The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-05-23
RANDALL SANG ON.
The Street Evaaselis. caus.s Trouble
for an Intincrant Calorsd ''DOctor"
A Battle Of the Lungs.

TIC street EFaoi slist Iluss- @IYuV
for an Intinerant Colorsd ''Doctor,"
A Battle Of the Lungs.
To the student OF human nature with
perchant for prototypes Of David
Harum," "Mr. DooIey'' and other fam
Gus fictitious parsonages culled from the
humble walks Of life, the postofice cor
ner offers rare field. and without 4
rival In this city 1t is place where
the older set are wont to congregate at
all seasons of the year, they bunting the
sunny side Of the big briiiing
In the winter and the shady
side in the warmer months.
These veterans and host Of others Of
all classes. creeds and conditions of
servItude. were the audience yesterday
afternoon that gazed on an amusing
scene, which aptly might be termed a
war of words between a street eyange-
list and a street medicine fakir.
Along about o'clock. stylish buggy
drove up sisteenth street and anchored
opposite the postofice. The occupants
were tall, colored man, wearing a
black suit Of clothes and wide-brim-
med SLOUGH hat of the same hue to cor
respond with his complexion, and his
wife. a comedy yellow-sklnned woman
The man announced himself as a doc
tor" and after singing a typical coon"
song in a good voice, he prepared to ad-
minister to the wants of u suffering
community. He had llnlment to sell.
Tabled 1.-THE White Scale, warranted to
cure deafness, rheumatism and nearly
all the Ills that the human working ma
chinery is heir to.
A few doors up the streer. on the
south side, is Bartlebaugh's mission
house, and from its entrance at the
sound Of the colored medicine mans
voice, came Edmund Randall. who be-
lieycs he is called on to rescue the pop
ulace from satan's claws, and he lost
no time in making his way to the car
rlage, singing with all the power his
strong lungs could command, and the
doctor, who had got to the stage where
he was offering his bottles for sale,
paused a few moments until the cyclone
spent its force.
But Randall, whose mental faculties
are In need of some repair, didn't push
his way through the crowd to become
spectator. He came there to preach the
gospel on metrical lines. With his eyes
fastened on his little hymn book he
changed from one selection at Its con-
cluslon to another while the crowd
looked around for an officer. Feeling
he was there for something, too, the col
ored artist. though considerably dis
comflted by the opposition, proceeded to
let his lungs out, and the battle was on.
People came from all sides, attracted
by the din and babel of sounds. AS
the colored mans voice Increased, Ran
dali let out several pegs, and they had
1t hammer and tongs, as the boxing
editor would say.
II know that Jesus loves me-" sang
Randall.
IF yo' bones aches, try IT" shouted
the husky figure in the carriage. while
his wife gazed up at his perspIrIng
countenance pItylngly.
Shut up, you old geezer" and other
similarly complimentary expressions
were fired at Randall by one of the
many small boys on the curb, and
others sought to run him down with a
small hand wagon.
Randall's voice kept on at an awful
high pitch, and try as he would the
doctor" couldn't make good" He
held one of his bottles aloft in his hand
appealing for trade, for he discovered
that his voice wasn't equal to the COM
petition. The crowd begged Randall to
desIst, but he sang all the louder.
Finally 1t was suggested to the medi-
cine dispenser to drive down to Main
street and that the crowd would follow
him. This was the only inviting way
out of the difficulty. and he picked up
his lines and drove OF. Randall follow.
ed on the sidewalk puncturing the at
mosphere with his yells with ven
geance, and 1t seemed as If he would
score another victory, but, unhapplly
for him, at this juncture big train of
Baltimore & Ohio cars pulled out of the
Hempheld yards, moseylng slowly down
Sixteenth. Randall couldn't drown out
the noise OF the engine and wheels and
he leaned against a bar on the safety
gates. The train was long in passing,
and whether from a sober second
thought or firing of the walt, he put his
little hymn book in his pocket and jour
neyed back to his quarters in Bartle-
baugh's place.
HIS retreat was signniied by the hot
pop corn man,at the corner who blew his
horn, and the colored fakIr came back
to resume his broken thread. 1t was an
incident full of amusement and intense
ly enjoyed by a large crowd.
His Life Was Saved.
Mr.. ]. E. Lilly. prominent citizen