The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-12

this more than one policeman can bear wit
ness Il is as a fighter, however, that
Peg" rises prominent. His method is
peculiar. Shaker Hunsel, who gets his
name from the expert manner in which he
feigns palsy, was the man who first brought
out Pegs ABILITY as a fighter. Shaker aud
Peg both wanted the same beats on the
same night. The streets on which each pan
handler Is to work are assigned by schedule.
The coveted beat fell to Peg. Shaker.
thinking a 1-legged man would be easy to
impose upon, trespassed on the crlpple'5
beat. Peg said nothing at the time, but
when the crowd met at The Rest that
night he challenged Shaker 20 combat. The
challenge was promptly accepted. Shaker,
who was taller and heavier than his oppo-
nent, was a hot favorite in the betting.
Johnny Carson was chosen referee. He an
nounced the rules Of the fight as follows:
DE rules is dat yer kin do anything but
step on de odder bloke's mug wen he's
down. De bloke dat dom squeak after l
count twenty five fer hin, or who says he's
got enough is licked. Rounds ls two min
utes. Here's lookin' at yer both an may de
best mug win. Two drinks CT gin ter one
dat Shaker llcks inn
Shaker had all the best of it in the first
round. He pounded his wooden-legged VIC
tim all over the room and got only TWO or
three punches in return, The second round
Ubkhl Tue shllb way. AhGh q Qu6bT lulnk
happened. Peg went fiat on his back, the
motive power being Shakers fist. Instead
of arising he lifted his legs in the air. sup
porting himself on his shoulders and elbows.
Then, with q sudden bunch he propelled
himself toward his opponent. The wooden
leg circled about and whlzzed through the
air. Biff 1t landed on the side of Shakers
head before he had time to understand
what was going on. shaker turned a
dpnhla EOnnareantt EhFnA phaira LANDED
on the back of his neck and rolled under
the table, and the fight was ended. When
he came to half an hour later he begged TO
be told the name of the man who had sand
bagged him from behird before he died.
But he didn't die. Instead, he went out
two days after ward aud reaped IS harvest
of nickels aud dimes by showing his bat
tered face as evidence of the cruelty of the
police to friendless and deserving wanderers.
On the occasion of the reporters visit,
being unsuccessful in his efforts to get a
jumping contest on, Peg observed that it
was growing late, and, curling up in IA cor
ner, went to sleep, leaving his comrades to
gossip aud talk over old times and the ex-
ploits OF dead and departed panhandlers
One told OF how Dutch Jake astonished
The Rest ono night by coming in with q
diamond ring aud going out with two po-
licemen fifteen minutes later. Another re-
CITED the stirring memories OF the fight
between King Upper and the bridge police
man, in the course Of which King got the
policemau's club and ramme1 II down the
owners throat so that he couldn't ysll for
help. Then be tore of the officers badge,
pinned IL on his own coat, and walked home
in great state. 1t took King Upper six
months on the island to settle for that per-
formance Other stories we're told, aud
then Tom Collins, better known as History
Tom, got on his feet. History Tom is, as
his name would indicate, the historian of
"The Rest" Being unable to write be is
obliged to keep the events of the past in
hls memory aud he is perfect encyclo-
pRdia Of paudhaudler lore.
There's few Of yez lift, said Tom, chat
kin ricollict Droop-eye Thomson, an there's
not one of yez that could travel In tn same
class along OF him. Droopy is dead an gone
this many year. He whit of IN a chariot
of sulphur fro along wild Swim blue divils
an cartlonds Of snakes an toads an things,
by what he said an hour before no passed in
his checks He was divil on tn drink,
Droopy YVES, but it got i'm in the finish.
Well what | began tellin' was how Droopy
played tn queer on soft mug upiu Maddy-
son avinee late one dark night.
'lt was a creepin' gloomious night, one
o. these nights wien tn wind says queer
things aroun' TIL corner of tn streets. TIL
soft mug was an old Teller, and he has a big
tn station prehaps. He was travelliu' along
kinder scary like. Now an then he'd look
aroun' benin him an walk little quicker
Droopy seen i'm, and says he to his shirt
front quiet like, This is my meat says he.
So up he walks to tn old Teller an looked
I'm in tn face. Them of yez as knowed
Droopy will remember tn queer eye Of i'm.
He looked at the soft mug wild his queer eye
cooked up queerer than usual, and he
shouted in a blood-freezln' manner. The
Teller wild tn satchil comminced to git
shaky roun' tn knees. He tried T. GodRe
past Droopy, but be woulnt have it.
'B-r-r-r-r-r, says Droopy, 1 smell rich,
red blood says he.
"'Wh-w h-wh- what's thetp says the old
Teller chatterin' his teeth together that hard
that y could hear th' chips Off 'em droppin
on the sidewalk.
"'Blood,' says Droopy. raisin' OF his vice,
'runuin' fast and warm, Gays he.
"Ah-h-h-h Uh-h-h-h-h. G-R-g-e-Ro
way says tn soft mug, Us hair a-blistlin'
up till lis bloomin' stovepiye hat feel off.
~ amt had none sence l Skipped from
tn 'sylum,' Droopy says. They nseter give
1t to me every day cause they said / was
crazy. amt crazy but want some nice,
new blood
"All this time he was gettin' up closer an
closer to tn mug an be whispered at i'm In
a mos curdln' tone about wantin' tn blood.
The old feller's legs begtnned to sink down.
'Po-leece.' ne yelled. 'po-leece, an wild that
DroOpy got in his fine work.
'Whoosh = bowls Droopy, leapin' up an
down. an waYin' his arms in tn air. CIR
r>r-r-r -r-r-rI FuZ-z-z-Z Z-zl Whoop! Pr
sh-sh-sh-sh- sh Wsowl Hiss-ss-ss -ss-ss-ss!
Slam! Bang Whang! Whoopl W-r-r-
r-r-row!l p
eth poor old soft mug give one terrific
yell, an be cut Is sticks fer tn Battery,
laavin' the satchi as a legacy to Droopy
Droopy swiped tn leather an hooked what
va, inside fer twenty-five dollar plunks.
That was tn last big act Droopy done be-
fore he kicked loose"
By the time the recital was finished tia
panhandlers had begun TO get sleepy. Curl
ing up in corners or stretching out on the
hard benches, they went peacefully TO
sleep in an atmosphere that would be poison
for an ordinary man 10 sleep 10. But the
panhandlers heem to enjoy it, and while
many of them could well afford better
lodgings, it is seldom that one deserts THE
Rest"
They are a little colony by themselves, as
truly an alien folk as the gypsies whom, IN
some respects, they resemble. In their talk
peculiar words appear, not to be identified
with the street slang OF the cast side. There
il q tradition il 1.-The Restn Of a true
Romeny, who made himself king of the
beggars a generation ago, aud organized a
beZgars' association, one result of which
the panhsndlers Of to>day inherit in their
schedule OF beats. Some OF the panhaud-
1ara ooonunfa ard d