The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-03-23
MEN ABOUT TOWN.
Short Stories Gathered From the
Hotel Corridors.
Jim Houston's Nerve-He Wasn't In It
Played Both Ends-An Honest CompE-
ment-The Poem Had No Merit.

sc. P. Lindley of Bridgeport, Conn" is
the legend which appeared on the register
of the Palace Hotel last night in firm,
bold hand. No one would suspect that back
OF the name was a man whose history If
written would read like a romance.
Come the 10Th of May next" said Mr..
Lindley, ''if should be so fortunate as to
live TIL then, l Will complete the 55th year
OF my experience as commercial traveller.
Yes, it was in 1886 that | started out with
line of samples from Meriden, Conn, and
during all this time | have travelled con-
tinuously until | am the oldest in length of
service. and of age too, for that matter. of
any drummer in America. About time for
me to retire? Well, L manage to hold my
own with the rest of them yet, and l intend
to keep right on till I'm too old to make my
connections.
Experiences Why / could write
volumes, but | don't intend to do it. and be-
sides don't care for notoriety. When one
has seen as much of life as | have one begins
TO realize the value of publicity. and to care
little for the praise or blame OF the world.
have covered more than million miles in
the course of my business career. or dis
tance equal to about fifty times the eircum-
ference of the earth. and have travelled in
every description Of conveyance known to
modern times. Why. when | first started
out-just think of it I've had no uniform
system OF currency in this country, and L
had to carry four chests of Yankee notions
to sell in order to secure ready
money to defray my incidental expenses.
You see, each State had its own legal ten
der, anu New York bills were not recos-
nized in PENNSYLVANIA, Connecticut money
was not good beyond the boundary OF the
State and so ON throughout what was then
known AS the union. In this way II would
have been useless to start out with supply
OF paper money OF any partc uiar state, so
when l crossed over into new STATE l
would open up nv chest, sell quantity of
notions for cash, and in that way defray my
necessary expenses.
''Hotel bills We're light in those days, how
ever, aud it cost very little TO travel. Will
say that the accommodations were about on
par with the prices, and what we got was
dear at the price compared with the modern
hotel. We are better fed and better housed
now for the same money, and we can travel
with less fatigue now from New ork to
San Francisco than we did in the old days
from Philadelphia to Pittsburg. | have no
regrets when l think of the changes that
have been made. and l often tell these
young fellows that they don't appreciate
the luxury If modern travelling
~ GU must excuse me now, as l am OH TO
bed" And the old fellow, spry as boy, IN
spite of his so years of strange ups and
downs, bounced away in the direction OF
the elevator with a go6d-natured smile and
a parting wave OF the hand.
Man of Nerve.
Talk about dead cold nerve" said Ned
Fay yesterday, as he stood behind the
Grand Hotel bar and critically eyed glass,
which he had been industriously polishing,
''Ill tell you that the gamest man l ever
came up with in the course of my wander
ings is Jimmie Houston of New Orleans
the same Jimmie Houston who took part in
the lynching a few days ago. The man
doesn't live who can say that he ever saw
Jimmie display the least sign of fear. and
he has been in about as many tight places
as any man in this country. a few years
ago he antagonized the editor Of one OF the
local papers, and the latter retalated with
column after column of editorial abuse.
Jimmie stood it for time but
at last be grew tired and sent
word to the newspaper office that
the matter had gone far enough. The next
morning, however, he was made the subject
of still more violent attack, in which he
VS. branded as a liar and coward. That
settled 1t. He sent message Of warning to
the editor and few minutes later walked
boldly into the Office. AS he walked in he
found himself confronted with the muZZie
of a six-shooter. but he could not back out.
Inc UrSL SlOt missed DllI anu ILLS gave illln
time to draw his revolver; but, before he
could fire, second shot shattered his right
hand. In the midst of perfect fusillade he
cooly stopped over and Nth his lett hand
CRASHED his revolver, which had fallen to
the floor Raising up he opened fire and
killed the editor where he stood, and then
walked out in the most deliberate manner
imaginable. He was afterwGrd acquitted.
He Wasn't In 1t.
7 hat han T
am now" remarked veteran bartender at
one of the downtown hotels yesterday, 81
became imbued with the idea that knew it
all. | had been behind one Of the best bars
in Chicago for little more than three years
when the Centennial Exposition came on at
Philadelphia, and of course there was rush
of baE-tenders from all over the country to
the big show. A friend OF mins went from
Chicago and when he came back he was dis
couraged.
Wed be al. right in the country he
said, with m9urnfal shake of his head,
but we're not in it with those fellows from
ST. Louis and New Orleans
We'll, of course the idea seemed absurd
to me, and afew months later went down
to New York and found sit behind one Of
tho best bars in the city. FOR seven years
held that place down and never lost an OPP
portuniiy to congratulate rlyssf on my dex-
terity as a drink-mixrr. Finally L got out
of work and drifted TO New Orleans and
found no trouble in going to work. Il took
me just one day to discover that was
ham. Then | went to work in earnest aud
learned my trade ali over 1t was a rude
awakening, but l braced up to it like a man,
and the result was that when l returned to
New York year later my old companions
behind the bar acknowledged that they
were not in it,
An Honest Compliment.
One of the most earnest compliments ever
rendered an actor was by young lady OF