The morning call., 1892-09-27
HID AWAY TO DIE ALONE
Buckingham & Co.'s Janitor's
Queer Bedroom.
His Name Was A. J. Lyman-Strange Sory Of
an Old Sailors Hard Struggle
in California

Yesterday morning an old man by the
name of A. j. Lyman. who acts as janltor
in the real estate Office of Buckingham 81
Co.. at 415 Montgomery street. was found
missing from his usual post and at first no
one could give any information as to his
Whereabouts.
Along toward noontime some one con-
Dected with the office hapI ened TO go into
Storeroom in the back part of the build
ing and there found the missing ianitor
stretched ont on a pile of old carpets SEEM
ingly In dying condition.
When asked what was the matter with
him he was unable TO answer except to
articulate that he was sick.
Word was Immediately sent TO the County
Hospital for an ambulance, and when it
arrived Lyman was carried out and placed
in it in a half-dead condition.
Nothing could be learned how he had
come to be taken so suddenly i'll, and it was
great surprise to all connected with the
office to find him so.
Sunday afternoon he was out at Mr..
Buckingham'S house seemingly in the best
of spirits, and ate his dinner there, as Il has
been his custom every Sunday.
How he came to have gone into the store
room without letting any one know was a
puzzle to the office at first, but inquiry led
to the fact that he had been sleeping there
unknown to nearly every one for the past
two months, and that he had probably gone
there the night before as usual, was taken
sick suddenly and was unable to cry out
through weakness.
There is Q history connected with poor old
Lyman, however, sad in the extreme, which
perhaps had something TO do with his
strange disappearance.
lie first came here four or FIVE years ago
with the intention Of making California his
home.
By birth Portuguese. fer many years he
followed sailors life, spending a long and
weary time on the hot and sultry coasts OF
Africa as common seaman on trading
vessel.
Leaving here he next cast his fortune
with whaler, sometimes in the southern
seas but mostly in the Arc tic Ocean, follow
ing his trade of ship-eooper.
Having no bad habits and being of a
saving disposition, be managed in the course
OF his hard existence to save $1,000. and with
this amount he landed in San Francisco.
In looking around to purchase home to
end his falling years. for he was almost 80
now, Lyman chanced to run across c. III.
Street, formerly an official of the Immigra-
tion Bureau here and afterward iu the real
estate business at AIS Montgomery street.
IL was the same old story with Lyman and
his money.
Street secured his confidence and bor-
rowed the money. giving receipt showing
This was all the old man ever got, and it
left him virtually peDnileSs.
He had nephew, too, who worked up in
the iuDbeT-camps somewhere, and, think
ing his uncle good man TO take care of his
money, sent him $500 for satekeeping
Street borrowed this also, and when the
nephew came TO demand his money the
uncle explained that il was gone.
He had just begun to realize what Streets
Investment" meant.
note was given to the nephew, and
since then every penny that he earned
over and above living has gone to pay that
debt.
There was a daughter, too. to take care
OF, but she finally left him and became a
nun, and he has never seen her since.
Those around the office have often watched
the old man as he went through his daily
work-always methodical, always silent in
everything he did, but always to be depended
upon.
None probably Will ever know what his
thoughts were as he plodded on through the
weary months.
None will ever know why he finally
gave up the hard struggle of life but per-
haps the heart and spirit were broken, leav-
ing him one last resort-to crawl into his
hidden bed and die alone.