Evening star., 1898-12-31
FROM MIDNIGHT TO DAWN

fTetly mucn all L KNOW ABOUT w dSillilS-
tons streets and by-ways I've learned
around the hour when graveyards are sup
posed to yawn." said a midde-aged man
who has been a sufferer from insomnia for
many years. II came to Washington three
years ago, and ever since then I've been
walking the streets and roads of the town,
often from midnight until dawn, for four
or five nights week, winter and summer,
storm or clear. You see, 1 can't sleep.
Sometimes 1 get in as much as ten hours
sleep a week, but l do not have many such
good weeks as this. There has been one
dreary example of the perniciousness of
narcotics in my family, and so have never
resorted to the artificial slumber producers,
and never shall. So take it out in walk
ing. There is no part of Washington from
the river to Chevy Chase from the rail-
road bridge across the Eastern branch to
Georgetown Heights through which /
haven't plodded my weary way since l
started my nocturnal pedestrianism to keep
of the out-of-the-way sections that / have
visited at night they look under the
light of the sun, for | have to work for a
living during the hours of the day, like my
nelghbors. Places look very different at
night-under the idealizing radiance of the
moon, say-from the way they look at high
noon, so that in general | suppose I've got
a very much idealiZed impression of the
ington is very beautiful city any way
you look at 1t, or under any light: and after
man has experienced a few times as |
DO very often, almost the rapture of stand
ing from dawn to sunrise on the west ter
race of the Capitol and of seeing the grad
ual illumination of the Virginia hills and
the emergence from shadow of all the
splendid buildings lying below-well, he'd
maybe find in this almost a COMPENSATION
Tor the miseries of insomnia
But l started in to say something about
a lew little experiences I've had since l
became night walker here. In the first
place, L know that this town and its sub
urbs are admirably policed at night. I
know most of the policemen now foot and
mounted, and they know me, and we get
along first rate and have many very friend
talks together; but at first they were
after me at every turn. None of them ever
arrested me as suspicious character, al
though a number of them have told me
since that they were on the point of doing
so when they first cut my trail 1t used to
startle me good deal, when I'd be prowl-
ing along some dark street at . or 3 o'clock
IN the morning, when one of the big uni
formed fellows 'ud step suddenly from be-
tIlnu tmnl lree pox and bring me to with
hey, there. | used always to reply Good
morning. Then the policeman would walk
aionsSlde OF me for distance, after re-
plying Good morning in a not very cordial
tone ana size me up a good deal
Lodge? the policeman would saw in an
lnquirlng tone to me, and 1 would reply.
nope; Just strolling around Then the
orncer would look at me pretty hard again
out of the tail of his eye
queer hour for StroIling eh?' he would
say eA' iie "ou'0
" Yes, bit queer I'd answer him. and
then I'd tell him that l was generally a bit
sny on sleep. and knew no better way out
OF 1t than walking. After ACCOMMODATING
me for some dstance-and often. at such
times. l didn't know whether | was under
arrest Or not-the policeman would give me
q maj sizing up. say 'S'long, gruffly, and
quit me. A lot of 'em have since told me
that they followed me after thus leaving
me. But know en- all now, as / saw and
they seem TO be rather glad when I turn
up on their beats. especially the mounted
policeman out in the suburbs whose hours
cf duty are very lonesome.
We been unsuccessfully held up twice
both times by white men. | was out on
Florida avenue Just about a year ago at
or = clock in the morning, when a rough
looking chap crossed over from the other
side of the street ahead of me and stopped
in front of me. l stopped, too, about ten
feet away from him.
. Got much on you, pard?' he asked me-
Yep. | told him, among other things
very accurate forty-eight bulldog in my
right hand overcoat pocket which the
same has got what I think is tip-top
bead right on the middle of your chest. But
ii seeing is believing with you. why here
she is, and | pulled the gun QUE and show
ed it to him without pointing it at him.
" Looks like it's going to clear up. don't
it? he said, and he crossed the street and
walked on.
the other fellow that held me up. or
tried TO. l met in Lincoln Park over in
East Washington, a couple of summers
ago. He stepped out from behind a tree
1t was almost dawn-with couple of half
bricks in his hands
- Cough up all you got he said, without
wasting any Tina in asking me questions
or III bust your head wide OPEN He had
one OF the bricks raised to throw it at me,
too. had the gun convenient, in the
right-hand pocket of my serge coat and
so | placed a ball few inches in front Of
his feet. He wheeled and ran. dropping
the bricks, and he certainly made time
An officer | had met came up on a run a
couple of minutes later.
- is it all right about the gum he asked
me. and when | showed him my permit to
pack pistol it was all right.
''On several occasions professional night
prOwlers, obviously out for business. have,
not unnaturally, taken me for one of their
own iik and tried to scrape me into talk
not successfully, yet. though, any of EN-
Also "A good many black men and brothers
have taken me for night doctor, judging
from their mutterings, and fled from me in
alright. But L wish l could sleep, all the
CO.,