The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-23

going no person knoEs. Perhaps buried
beneath his intersy silence is great
weight Of sorrow during, the long. long
years of his past lie. His features be-
token him to be a man of intelligence;
one Who has seen far ibetger days In the
eYcntidc he stands at his cell window
and gazes earnestly at the setting sun.
Perhaps he is silently praying for the
sunset of his exlstence, when the shad-
ows of his earthly span Will deepen into
the night OF death. only to be succeeded
by the bright sunrise or eternity.
Last Sunday music awakened the Mys-
t5rious Old Man from his mute reyeries.
He was on the basement floor when food
Of melody from organ and voices reached
his hearing. The Christian workers on the
floor above were singing, Nearer My Cod
TO Thee" For the first time since his
incarceration his bedimmed eyes became
bright. He listened to the singing for
a few moments and smiled. The song
brought back to his feeble mind some hap
/ piness of the past and a hope for the fu-
, turo. Nearer My God to Thee" The
old man was getting nearer, nearer. He
| turned about and painfully clambered up
! the iron stairway to the floor from where
the music came. Then he sank into
chair and during the remainder OF the
service was lost in reyerie. This desolate,
! silent old man is the most pathetic pic
ture in the ever changing panorama Of
humanity at the Washington Workhouse.
! Heretofore men OF the road have been
| termed "hoboes." They have themselves
| shortened the word to one syllable. In
stead of hobo they now refer to man
OF their kind as a DO The youngest
white "bo" in the workhouse is boy of
sixteen whose face wears an expression
as blank as the face of pumpkin. This
precocious lad has toured fifteen States
and was On his way South when he was
arrested in company with a German emf
grant in box car at Benning. The Ger
man desired to visit Washington and con-
FER with the Herr Won Holleben, the Am
bassador from his country. He was una
bic to speak single word of English nor
could the boy tramp speak a syllable in
German. While travelling in the freight
car. however, they struck up a mute ac-
quaintaneeship and became companions.
When the two were arrested the boy tried
TO explain to the policeman, but his ex-
PLANTATION and entreaties were in vain.
Later, when they were arraigned in the
Police Court on the charge of vagraney,
the German gazed wonderingly about him
and no doubt wondered what crime had
been charged against him. He stood ST
lent and as upright as a soldier while
Clerk Harper read the lengthy vagrapcv
charge to him. The German would haze
understood 1t as well had it been read
TO him in Choctaw.
Are you guilty or not guilty." sang
out Clerk Harper
Guilty" replied the boy.
What does the man say to the charger
queried his honor.
Oh, he's guilty, too" rejoined the
youthful roadster. and the two were re-
manded to their cells to await Transports
uon to the worknouse in the van.
The face Of the man wore a puzzled.
panied expression. What is 1t all about?
he wondered He had committed no
crime and had only stolen a ride 10
Washington, because he was without
money, TO see the German Ambassador on |
important business. Sill. he was thrust /
into prison on charges read to him In an
unknown language. When, he arrived at /
the workhouse the emigrant found !
German American, and to him he related |
his woes in the mother tongue. The result |
was letter to Count Won Holleben, which |
resulted in his release from custody |
within forty-eight hours When he |
learned that the boy had pleaded guilty |
for him in the Police Court anger asserted |
itself. and 1t was necessary to restrain |
him or he would have given the youthful /
DO a severe trouncing.
Among those who have done "a trick !
on the farm was former Western judge, |
who boosted that in his time he had p:o-
nounced the death sentence on thirty-four |
men charged with murder, horse steal ng,
and similar crimes. The. Judge was kept
busy giving legal advice to his fellow
prisoners in stripes. He was sent down
under the yagrancy act, the court having
declared him to be an habitual drunkard.
When the judge first came to Washington
seeking n appointment in the consular
service, le had considerable pile of
money. He stopped at a first-class hotel,
drank the finest brands of whisky and
wine, smoked good cigars, and paid out a
sum for carriage hire. He
failed TO receive the appointment. His
money dwindled away until at last he was
penniless- Finally the police discovered
that be begged for drinks drank until he
was intoxicated, and would then stagger
into one of the parks ard stretch himself
on the grass for nights sleep. 1t was
while engaged in one of these drunken
slumbers that the Judge was arrested.
The latest preacher to array himself in
the striped raiment of the workhouse was
/ one-legged eolored divine, who came
rom Culpeper County Virginia. to evan
ielize the colored contingent of Washing
on. His fondness for black and WHITE
IS a decoction of gin and blackberry vine
n called, proved his undoing. He be- .
anne very drunk in one of the city alleys
md was arrested while engaged in per-
orming sort of one-legged hornpipe.
A lawyer. at one time a bright legal ,
light here, was a frequent hahitue of the J
grey building on Calamity Avenue. 1t is !
aid that while he was serving a term for
'agrancy he made careful study OF the
law and was instrumental in
determining the right of prisoner ,
harged under that law to demand a trial /
~ jury. 5
These are only few of the many typ-s 1
Il unfortunate, callous humanity in the 5
harrel house of character and Hope !
,nown as the District Workhuuse The :
ypes are almost as numerous as leaves {
II the trees, and an interesting object
essen they furnish the student of human
allure who desires to delve into the p
nder STRATA. \