The morning news., 1894-08-06
sr9RY o. a BLIND mAN.
Another Proof That Truth Is Stranger
Than Fiction.
BON the WashIngton Post.

From the Washington Post.
For several days q blind man has stood
at the corner of Pennsylvania avenue and
Ninth street with lead pencils for sale
Few persons have noticed the man, for he
is retiring and unobtrusive, and has stood
half-hid in a niche between two Of the
buildings at the corner. Yesterday po-
liceman told the blind man to move on;
that he had stood too long there.
please don't make me mOye,' pleaded
the blind man. Il can't go from the
cornern
why not2"
"The only friend have in the world is
near NE here. Don't make me GO
And then story came out, a true story,
but one so strange as to be almost incred-
ible The blind man is Andrew COogan.
Fifteen years ago the sight of one eye
was accidentally destroyed while he was a
sailor on the ship -Bazanna. The other
eye was affected, and COogaa became al
most blind. Up to four weeks ago he
could see well enough to walk alone, and
to do little Jobs of work. He had chum,
blind man, named John Graham, and
the two lived in a little room at 4S9 Mis-
souri, avenue, and were as happy as two
persons, so awfully afflicted, could be.
They went out together frequently, look
ing for work. COogan leading Graham.
What little money they made was care
fully expended. They cooked their own
meals, and were proud that they were
drags upon no one.
BECAME TOTALLY BLIND.
But one afternoon, not quite a month
ago, as the two were walking down
Pennsylvania avenue, Graham turned his
head suddenly. The ragged straw brim
struck Coogan's remaining eye. The pain
made Coogan place his hand to the eye
A l., a
My God, John, / am now as blind as
you"
The blow from tho hat had destroyed
his sight. Without another word, the two
men CROPPED their way to their room, long
familiarity with the streets having made
this easy. There they talked over their
situation, which was now so changed
One could no longer help the other, and
they decided it was best they should part.
What little money they had was given to
Graham and the next day he went to
Pittsburg
Coogah was then forced to go on the
street with pencils to sell During all of
his years of failing sight ne had never
begged, and now he was a poor hand at
II. Few persons bought his pencils, and
, the police m owed him from street to
street. He began to think that there was
no place for him. Finally, not many days
ago, a news boy led him to the corner of
Pennsylvania avenue and Ninth street
and told him that that N-0s a good place.
FOUND A FRIEND OF HIS BETTER DAYS.
All day Coognn stood on the corner,
anC toward evening clerk in one of the
stores there, who had been watching the
different persons who stopped to give
| pennies to the blind man, thought that he
would talk to him. Approaching the
| man. the clerk asked him how he lost his
| sight.
My eyes were injured when I was a
sailor on the ship Bahama fifteen years
ago"
The Bazanna," calculated the sales
man; why, my father used to be captain
of that ship"
Was your father Capt. Robert
| SMITH"
| The clerk assented, and then it came
| out that COOgan, now blind and selling
! pencils, had often played with the son of
| his captain on the ship fifteen years ago,
| and had time and again carried him into
| the rigging and taught him all the little
! pleasantries of seamanship.
.TheyyOung man, only too anxious to dc
all that he could for his9ather's old sailor
is Having the eye, which was recently
hurt, treated, and is taking care of him in
| other ways.
| Yesterday afternoon the young mar
arranged with the police that CoogaI
| should not be moved from the corner
which had been such a fortunate one fol
! him, and to-day he can be seen by all who
| pass.
This Is the story, simple but strange
| 1t is true except that the correct name oi
the old captain of the Bazanna has mol
| been given