The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-08-26
LIVED ON REFUSE.
Man With $4,000 Ate From
San FranciscO's SWill
Barrels.

San Francisco, Aug. 26.-Peter Gun
ningham, an old miser, was convicted
of vagrancy by Judge Conlan yester-
day, although he has $51, $50 on deposit
in six banks and is the owner of real
estate in the city and a ranch in the
country. He was arrested last Tuesday
night on Bush and Sansome streets by
Policeman Tom Langford, who COM
mitted suicide the following night, and
Special officer Rowland. Several Off
GERS testified in court yesterday that
Cunningham was in the nightly habit
of visiting swiu barrels in the rear of
hotels, bakeries and saloons and pick
ing out pieces of meat and bread which
he took to his home at S16 Davis street.
When arrested several scraps were
found in his pockets. He and an old
beggar had been seen to run a race to
get first to a swill barrel. Special Off
Ger Rowland said that on one occasion
he had given his dog juicy leg of NUT
ton to eat and Cunningham had taken
it from the dog. He was also in the
habit of going along the streets in the
daytime and picking up odd things.
Cunningham, in his own defense, de-
MED that he purloined stuff from swill
barrels, but he appeared to know some
thing abot whether they were boxes or
barrels, and that some of them were
locked. He produced six bank books,
showing that he had, as he said, about
very frequently took some meat and
bread that a Chinese employed in a
saloon on Front and California streets
used to leave at the foot of the palm
tree in front of the saloon for news
boys.
Judge ConIan said it was one of the
worst cases that had come before him.
If a poor man had taken meat and
bread out of swill barrels, there would
be some excuse for him but there was
no excuse for the defendant, who, al
though a wealthy man, was, in his
opinion, IAN inveterate bum" 1t was
not necessary that a man should be a
drunkard or an associate Of known
thieves to be a vagrant, and he had no
hesitation in saying that the acts of
the defendant constituted him, in the
eyes of the law, a Vagrant. He would
convict him Of the charge and order
him into custody to appear for sentence
tomorrow morning.
Cunningham was up on similar
change before the late Judge Campbell
in February last, and the case was dis
missed. He was therefore considerably
taken aback by the judgment of Judge
Conlan, and instructed his attorney to
appeal the case. He had given his at
torney, Z. s. Comyns, his bank books,
but later insisted upon their being
given into the custody of the police.
Il am not a Vagrant,'' said Cunning
ham when seen in the city prison, land
this is a job on the part of the police.
1 have lived here since 1856, and should
be allowed to live my own way. I do
not need to work, as I have plenty of
money, which honestly earned. I was
born in the west of Ireland and am a
jeweler by trade. I worked for Tiffany
in New York before coming here, and
worked for some of the leading jewelers.
in this city. I specialized in stocks and
was successful, and then I gave up
work. I have an elder brother living
with me and have relatives in the coun-
try. I suppose they call me an old
miser. but that is none Of their bust
ness