The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1894-11-08
SAW HIMSELF DIE.
An Odd Chicago Character and
His Last Request.
He Wished to See rIilaseIf as lie Was Dying
and the Hospital Physiclan HUI
morcd Him = Peculiar
"Pink Horn"

One of the oldest characters thai
Chicago has known was a blithe fel
low named Horn. They called hin
''Pink" Horn. He boasted that ht
could not keep money; he declared
that as he was horn he must needs
"blow" 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 reputation
in new direction. One cold day
he took off a new overcoat and
wrapped it about the shoulders of a
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 a slave owner be-
fore the war, and an old black
nanny brought me up"
He always wore a flower on his
coat, and when the flower was a
wilted one his acquaintances knew
that he was hungry. He was man
of courage. Once, in a playful
mood, he fought "Black jack" the
commander of the bumboat, and de-
feated him, and this was no easy
matter. His great fad was to in
,vestigate everything, and in this re-
spect he became strangely curious
toward the last. He had a mania
for gazing into the eyes of dying
man, and often hung about the hos
pitfalls. He used to say that he in
tended to see himself die. Some of
his friends said that he 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
Deadwood he did all sorts of jobs,
striving to get back to Chicago. He
said that he had but a 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. Il am Pink
Horn"
Never heard of you, sir"
why, l was here before the fire."
THAT may be, but l never heard
of you"
Didn't you hear of the sport
who took off his overcoat one bliz-
zardy day and gave it to a black
woman?"
"Oh, yes, believe 1 did hear of
that. So, you are the man! Well,
see you again. So long"
No one cared to talk to him. He
strove to joke, but his merriment
was ghastly.
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 a physician told him that he
had but q few hours to live.
Are you sure?" he asked.
II am certain. If you have any
arrangements to make you'd better
make them"
My lungs are about gone, l sup
pose?"
"Yes, practically"
will you do me a favor?'
"Surely. What is it2"
well, l want to see myself die"
81 don't understand YOU"
81 simply want to see how I look
while dying. Prop me up and put a
mirror at the foot of the bed"
''Oh, that would be-"
Ou SAID you would do me a
favor"
''And l will"
The doctor propped him up and
q 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
they came back he was dead: his
gaze was wide and his CLASSY eyes
mirrored the mirror. Wanted to
see himself die! He was an odd
charactcr.-Inter Ocean.