Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1893-08-12
WANTS TO SELL HIMSELF

an AoI S'ut 10 tue person who Will q
gree TO pay a reasonable sum of money
70 my mother whom | have tried TO
support, but have failed The person
purchasing me must agree to pay her a
certain sum of money each week as
long rs she lives, in return for which
The purchaser can do with my body
ana soul ms he or she may choose. I do
this only to save poor lame woman.
TO years old, who has proved nv friend
when all else has deserted me and has
shared my poverty without grumbling.
when she deserved better things. I
have tried every honest means known
10 ind employment, and now / make
( this last effort to do some good. SO that
| may at least have some excuse for
existing. l will make a willing and de-
( voted slave, and do not care what be-
/ comes of me 50 long as my mother is
( provided for.
The foregoing is copy Of letter
written in q plain, firm hand. received
( ut the New York World Office. 1t was
signed White slave" The authcr.
/ William Bergmam was found by a re.
/ porter yesterday afternoon at his home
on the first floor in the rear Of 2O3
Avenue a, He is slender, with a clear,
fair complexion. light hair. n mustache
slightly tinged with red, and pleasant
blue eyes. His aged and afflicted
mother Wore clean calico dress, and
sat listening during the interview. answ-
erinS her son now and then as he APP
pealed to her for dates and facts.
The pair occupy two small rooms,
very bare of furniture A stove three
chairs, a pine table, an old chest of
drawers and a pallet on the floor in the
smaller room were the sum total of
their possessions There was not even a
bed. The rooms and everything in them
however, were clean and neat. The
yomgman told his story quietly and in
telligcntly, but it was plain that his
trouble had made him desperate.
Il know said Bergman, that it is
unusual for man to offer himself for
sale, but | am desperate Monday we
are TO be diSpoSSesSed, and then mother
will be turned out of these rooms |
would not care If ii were not for her.
If she were provided for | would gladly
lie down on the floor and die We have
struggled against fortune for many
years, and heretofore | have always
managed TO scrape enough for the rent;
but now it seems that every chance is
gone, ! have been seven weeks now
without work, and in that time | have
tried every means | could think Of to
get work, no matter what it might be
| did not 20 to the street ear companies
because I am told that 1t is necessary
to have enough money to pay for a uni
form and make a deposit for change.
II never learned a trade. My father
was a paperbON maker and at the day
Of his death had been in one position
for twCntv-One years, He put me in the
factory. of which he was foreman TO
take my chances along with other boys
in learning the trade After nine mon
this fell III with typhoid fever, which
left me delicate, and before ] had hard
~ got ut work again was stricken
with relapse My father died ten years
ago when l was but II, so you see my
opportunity Of learning a trade with
him was gone early.
Il am wen and strong now IN fact,
am something Of an athlete and ] do
not want charity. / would not accept it,
and rather both Of us were dead than
that we should beg. All l want is work,
the hardest work in the world.
My father left my mother very well
provided for, but she allowed the mon
ey to be invested in a cigar-boX factory
project of a relative and every cent
was lost During the time Of this ven
ture | had work in the factory, and l
put all my energy and intelligence into
the business. Afterward / did odd bits
OF work and managed 10 keep mother
and myself very well; but for the Last
few years an evil genius has seemed TO
pursue me. l had a place as shipping
clerk at Daniel Cany's biscuit factory
in Brooklyn, but when the trust absor
bed his business | was thrown out,
Then | was assistant Shipping clerk for
the Treadwell Harris Baking Company,
293 Water street, in this city, but after
six months hard work lost my place.
There was no complaint against me
anu / do not know why failed there.
Since then have eked out precar-
ious livelihood addressing envelopes at
75c a thousand, on Barclay street.
When there was something for me to-
do-and | worked day and night
could make IS or 50 a week; but as /
was only substitute many weeks ]
would bring home but 81. Finally that
failed me, owing 10 a Summer dizziness,
and here | am,
My mother was first afflicted with
two years ago and has
been such a sufferer that one leg has be
come much shorter than the other and
she can walk only with great pain aud
she needs nounshment and
care, and the fact that l can not give
them to her drives me wild. Her needs
have spurred me on through many a
weary year and have made me double
my exeruons to get work. But ] seem
to have stopped still. When my father
lived we had all we wanted, and he
was able to save money"