The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-10-24
SAW HIMSELF DIE.
An Odd Chicago Character and
! His Last Request.
Qe Wished to See Himself ss He Was Dying
and tho Hospital Physician HUI
mored Him ~ Peculiar
"pink Horn"

and tho Hospital fnyEicl1n hu-
mored Him - Peculiar
"Pink Horn"
One of the oldest characters that
Chicago has known was blithe fell
low named Horn. They called him
"Pink" Horn. He boasted that he
could not keep money; he declared
that as he was a horn he must needs
elbow" himself. 1t was this joke
that allured him from his trade, that
Of sign painting. After this he
lived on his wits. He was not
known to be dishonest, but to the
man who lives by his wits there
come but few twinges OF con-
science. Once he made a reputation
in new direction. One cold day
he took off a new overcoat and
wrapped it about the shoulders of q
thinly clad negro woman whom he
met in the street. His companions
marveled at this, knowing that he
had but little money, and in reply
to their expressions Of surprise he
remarked:
my father was slave owner be-
fore the war, and an old black
nanny brought me up"
He always wore flower on his
coat. and when the flower was o
'wilted ore his acquaintances knew
that he was hungry. He was u man
of courage. Once, in q playful
mood, he fought "Black jack" the
commander Of the bumboat, and de-
feated him, and this was no easy
anatter. His great fad was to in
:vestigate everything, and in this re-.
;spect he became strangely curious
toward the last. He had Q mania
for gazing into the eyes Of dying
man, and often hung about the hos.
ipitals, He used to say that he in
| tended to see himself die. Some of
his friends said that be was losing
| his mind
Well, hard luck came, and he
,drifted away. He went South and
then into the far west. But he
found no place to interest him. In
| iDeadwood he did all sorts Of jobs,
striving to get back to Chicago. He
said that he had but short while
longer to live, and that it would en-
.barrass him to die away from home.
He came back and stood about the
corners looking for his old friends,
but found them not. No one knew
him.
"Why, you must have heard of
me-" he said to man. II am Pink
Horn
"Never heard of you, SIR"
,"Why, was here before the fire."
''That may be, but never heard
Of you"
Didn't you hear of the sport
who took off his overcoat one biz
zardy day and gave it to a black
woman?"
"Oh, yes, I believe I did hear of
that. So, you are the mani Well,
see you again. So long"
No one cared to talk to him. He
strove to joke, but his merriment
was CHASTITY.
One night last week they took
him up and carried him to the hos
pital. And this is the story they
tell. He had been in bed two days
when physician told him that he
had but a few hours to live.
care you sureY" he asked.
IT am certain. If you have any
arrangements to make you'd better
make them"
"My lungs are about gone, I sup
poser"
eyes, practically"
"Will you do me favor?"
"Surely. What is it?"
"Well, want to see myself die"
II don't understand you"
~ simply want to see how look
while dying. Prop me up and put
mirror at the foot of the bed"
"Oh, that would be-"
"You said you would do me a
favor"
"And I will"
The doctor propped him up and
a nurse brought mirror and placed
it so that he could gaze into it. And
so they left him for time. He said
that he desired to be alone, When