The Portland daily press., 1896-02-29
LOVED JENNIE LIND.
Poor Boots the Hermit and the
Swedish Nightingale.
THE SAD RESULTS OE A PRACTI-
CAL JOKE.

| How Tobias Van Strenberg Was Made to
Believe Jenny Lind Wanted to Marry
Him-That Was Many Years Ago-Now
He Is Crazed and a Hermit
| Ever and anon the sad story Of some
one disappointed in love brings the tears
of compassionate pity to the eyes Of sy M
pathizing humanity, yet occasionally
there is story told that is so inexpressi-
bly, sad, yet withal so supremacy ridicu
lous that it provoSes not the sympathiz-
| ing tear, but shouts and roars of laugh
ter. 1t may tell of a life wrecked by
practical joke, yet while the jokers are
themselves exeorated for their triokery,
the victim pitied, yet, inhuman in our
greatest height of humanity, we laugh
ut the woes Of others. The story which
I tell here is of life wrecked by practi-
cal joke, the victim of which still lives,
while his tormentors have all gone to
| their last accounts.
At the time Jenny Lima, the Swedish
nightingale, was first brought to this
country by P. T. Barnum, there was a
young carpenter in Kinsgton, N. Y, by
the name Of Tobias Van Steen berg, Or
"Boots, :" as we shall call him. He was very
impressionable young man, with great
admiration for womankind. This WAS
noticed by several fun-loying young
lawyers in Kingston, among whom were
the late Judge John B. Steele and also
the late Supreme Court Judge Theodore
r. Westbrook. They were young and
thoughtless men In those days, and did not
count the cost of their practical joking,
or, perhaps, they would not havegin-
dulged in it. They lived, however, to
see the effects Of their fun, and to bitter
| ly repent Of it.
They frequented a cigar store which
was also frequented by 'Boots," and,
naturally, the conversation turned on
Jenny Lind, the lion of the day. Boots
was noticed to be very attentive when
the name of the Swedish snngbird was
mentioned, and on several occasions
spoke of her with the greatest admira-
tion. One of the young lawyers then
asked him how he would like to marry
Jenny Lind. He answered that this
would be greatly to his liking, and at
once a plot was Matched to play very
cruel, practical joke upon innocent
b oots'
A few days later he received letter,
written on delicate, perfumed note paper,
| bearing the monogramsof the great sing
or. The letter stated that she had
friends in Kingston, and that from them
che had head the praises of Tobias Van
Steenberg sounded SO much that she was
anxious to see him and make his, ac--
quaintanoe. The letter also breathed the
most tender sentiments, and told how
tired the writer was with the career
which she was following, and said that
what she wanted and longed for was a
loving husband and little cottage home
in quiet and retired vale, where love
and song should reign forever. The
missive was signed in feminine hand !:
"Jenny Lind, Revere House, New York. !"
A letter like this, of course ever came
from the great singer, but from the
young lawyers, who were working
through female conf ederate. "Boots'
at once went to one of them and showed
him the letter, and asked him to help
answer it, This was done, and in due
time another letter came asking him
to come to New York and see Miss Lind.
"Boots'' at that time owned two pretty
good houses, and, being completely con-
sumed with the idea that he was going
to marry Jenny Lind, he sold his prop
erty for song, and few nights after
he was passenger on the night boat for
New York, as he gleefully told every one,
to marry Jenny Lind.
On his arrival he went at once to Bar
NUNS Museum, where the great singer
was singing, and asked to gee her. OF
course he was refused. He then watched
} his opportunity, and, when Miss Lind
came out of the museum he tried to speak
to her. He was prevented from doing
SO by the crowd, and, as her carriage
started away, he followed after it, run.
ming at full speed in the middle Of the
street up Broadway.
A few days later at a public reception
, given by Miss Lind at the Revere House
"Boots" got in with the rest of the
callers When it came his turn to take
the great singers hand he broke out into
sobs and fell on his knees at her feet
His strange actions and his cries caused
him to be hustled away again, but not
before be declared his great love for, Miss
Lind. All efforts to get an audience with
the oantatrioe were for some. time futile,
but one day, while she was stepping into
her carriage, he stepped up to her anl
told her that he was the man she had
written to that she wanted him to ruarry
her. He was driven away the third time.
Poor "Boots" then conceived the idea
that she did not love him because he was
not musician, and he at once purchased
a hand organ. He then learned which
was her room in the Revere House, and
taking his station underneath her win
dow, he ground out the sonorous notes
from his organ for hours at time, until
he became, with his organ, such an in
| CT, hJo ,t1icaDoa that IL. xrore