Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-02
MANY MANNED MEN
Are Met With in an Afternoon Stroll
on the Avenue.
SOME STORIES THAT ARE TOLD
Of the Causes That Made Them
CrippIes.
TWO WELL-KNOWN SIGHTS

The incoming of new administration al
ways brings to Washington a soteria q,
once seekers, and among them can ALWAYS
be found any quantity Of old soldiers ra,-e-
senting both the Union and confederate
causes. They are usually prolific with s,or-
les or incidents and happenings during the
war and take advantage of evarx onnor-
tunity to recite one or more of Thorn
This administration is no execution IN
the general rule and the number of manned
men to be seen in an afternoons stroll
down the avenue is surprising. One-legged
men, one-armed men, men with no arms
at all, and In fact MANNED men of every
description may be seen thereon If one only
Keeps his eyes open and looks out for them.
reporter on The Star noticing this fact
decided to make a special trip some even
ings ago from the treasury building to the
Capitol and interview every manned man
seen during that trip.
Before a block had been trayersed a seedy
looking individual with an armless sleeve
hanging by his side was seen strolling lei
surely up the avenue. This proved to be a
case of the bitter bitten, as before the re-
porter could decide on the tactics to be
adopted in interviewing the first victim
the beggar, for such he proved to be, ad-
vanced and, after the usual salutation af-
fected by that class, held out his hand for
aims, mumbling something in an inaudible
tone about his arm. Where did you lose
your arm, my good man." was asked of
him, after the nickel which had been drop
ped in his outstretched hand had been care
fully deposited in a capacious pocket. 'On
The railroad. sir" was the reply. Il was
braking on the old Burlington line back
h. tl.ae
d freight car and had the pleasure of wit
Messing the wheels of one of the cars per-
forming the most delicate surgical operation
of relieving a man of one of his arms"
Lost His Leg Before Richmond.
While listening to the story Of the one
armed man, another man, somewhat better
dressed than his predecessor, passed up the
street. with a halting step, which at once
indicated the possession of a cork leg. He
seemed somewhat surprised at the evident
impertinence displayed in asking him when
and how he sustained the loss of a leg but
when he was told for what purpose the in
formation was desired he unburdened him.
self and delivered himself of an exceed
ingly interesting story. II lost my Leg"
said he, during the seven days fight
around Richmond. j was a member of the
sixteenth Pennsylvania regiment, and about
noon of the third day of that fight our regi-
ment had orders to make a flank movement
and check the advances OF the enemy on
our ramparts. / was a lieutenant in my
company, and We occupied the right of the
line. Immediately after getting in range
of the enemy's guns and before We had
advanced more than a couple OF hundred
yards. we were fired upon, and one of the
first shells to explode in our midst struck
me and carried off my leg just below the
knee. / fell, of course, and as our lines
were repulsed, i lay where / had fallen
for some time. until removed by the ambu-
lances of the enemy. / was taken into Rich.
mond and removed to a hospital there.
was given the best of treatment that could
be procured there then, and after several
months spent in the hospital, and my leg
had about healed, / was incarcerated in
Libby prison, where / remained until the
entry OF the Union troops into Richmond
Immediately upon my release 1 was, with
a number of other wounded soldiers, shipped
home. No, sir, 1 am not drawing a pen
sion from the government. / hold a po-
sition in one of the departments, and try
and give value received for every dollar
received from Uncle Sam
After continuing the stroll down as far
as 18th street, the reporter was rewarded
by seeing a young man, probably about
twenty years OF age, coming up the avenue
on clutches. The same question, How did
you lose your leg?" was asked of him. He
appeared somewhat 10th to answer the in
Quiry at first. but after some persuasion
stated that the loss of his leg was due TO
a fall from a bicycle. 1t appeared that he
was riding upright wheel, and in coast
ing down a very steep hill his brake refused
to work and the wheel becoming unman-
ageable, threw him at the foot of the hill
and shattered his knee so badly that ampu-
tation was necessitated.