The morning call., 1894-10-19

nto the wagon. the driver closes the door.
touches his horse. and ''finis" is written
against the names of all his passengers so
far as the burly-burIy is concerned.
In au hour thereafter they are on the
books and have been assigned to their
room and blue covered bed in the County
Almshouse.
Yesterday dozen of these men and
women. who had signifed ''sufficii,"
almost filled the little room. and one Of
them was Lizzie Bryan. distinguished for
her kindly face and the alert and intell-
gent eye that lit 1t up.
A short time ago this same Lizzie Bryan
owned gold watch that was given to her
by General Grant for having saved his
life; Lizzie Bryan has still three scars re-
ceived In battle for the Union; Lizzie
Bryan was spy and was accustomed to
ride from command to command through
the thickest of many fights carrying dis
| patches; Lizzie Bryan was captured and
was in Libby Prison.
Lizzie Bryan is wonder of gentleness,
charity and cheerfulness, but she carries a
dagger, her last souvenir Of the war and
which she uses as q bread-knife, and she
chews tobacco and regrets her age and her
lame leg that she cannot dance jig with
even the faulty skill in which she still
sings a ribald song. Alas, Lizzie Bryan
has fallen upon i'll times-her bed is num-
bered and is covered with the chilly check
cred blue of the pauper.
Lizzie Bryan refused the hand OF rebel
colonel offered her during the Libby
prison incident, but has since married two
men Of talent and wealth, one of them an
expert counterfeIter and gambler and the
other a gambler and drunkard, aud Lizzie
regrets them both because they were good
men and very kind to her."
Lizzie has q daughter who is song and
dance artist and "the very best daughter
| in the world"; who never allowed her
mother to want until some months ago,
when she went blind.
| Stepped in misfortune-for, added to all
that has been told she is stone deaf-sick
| and friendless, it is still something like
| listening 10 music 10 hear this old lady
talk, so entirely kindly, charitable and
| sincere is she, telling the most remark q ble
bits of her strange history with the SIM
pie matter-of-fact Of child. She never
learned to write, but her sweet, low voice
| keeps steadily in the middle of the road OF
| good English and does not offend il even
with slang.
A stranger life story is n OF often written.
She began it at Rochester, N. Y, as an
heiress with $4,000 to her credit when
she should become of age. but, left an
| orphan at 10, her twelve brothers and
sisters. too busy spending their own for.
tunes to look after her, bound her out to q
farm and she was there put to work like q
servant. With reference to these sisters
and brothers and this shabby treatment
she spoke the only resentful words in her
narrative. Il have never seen any OF
them since," she said, land l don't want
to. If of all my brothers and sisters not
one could find time to take care of such a
| little girl, then l have no love for them.
Still, 1t was a good beginning, for can
| cook, bake or brew as the result of it,"
| At IS years Of age she came Into hel
| fortune which. through the manipulation
of the attorney who had charge, proved
to be only $500. With this she went te
New York, joined some friends and left
the old drudging life behind. She was
back at Rochester shortly before the war
broke out, and at time when Dan Rice g
circus was just beginning its career of
| periodically going to pieces. and she bought
| two trick horses. Starface and Rudolph,
and when she enlisted at New York City
| to go to the front as nurse she took Star
face with her. Size only remained in th e
hospital department for a few months
| after the real bloody business of war be-
| gun, for the people who had charge Of il