Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-19
WAS A HUSTLER FROM THE WEST
A Pacific Coast NewsbOy Who Did the
World's Fair Thoroughly md Cheaply

Jimmy Egan, Seattle newSboy, who in
company with Red Gleason. left for the
worlds fair at Chicago six months ago, re-
turned home last evening, says the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer, having made the round
trip without paying out a cent and without
riding on passes. The boys left Seattle on
July q. neither of them having any money,
and they got as far as La Grande, Ore,
when Jimmy was arrested and Red contin-
ued the journey alone. Red returned home
last month and told thrilling story Of his
trip to and from the fair, but Jimmy is in
clined to doubt his friends veracity for he
said last evening:
Red only got as far as Denver; the cons
were too tough for him, and he never saw
Chicago at all. When 1 arrived in Chicago
l got a letter from Red dated Denver, and
he said he was going home. Now, I'm dead
next to him; he did not get to Chicago l
was there over three months and made lots
Of stuff, but I had tough time getting
through. In La Grande Red and got in a
box car and were jumping the town when
the marshal pinched me and kept me three
weeks. He sent me home, but when l got
back to Portland / took the first chance to
ship east again. At La Grande l sneaked
around, afraid the marshal would see me
and pull me again. and when the passenger
hind coach. big crowd was at the depot.
1 knew 'em all. The marshal was there and
1 ran to within five feet of him without me
seeing him or him seeing me- He yelled
at me:
Come here, you d-n little rascal!
He grabbed at me, but l was too quick
for him and got on the car steps. The train
pulled out and 1 turned around and put my
fingers to my nose and grinned at him. You
ought to have heard the crowd yell. / rode
the brakebeam all the way, and at some of
the towns l got off and shined boots.
made s. at Pocatello, Idaho. in one night.
When got to Kansas City / made one
jump to Chicago on the Rock Island Route
worked 1t slick, you bet 1 got into Chica-
go on September Z, and 1 wasn't broke,
either. 1 sold papers, souvenirs, and hustled
and made enough money to buy a new suit
of clothes and had a way-up time.
THE night that Carter Harrison was killed
by Prendergast, made KILN. You know
ne was murdered about $50 at night. and a
Chicago paper got out an extra edition.
tad "a, and with it bought papers. 1t made
dickens of big stock, and / hired an ex-
pressman for 80 to drive me to the fair
grounds. l kept stiff upper lip, and the
fellow though: 1 had a pocketful of stuff
he didn't know he was dom the haulin' on
Jawbone. He drove ME down Wabash ave-
nue.. and l stood up in the wagon and be-
gan to yell like the mischief:
Extra. Extra! All about the horrible
assassination of Carter Harrisonr
You ought to have seen the people buy
'em. l got as high as twenty-five cents a
paper. We arrived at the Stony Island
avenue and SD street entrance to the
grounds at 11:30 O'Clock, just as the people
were coming out. and l hollered like every
thing about the extras. Well, l say, If l had
had 1000 more papers 1 could have sold
them. ] was done up, though. / had yelled
so much that was awful hoarse and could
not talk. / gave the expressman "a and
then blew in some. That night when /
went to bed and counted up l had $37.
gave some of it to the kids who had helped
me out. and bought myself and another kid
some new underclothes and other stuff, and
then paid a months board ahead. Then
took the rest of the dough. went to the fair
grounds and sported. l went into the fair
sixty times and never paid my way but
once. l saw verything-Tifanys exhibit
the big Canadian cheese, the Krupp gun ex-
hibit, the Mayhower Santa Maria and
Nina; that old Morse battle ship. the great
1l2-mile locomotive 800; had two rides in
the Ferris wheel. and took in the Midway
Plaisance. l won't tell you what / did
there, but l did everything and saw every
thing. l left Chicago last Saturday and
came right through on the same train, get
ting home about an hour ago. You see.
some fellers hid me in the seats when the
cons came around. and l got through all
right Oh, did EN- all up Red wasn't in
it at all. But he can tell whopper when
he's mind to-"