The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-02-26

ment. This WIS Wednesday afternoon,
right after the Board Of Health had con-
ciuded IFS Investigations.
Last Chance sits TO the extreme north Of
the main building and on higher eminence
than any Of the other buildings.
. The freaks are kept in Last Chance.
That is the cause Of its terror TO the
paupers. Often night is made bideous TO
the lucid inmates by the foolish noises and
rawlings Of the insane patients. And IN the
daytime the place is visited by idle sight
seeTs who delight TO see the harmless Idiots
20 through their strange performances.
Here are the cancer patients in the last
stages Of disease, the morphine and dope
feDds who are beyond hOpe Of recovery,
the cocaine druDkaTds and those suffering
from disorders that are fulsome and
homeless.
Last Chance has its hospital wards. and
the able-bodied freaks and idiots are given
the privileges Of the house and grounds.
Zip IS the main attraction Of Last Chance.
He is the most famous parsonage at the
AlmshOuse, and the one who needs the
least pity.
He is always happy and smiling and con-
tented. Il may cause you pain to see him
and witness his queer antics but he has no
use for your sympathy. He is happier than
you and can never know the sorrows that
you have known. His dark moments are
few and far between. They only occur
when he is hungry, and as soon as the cause
Is gone Zip is happy again, l saw him grind
bis teeth and glare fercely at visitor. but
when the visitors back was turned he was
cheerful again.
Long ago the circus men had zip. They
stuck feathers all over him and tried to
make him look more fantastic tnan nature
made him.
For more than twenty years be has been
here. His head and face are more like those
Of the monkey than Of any other animal.
His legs are short and have 10 knee-joints
in them. Every one who knows anything
about the almsbouse knows all about Zip.
GABRIEL, or the Holy Ghost, is the next
most striking attraction al Last Chance.
He is q tall old man. who was once an
athlete. His back is bent now, and his left
side is paralyZed. His beard and hair are
unkempt, and his costume hangs in rags
AMI tatlers. His coat is always tightly
buttoned or pin Eed, and Bible reposes be-
meath it,
He sits on the bench all day long and
thinks, or dreams, or whatever insane men
do when they are silent. lie never moves
unless some one speaks to him.
Then be rears up and goes through his
performance. He raises his right hand and
talks iucoherentiy about heave0 and the
Holy Ghost and other similar things which
are usually left to the clergy TO speak of.
Some people think be is very amusing.
and invariably laugh and chucke when poor
old Gabriel brings down his right hand with
powerful wnack on the Bible beneath his
coat.
lie is really funny-to those who can en-
JOY that kind of fun. | learned to respect
the old men who are inmates OF Last
Chance because they never laughed at
Gabriel aud were careful not to disturb his
day-dreaming.
The Sun WoTshiper, Pretty Wise and
Alfred the Flute are celebrities Of only
lesser note than Zip and Gabriel.
liked the Sun Worshiper because he
went in 10 dinner without his hat He
never wears a bat. and when not eating or
sleeping ls playing doubtful tune on the
harmOnica and dancing in the sunlight
If there is no sun be wanders about the
house OF yard blowing bis harmonica. or sits
on the benches and blows. The moment a
beam from Old Sol lights up any part OF the
grounds the Sun Worsliper seeks ii at
once, and is soon tripping through the
ma yes OF step that is as doubtful as the
accompanying tune.
Alfred made the flute he plays on so
constantly IN the courtyard of Last Chance
His tunes are also rather dubious and 1t is
quite painful 10 see the great mental eff
fort he makes now and again TO strike up
new air.
he struggles manfully though. and if he
lives long enough there is some hope OF his
Have you see my brother?" he asks CT
every stranger.
He put the question to me last Wednes-
day. l answered trutbfully that had not,
but when | came that way again few mo-
ments later he made the same inquiry.
He is simple, harmless old fellow and
Ike most OF the insane patients, very happy
and contented.
Pretty Wise is big and black and obtuse.
de is not so old as many Of the other Last
Chance tenants, aud there is no gray in his
fierce black hair and whiskers. He is like
the Sphinx; and Ike her is only thought to
be very wise because he has enough wisdom
10 keep his mouth shut. He sneezes all the
time. and is happy and demented.
These are the Last Chance characters that
may be described IN public print There
are many others. hundred or more OF
them, but the nature OF their maladies is
too repulSive to print.
They are living object lessons OF the hor-
rible evils that men may DTlng upon them-
selves by the transgressI0n OF natural laws
ard the unloosening OF evil apDetlies.
Duplicates of them can be seen at the Re-
ceiying Hospital and the Pesthouse. but no.
where else.
That they should be herded and housed
with men whose only disabilities are the re-
sults Of ill-fortHne is a necessity mat cries
aloud for immediate reform.
Why should man in the last stages Oh
consumption-a man, perhaps, VINO mas seen
far hetter days and surToundiDgs-De naae
70 live with these horrible freaks ana uh-
clean nnfortunates? s,;co-
Here is something that needs inyesuga-