The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-03-06
THE DAVIS FIASCO.
Unfortunate Men Aban-
doned to Cold and Hum
ger by Their Sleek
and StingY Boss.

On Saturday 1 told how the Robert
Davis Light Guards made a brilliant de-
parture on Friday evening for Washing
ton to take part in the inaugural cere-
monies.
The men were In high feather. They
were warmly clad, were not hungry. and
had In prospective,a view of Washington
a place they perhaps had heard of, but
never seen.
They have all seen Washington. They
have seen enough of 1t, and incidentally
enough Of the man under whose name
they marched, and the man who in
veigled them into a strange city, .and
thea desertedthem.
The trip Of the Davis Light Guards is
replete with interest, and marks another
disgraceful outrage practiced by stingy.
self-glorifying boss upon men who al
lowed him to dupe them.
SHAAfEFULLY ABANDONED.
The majority of the Davises who have
reached home owe their good fortune to
the fact that they had sufficient sum of
least seventy-fve away still. penniless,
without tickets and still struggling with
the hunger that has not been appeased
since they entered the train provided by
the officers of Robert Davis Light Guard.
Friday night, about two hundred men,
composing the Guard, wera packed into
ordinary coaches. John d. German occu-
pied all apartment in Darlor car. He
managed the affair. and on the way
down saw to it that the men were pro-
vided with tickets, good for one way.
HUSTLED OUT IN THE COLD.
AT three o'clock Saturday morning the
men were hustled out OF the cars into the
streets of Washington. 1t was bitterly
cold and snow was falling fast. Saloons
were visited and whiskey was put away
in great STYLE AS a result, long before
the time arrived to get in marching order,
there were enough representatives of
Robert Davis scattered about the streets
to do him proud.
After the ceremonies, there was search
made for the Davis train. The train was
formed, but John D. German, who held
the return tickets, il there were any, was
missing. The train was cold, and there
was nothing to eat AT two O'Clock in
the morning. as fast as the men entered
cars, they were driven out into the storm
and snow, compelled to seek shelter in
Railways.
SCOUTING FOR DAVIS.
Ten cents for cup of coffee and fifteen
cents for sandwich were demanded. Of
the 200 Davises, there were not one-half
who possessed m oney enough to buy any
thing to eat. Scouting parties were sent
out for German and others for Davis.
The men wanted in the first place some-
thing to eat. and also their tickets with
which to get home.
German was not found.
Davis was, but a deaf ear was turned
by him to all entreaties.
The men hung around the depot, cold
began boarding New York trains. The
result is that there are Davises scattered
all along the line between Washing
ton and this city in goodly
members. The men had no tickets. ana
many of them who had consumed too
much whiskey in trying to keep warm
were bundled off the trains at Baltimore,
Philadelphia, and, strange to say, 6 sub
stantial delegation was stranded at Tren-
ton, slightly "boozed."
UNIFORMS THROWN AWAY.
These unfortunates need as m uch assis-
tance as did the friends of Davis who
were released by the Court of Pardons.
At the Pennsylvania depot in this city,
there are piles of the Light Guard
uniforms which were discarded by the
deserted men. Throughout the city some
of the unfortunates can bs seen. and with
out an exception they are cursing Robert
Davis, and incidentally Johnny" Cor
man.
One of the men in speaking Of the trip
said:-"lt's outrage. We were
treated like dogs We were given moth
ing to eat. We had no tickets with
which to get home. I manage by good
luck to steal my way to Trenton.
Ii was knocked off there
and managed to get
home by selling my coat and vest and
buying tic ket. saw men kicked off
at Baltimore and at every station along
the road. They lad no money, ana when
I seen them last they had had nothing TO
eat
"Gorman aud Davis be --l They will
never get me in anything Of the kind
again. and, imagine, when the proper
time comes, every man who was left to do
the best he could in Washington will
make them pay dearly for it. They got
us down there aud then deserted us.'
This trip will wind up the Davis Light
Guard. Everyone who went on the trip
was assessed S12 each to cover the ex-
penses. They want to know pretty
promptly what became of their money.
A SENSATION EXPLODED.
Henry Downes, colored, thirty-two years old.
orr .9e.x 1,l-