Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-02
M ! S E r A B L E M & N
Ooxey's Followers Herded Like Cattle at
the New Camp.
The General in HIS Speech Makes but
Brief Allusion to the Events
Of the Day.

The camp Of the commonweal at LIST and
NJ streets southwest presented a sorry
spectacle yesterday evening after the delud-
ed followers of Coxey and Browne had
dragged themselves to the filthy spot Sc
lected for their abiding place In Washing
ton. The men had lost all interest In the
object which had brought them to the ma
tiona capital. and scarcely seemed to re-
member the stirring events of the afternoon
at the Capitol. Inertia would probably char
acterize the condition of the crowd. The
commonwealers dragged themselves around
rather than walked. unpacking their d.
lapidated outfit and preparing in forlorn
sort of way for the dreary future that was
in store for them. Supper was the only ilea
that found an abiding place In their dulled
minds. Their intelligence was deadened.
Half starved and wholly broken down. they
| seemed to accept the inevitable as a matter
of course.
The instinct of self preservation had even
deserted them and the gathering Illustrated
in striking degree the depths to which
human beings may sink. The camping
ground was piled with filth that had been
accumulated during many months. and was
in every condition of foul decay. Over ii
all hung the atmosphere from the fetid
putrescence of the James Creek canal The
weary and weak commonwealers. however,
were too far gone to mind their surround
ings. They threw themselves down upon
the piles of filth. and were careless of
everything except the desire to rest their
aching bones, and wait for the promised
sustenance for their emaciated bodies.
When supper did come at last 1t was a
| travesty. A hunk of bread, a small piece OF
| bologna sausage and a cup Of coffee were
dealt out to each commonwealth, and they
| spread themselves around the Enclosure TO
devour with ravenous haste their pittance
Of provender. This slight lunch was all
| they had had to eat since early morning,
when a boiled egg, a piece of bread and a
| measure of weak coffee had formed their
| breakfast.
Dull, Deadly Apathy.
Visitors to the camp have heretofore found
| no difficulty In drawing the men into con-
versation. Last night they were beyond the
stage of talkativeness. Many of them were
proffered aims by the sympathetic and re-
ceived them in a listless sort Of a way, as II
they didn't really remember what money
looked like or what 1t was intended for.
They knew nothing and cared nothing
about the preceding events at the Capitol.
and the only thing that seemed to crafty
| them was the fact that Browne had been
dubbed, and the majority of those who
would talk at all expressed the wish that
the clubbing had been an energetic one.
1t was Browne whom they held responsible
for their present plight and they did no.
show any hesitancy in expressing their
hatred of him. But even the indication OF
the strongest OF. human sentiments was
weak. AS night drew on and deepened into
darkness the hopeless. miserable and de-
spairing men sought rest and sleep around
the Enclosure and huddled together. partlcu-
larry in one corner, across which some can