The Kansas blackman., 1894-05-18
us EYES GOUGED OUT.

.,.,, story Of Blind Man Now Living
in New York.
custaye Adlung is a blind man in
y york who sells lead pencils on
seN .treet for a living. He is we'll
pe character and the story Of
w 10 lost his sight is a most pitt
., lg' one At the age Of 19 he sailed
y, Antwerp his native place. for
pa parica az a cabin boy. The cap
s "a II the vessel was named Sparks
"a the two mates were Wilson and
Y. .tiss men cruel and Ditiless almost
sssond belief. Beatings and whip
ssg aes were freely administered.
gosng go Gustave Jared as badly as the
IS u NJ his fellows. He was beaten
IN stthin an inch Of his life time and
.rsin % He was strung up and starved
N maltreated in every way thatthe
'sranny N Of the mates could devise in
n.rnishment for crimes, petty or i'm
mary. So great had become the
'srror OF the crew that three jumped
s.ssrhoard. Gustave was one who
VA planned to Jump overheard
.haneyer another ship or land came
rithin sight. He had given up hope
shen the other tn ee leaped to their
sstery grave, and resolved to end his
mIsery in the same way. The mate
IN Gustave trying his best to follow
M example Of the unfortunate sail
ID end ordered two sailors to seize
I'M aud put him in irons.
ne st uggled feebly and then faint
j Intense pain awakened him,
IN when he opened his eyes he saw
he mate bending ever him. The
nate held a cutlass in his uplifted
hand. Blood was dripping from the
Made and the great pain in Gustave's
lett side was enough to convince the
rsbin boy that the drunken mate had
struck him with the weapon and that
II vas his own blood that was drip
ping over him from that ugly blade.
nMercy! Mercy" mOaned the half
mnscious Gustave. "Mercy. Throw
ne overheard, anything; but have
mercy! Don't torture mem
Gustave staggered to his feet and
he mate tried TO seize him. "Come
here; TIL show you what mercy you'll
get" he reared.
Gustaye, beside himself with ter
lor. tried to fly, but he was in such a
pItiahle condition that the mate
orert0ok him quickly.
sT'll show you what mercy you'll
rkr he Kissed as he called the two
alors to hold the fainting cabin boy.
Before even the sailors knew what
the mate was about to do, he raised
lis cutlass and with one wicked
thrust gouged one OF the BOYS eyes
out Quick as flash he gOuged out
the other.
There; now 60 run away from me
Il you want to-" laughed the f1endish
mate as he struck the boy with the
hilts0f his cutlass.
aIlay days, not knowing whether
was dead or alive" said Gustave
ttts other day. II was burning with
lever, and the pain i'm my eyes was SO
awful that ] believe / must have
been out of my head. / had no one
to see me and was kicked around
from one part of the cabin to an
OtheE | heard that one of the sail
oEs who had held me when that f1end
was gouging out nay eyes was so hOr-
sifed at the sight that he went raw
ing crazy the next day. / was almost
at the point of death when we got
into San Francisco. / was taken off
the vessel by the customs officers, and
Ehen they heard of the tortures to
mich the sailors had been subjected
agy put the mates and Capt Sparks
maer arrest
The men were tried and Wilson
vas condemned to five years impris-
unment, CurtiSs to three, and Sparks
VAS acquitted, but afterWard was
lost at sea. Nothing, however, could
give poor Gustaye back his sight,
and in order to support himself be
has been reduced to peddling pencils
and other small goods, which he long
did In San Francisco and for the last
lew years in New York.