, 1891-05-29
OLD BOGY."
Worth Twenty Thousand Dollars
and Yet is Dead Broke.
A Noted Tramp Telegraph Operator
Visits Cheyenne
On His Twenty Fifth Trip Across
the Continent.

dressed stranger sided into II LEADER
office yesterday and asked meekly, rs
Visscher In2" When told that Visscher
had quit the tow several years ago, he
said: Il visit on an average FIVE hundred
newspaper offices every year and | always
ask for old Visch, as l am liable to meet
him in almost my one of them"
The visitor was H. A Bogardus, known,
however. in every owu in the country as
"Old Bogy." His story has been written
tunes innumerable in the press OF the
country, and told as follows by himself,
in anticipation of a temporary loan" is
an interesting narrative:
Yes" said Old Bogy, Il am a re-
markable man. l am 81 years old and
have been across the continent twenty
four times and am making my twenty
fifth trip now. Twice | walked it. Once
for fun TO accompany a young English
man named Collins, who had lots of
money. We averaged about fifteen miles
a day, and spent enough money to have
taken us around the world in first class
style. Once | walked it dead broke all
the way. have travelled, | estimate,
about 349, 200 miles by rail, and have
spent for railroad tickets purchased in the
regular way exactly "A cents.
II have made lI2 balloon ascensions.
have been down in diving bells and sub
marine armor 1913 times; have been il
three big railway accidents and two Mis-.
sissippi steamboat explosions; have had tc
beg and borrow but have never stolen Oh
told a lie.
Il started t%elegraphing in 1852. Dur
ing the war | had charge of the cipher
dispatches which came to the war de-
partment and the president from the dit
ferent commanders in the field and
kept to myself some very import.
ant secrets their contents dis
closed. | afterwards went to the front
in charge of Grants Geographic service
and there caught the fever for constant
change and have been on the move evel
since. II any man deserves a pension fol
disease contracted during the service l do,
for | have been no good ever sInoe the
war closed.
About W years ago an uncle of mint
died in Rochester. n. Y. and left me
property worth $40. 900. He put it in
the hands of his son to act as trustee and
all | get out of it is the interest at 6 per
cent. | got the first batch last Novem-
Der when | was at FL Paso. The boys in
the telegraph Office nearly lost their eyes
when they saw me tanning myself with
twelve nice 800 bills. 1t lasted me
about two weeks, but | had a good time.
When l get back East | want to have it
arranged so that l can get 800 every
month"
The telegraph business isn't what it
used to be. Gould is making it a close
corporation. At one time | could strike
a town and was a partner, share and
share alike, with every operator there.
Now it's hard to ever get a loan of a dol
lar, or even a quarter. Why. last night |
had to sleep IN the passage way in front
of the telegraph room IN the depot. and
haven't had a square meal since l struck
town. But I'm off tonight for Denver
where I'll be all right. AS there is no
diner on the car | take, you couldn't
Thanks. OF course this don't go for beer
only something to eat.
Old Bogy's true history is pretty much
as he gives it himself. He was at one
time considered the most expert telegraph
operator in the United States. He could
perform the almost impossible fcat of tax
ing two messages by sound and TRANSCRIPT
ing one with his right and the other with
his left hand at the same time.
He was in Cheyenne in 1884 when he
worked in the telegraph office here for a
week or so. Once he worked two weeks
in San Francisco but the fever for travel
caught him and he left the city without
waiting for pay day.
Twice Old Bogy wandered into the rail
way Office yesterday to ask for a pass to
Denver on the strength OF his former con-
nection with the Western Union. When
he came a third time the officials were a
little impatient and before BoRy could
make his request requested him to pull
his freight" beg pardon" said Bogy,
Il don'. want a pass, l have decided to
walk, but | would like a time card so l
can keep out of the way of schedule
trains"