Evening star., 1897-06-05
Would Play the Banjo.

would Play the Banjo.
The first precinct station patrol wagon
brought the next case. 1t was d. t. case,
possessed by a very black and very bad
looking citizen, whose peculiar mania a
potu was that the whole universe was one
vast banjo made for him to pick-the effect,
one Of the doctors said. of musical gin, -
otherwise "swipes," villainous liquor of
Washington's more evil purlieus. This suf-
ferer from alcoholism had been gathered
In at the first precinct station as a plain
drunk. When he was placed in a cell he
was visited by the hallucination that the
bars Of his cell door were the strings OF a
banjo, and he picked at them, in the fash
Ion of q man drumming a banjo, as an
accompaniment to a weird "voodoo" wall
It was this mournful music that caused the
first precinct officers to decide that the
banjoist's was a hospital case. In the
hospital reception room he converted his
battered hat into a banjo, and picked at 1t
like a man working for wages. bowling
Congo melodies the while. All the way
upstairs to the alcohol ward he continued
to thrum his hat and moan strains like
those heard on the banks of the Aruwimi
river in equatorial Africa.
Somewhat after 10 o'clock. in the middle
OF thunder storm, a carriage drove up,
and two fiashy-looking chaps. bookmakers
or race track touts by their exteriors.
helped young fellow into the reception
room. The lads countenance was an iI-
dex to his dissipauons. He was now limp
and unconscious.
THE matter?' inquired one of the doc
tors, shortly.
He was bound to go to hop joint with
us fellows" said one Of the men, "and
when he got there he was bound to hit the
pipe up to the Limit. He smoked nineteen
pills before we knew what he was doing.
and he looked SO much like O dead man
that we thought we would bring him here Z"
The doctors found that there was nothing
the matter with the lad. except that he
was In bad opium stupor, from which
they aroused him after half an hour 8
work. When he came to he looked mis-
guided boy with head" II ever one did.
You'd better drop those fellows and 90
home alone" advised one Of the doctors,
quietly.
Guess I will.' said the young fellow,
and he did.
: Toward Midnight.
A young boy who had attempted to board
q grip car while the car was going at full
speed was next brought in in the ambu-
lance. He had been miraculously saved
from being run over. but nevertheless his
case was as serious as concussion of the
brain could make 1t. The doctors were
working over the boy, when his father, an
excitable man. with hair all on end ar
rived. He was SO boisterous in his vows
Of vengeance against the cable car COM
psny, and was succeeding SO admirably in
awakening all the hospital patients. in
cluding the two musical d. t. men In the
alcoholic ward. that he had to lie led out,
with the assurance that his boys life was
In no danger.
There was a lull until close on to MD
night. when the telephone bell went OF
again. When the ambulance. after ricling
up the wagon doctor, reappeared In fifteen
minutes or SO II held no patient.
"A young colored woman's baby, exs
plained the wagon doctor, rolled down
stairs from the top to the bottom. without
getting more than . bump or two On one