The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-13
LODGERS in THE B0WEAY.
SOME Es OF MISEoRTUNES AND
OF SUCCESS, TOO.

nte Army nnd an unventor-Mcn who Mako
Raoney-A Civil Ennincer's LiTe-A bsvo story
That Ended in the nowerS--A Politician.
ut Is as great a mistake to assume that a
man is q tramp just because he may not have
the price to pay for n small room for a week in
advance. and consequently has to 20 to a one
night Bowcry lodging mouse, as 1t is to think
that MI the proprietors of these houses are OK
convlcts or crooks. And 1 am glad that Mr..
Mills has testified for us by putting UP and con-
Quoting his Mills Hotel No. l on Blocker
street," said the man who claims to bo the pio-
nccr OF the one-niRht lodging house business.
"And,' no continued, Two have done moro to
give the poor man hope and courage, moro TO
prevent crime, than oil the charitable institu-
tions put together.
suppose, for instance, q young man gets SO
or 81 n week. For his room and board he pays
$5. He must dress fairly well or he can't keep
his job. He can't save much, but he h as put by
a little. Hard times como along and he gets
out of employment. His landlndy is patient
with him for u time. but one of these nights he
comes homo to find his room door locked, his
scanty belongings held tor his board bill. And.
by the way, that law that makes hotel pro-
prietors and clearinghouse keepers preferred
creditors is unjust and ought to be wiped OFF the
statute-books. Why should q clearinghouse
keeper have II greater right to lock up The wear.
ing uppdTcl III pcTSOHal CUcClb W hCE BucSIs
han hcr groccryman or butcher has to seize her
Sunday bennett
You may fill a man full of coffee and hot
rolls. but if he has carried the banner all night
and feels tho need OF a bath and a shave he will
have but weGk-knecd courage to tramp around
the next day and look for work-he knows that
his very appearance is against him. What is
carrying tho banncrl Well. I will tell you.
When the midnight missions and other places
In which n young man could sit for q few hours
are all closed, and he hasn't the price of u lodg-
ing. there Is nothing for him to do but go out
on the street. Io may not stop and lean zip
against q lamp post or sit on o door step. He
must move on or the police will haul him in.
That wearisome tramping up and down on the
cold streets all nigh, is carrying the banner.
There is plenty of material in these places
for some American Dickens to immortalizc him
self with. The murderer in hiding comes here;
the forlorn, discouraged gentleman crawls in
hero to do his suicide act. There arc writers,
inventors, promoters, noblemon. You would
like the history of a few of them1 Well, let me
see IL I can recall some Of the most interesting.
You will have to take them just as they come TO
my mind, without regard to their relative i'm
portanCe.
'One of our guests-was an ex-General In the
Confederate Army. This man had an option on
l,0oO,o 600 acres of land In Tennessee. He had a
daughter in thu upper part of the city whose
husband was comfortably well fixed. But the
old General had tho morphine habit and was
otherwise somewhat cranky and hard to get
along with. He was born to command rather
than to obey, so he enjoyed his freedom and in
dependence here. After many dishcartcning
failures he lloated his Tennessee land scheme.
realizing close on to half u million dollars by it.
Whether success made him reckless or whether
the long strain was followed by a reaction that
he was too old and broken to rally from. ! do
not know. But he logged himself out as be-
comes a man of social standing, went up TO his
daughters home for dinner, went to bed there,
and in the morning they found him dead In his
bed. The verdict was an overdose OF NOR
phine. He LEFT his only child wealthy, and one
of the most ilourishing cities in Tennessee is
built with the capital the poor ex-Confcdcrate
General raised. The land was rich with coal
and timber and all who invested realized hand
somely. lie lost a leg fighting for the Southern
cause; from the pain of this and other wounds
he contracted the morphine habit. but he was
upright. honest: had n true and loyal heart.
There arc politicians among us, too. now
call to mind Jake the Horticulturist. Jake is
honest. industrious, faithful. frugal; gets good
wages. saves the greater part OF all he earns.
owAs two tenement houses and is a sort OF quiet
but recognized power in iiowcry politics. |
fancy that he owes his tencmcnt houses rather
q his ability to line the Bowcry boys up around
about election times than to his wages as u
florist. although he saves tho greater part of
his earnings. Jake has lived here for a number
OF years and hero he will live until his dovout
Catholic soul receives the last rites of his
Church and his friends sofrowfuly place his
remains in consccratod ground.
Another drOli character that lived with us
until success came. and. alas! also until death
claimed nm, was II man who was trying TO
form u company to go INTO the manufacture OF
white lead by a new process that could he COM
pletcd in thirly days. ly the old way four
sumptive cough when he first came here. Big
enterprises arc dlscouraging things TO handle.
Many u night the promoter who Is without CAPT.
tai goes suppcriess TO bed. And in Tins place
might as well say that among all classes, rrOm
the newsbOys that pitch pennies on the pave
ments to the bankers who 20 to the aid ofGov-
ernments, there are luJncy lenders, usurers.
Our clerk here, SO we have found out. docs a
madc his nights lodging and his scanty meals
by serving suhpunas for lawyers. But there
up these stairs without the price OF bed or sup
per. This is IA cash business, but. we don't turn.
or three days in which to turn himself. The
old white lead promoter uLcd 10 Say. Tom.
lend me half a dollar and when / serve a sum
mons ! will give you rs cents, Tom would
lend him the money and promptly collect his
~ ,na1 1f aa inTeTes Merc I bscS e0TGe tntsEes WoGs IL p 9ht
This mans thirty days system Is now used
There is n carpenter who stops here. He is a
SIX illed mechanic, ana when he works he can
earn ~ "a day. Bill has no love for hard work.
and the money he earns in, this way no forces
To 30 just as tr as 1t possibly can. lilo works
ono week and loafs four. During the times
when he is aCring the part of u gen lcman OF
leisure he goes around to some court waero an
interesting case Is on and listens TO the pro-
Ceedings. ] think he has many n time gone
half Starved in order to hear the end of an in
t~erestinR trial.
"Wo have another man WHO is n civil en-
gineer and runs an elevator in a mighty swell,
tony place. Ills wages are Sl2 a week. Every
Saturday night he paws the clerk $3.50 "a week
In advance Tor his ROOM and gives HIM nnothe.
~ to 10 put in the safe for him. He is Off
duty from Saturday night until Monday morn
ing, II he needs shoes or clothes of any kind,
he buys them. but with the balance of his
week $ wages he goes on II drunk, lie stays just
ms full of drink from Saturday night until Mon
day morning as his skin Will hold. Early Mon
day morning he is called. gets up, takes a bath.
and goes back 10 his work. bat 10 cut tho same
caper again tho next week.
speaking OF calling a man, let me tell you tho
nice quiet way it Is done here. You will OBJ
serve that these partitions only. run up about
plDls feet. That. of ruurge. is for ihn gnk. nf