what do you
want to be locked up forP asked the SER
geant, as he recovered from the start which
the mans abrupt entrance and words, ut
tered in tone of voice at once pleading
and threatening, had given him
Up to the moment the poor fellow had
stood with his hands behind him, but as the
officer spoke he let his arms fall to his side,
and the quick eye of the sergeant saw that
he had something clenched in his right hand.
Dropping his hand upon the ever-ready re-
yolver the officer said:
What is that you have in your handP'
The man dropped into a chair and burst
into tears, and as he did so he lifted the OBJ
Ject he held in his hand to his lips and kissed
1t again and again. The sergeant took a
second look and saw that it was only a
baby's rattle-ragged and dirty, as it had
seen much service in the tiny hands of its
owner.
The sight of the plaything and the
thoughts OF his own little ones at home
made the officers voice more tender as he
laid his hands upon the shoulder of the mt n
and cheerily said:
Come. come, man-this won't do. Brac Q
up and tell me what it is"
I'm going TO have 'em again, hoarsely
whispered the man, as he lifted his tear
stained face, which, in the moment, had
grown haggard and drawn, while into his
eyes the light of insanity, quenched for a
moment by his tears, crept again with
1--WE been drunk for days" he went on,
painting and shivering. "pve got wife at
home and used to have a little baby.
That, holding up the rattle In his clenched
fist, used to be hers. Pm a good workman
when Pm sober, but since l lost her I've
never drawn a sober breath. MY wife has
stood by me. and God only knows how she
has had to stand. Why, sir, when 1 first
began to drink used to try and hide it
from my wife, but she found it out, and
I've awakened from drunken stupor more
than once to find her on her knees praying
for me. This morning when l left home
she begged me not to drink; TO come home
sober, and.honor bright, meant to, but
got to thinking Of that little unmarked
grave out there and I-I-well, / went
home drunk.
when opened the door she said had
broken my word to her and it made me mad
to see she knew it. She didn't scold. The
little woman never scolded me, but she Just
said, "Oh, John, John |" and fell into chair
crying as IL her heart would break. The
sight Of her misery made me mad and
made up my mind she would be better lying
out there with little Mile than with me.
determined to kill her. / turned to get
something to brain her with and this is
the housen ' 51si
:. Again the poor fellow bent. sobbings, over
the little rattle. -
The sergeant turned to his desk, cleared
his throat once or twice, took off his glasses
and wiped them, grumbling about the con
founded miserable gas furnished the city,
and as he entered the name of the shlvering
wretch upon the register and wrote ''plain
drunk against it, an officer entered.
Say, Billy" said the sergeant, flock this
man up in 2. There's a mattress in there,
We won't send him down to the Central
Without word the trembling, shivering
man followed the officer and was shut be-
hind the bars.
Morning came. Christmas morning. The
church bells were ringing out their glad
tidings Of peace on earth aud good will to
men. The streets were filed with happy
children, and the officers who had been on
duty at the station all night shook them
selves wide awake, and. wishing each other
a merry Christmas, prepared TO go to their
homes.
Before you go, Billy" said the sergeant,
stake look at that poor cuss in g."
Billy turned the key in the heavy lock
ard swung wide the door of the cell. The man
lay stretched on the mattress, the little rat
tie still clenched in his hand.
"Hey, there Wake up! Merry Christ
masl" sang out Billy, cheerily, as ho shook
the PROSTATE figure. Then he started, bent
over the man for an instant, aud starting
back CRIED
my God, he's deadW