The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-21
4 STRANGE PRISON SCENE
Pour Out the Rhine Wine Sung
by a Child.
His Drunken Mother Stops the Perform
anee and Asks The Lad to Join in
Nearer, NY God, to Thee.

"Delilah Watts, age 3S, drunk, was the
brief entry on the register at the Southern
Police Station yesterday. The prisoner
had created disturbance at her home on
Natoma street, near Third, and the three
men who were drinking with her sent for
the police. Half an hour after her arrest
they began quarreling among themselves,
and in consequence the police had again to
interfere. William Daley, Jack Dunn and
William Watkins composed the trio, and
they were arrested and placed in cells OPP
posite to Mrs. Watts. When the men be-
gan abusing the woman she was placed in
the dark cell and there sank into drunken
sleep.
In the meantime Mrs. Watts little son
had been left to take care of himself. He
played around the house for a time, but
finally began to cry for his mother. He
also was taken to the station and the OIL
GERS made him happy. They bought him
10 cents worth of crackers and nickePs
worth of candy, so in consequence he con-
sidered the station the best place he had
been in for long time.
He is a loyal little fellow. He readily
admitted that "Brick" Daley and Jack
Dunn drank beer, but insisted again and
again that his mother never took anything
stronger than coffee.
''She is the best mother in the world, y
said he, sand III hit you if you say any
thing against her."
The boys name is Willie and he is about
years old. He was well dressed, but had
only one shoe on his right foot. The other
one was bare and Willie curled it up under
him in order to keep warm. "sBrick'
Daley threw the other one out of the win
dow" was the reason he gave for having no
covering for his left foot.
While the police were deciding what to
do with the lad one of the DRINKS burst
into song. In maudlin voice he sang:
Daisy Daisy, give me your answer true,
Pm hall crazy, all for the love of you.
CHATS Brick Daley" remarked Willie;
''he's full of beer, because he always sings
that song when he's little off. !"
Can you sing, Willie?" asked one of the
police officers, and the answer came at
once: "You bet can" He was placed on
a bench and in shrill treble sang:
Pour out the Rhine wine, let it flow
In free and flowing measure,
Till sadness sinks and every woe
Lies drowned beneath its waves forever,
For there's naught can cheer the heart that's
drear like deep, deep draught
OF the good Rhine wine.
The boy had not completed his song, be-
fore his mother began to call him. The
coughed, "Don't sing that drunken song,
Willie, sing a hymn" and then, perhaps,
for the first time in the history of the
Southern Police Station, was heard the
sublime words, NEARER, My God, to Thee, u
sung by a drunken woman and an limo
cent four-year-old child.
Willie is we'll dressed and will be sent to
one of the Protestant institutions. His
father, when he died, left so much to the
widow, and the remainder was invested for
the maintenance of the child. The mother
soon ran through her money, and latterly
has been living upon the revenue derived
from her little sons estate. The other
drunks have made their headquarters at
her room, and Willie was alternately their
pet and their butt.