The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1902-02-06
MART FOR BRAINY MEN.
NEW YORK A MECCA OF HOPE FOR
THE UNFORTUNATE.

Eut Their Bright Days Have Complete
ly Disappeared, Temporarily ut Least,
and They're Waiting and Watching for
Other Smiles from Home and Fortune.
Human nature is frankcr and
honesler in a low-price hotel in New
York than any place else in the lne-
t:cpoiis. Even the pretences and sub
tcTfuges illuminate temporamental di!-
tarences.
The well-coIducted cheap hotel is
the refuge of those who have fallen,
not those who rise from the gutter.
Those who make their homes in lodg-
inG houses are oftener than not men
OF considerable education, who nave
known better days. They are human
Gerelicts drifting about the Saragossa
sea Of misfortune.
In one hotel in this city there are
about 1900 persons cared for every
night in the year. The rooms are
scrupulously clean, the beds comfort
able and the rates are no higher than
are charged in second-rate lodging
houses. But the guests are of d.
:idedly higher order. An air of ra>
ment pervaies the place. In that re-
srect the hotel is in every way ti2
equal of the more pretentious hostel
ries. 1t is those qualities that make it
the temporary home of men who have
not altogether given up hope or eXpe::-
tation of better days. AS a rule, thcF
are not communicative. but once IN
while one of them will become reminl'-
cent after you have gained his con-
fGence.
If you speak of Africa, Asia, South
America or any other part of the earth
you are almost certain to find in the
group of listeners at least one who has
been exactly in the place mentioned,
and it's ten chances to one that If you
ask him how he came to be here you
will get the ste-eotyped answer that he
made failure where he was and came
to New York to retrieve his fallen soT-
tunes.
In group of five men in the reading
room one night last week one Of them
commented on the Bocr war and soma
Of his listeners applauded his crlt!-
cisms on the conduct OF the Britich
side of the contest. One man remained
silent He carries scars made by three
Boer bullets at Spion Kop, and nat
urally concluded his views would not
strike popular chord. The hardships
of war were discussed until a man mad
opportunity to tell Of his eXperien' S
while acting as a timekeeper while the
work on the Panama canal was III
progress.
another man told of horrid torturcs
endured for 16 days in an open boat.
after the ship in which he had been a
passenger had been burned at sea.
A fourth had been in business in one
of the South American republics. The
usual revolution came according to the
standing schedule arranged for these
affairs down there The American was
accused of symDathizing with the revc-
lutionists. his property was conGs-
Gated and he was cast into prison.
After a delay of several months he
was released upon demands made by
the United States government. But he
never recovered any of his properly.
He returned to this country and is nov
one of the vast army Of "has beens'
to whom New York is the Mecca cf
hope.
The fifth man was one Of the six
survivors Of an exploring expedition
whose late, if not it's achievements.
has become historical 1t is still a
mooted question whether the members
of the expedition were forced to resort
to cannibalism. The narrator was
silent on that point, but his hearers
inferred that the charges that nave
been made were not altogether ground
less.
A short distance from this group sat
another man with history, but those
around him knew nothing about it. He
lounges around the hotel day after
day and week after week, hardly ever
going out Of doors. He is large,
man, always we'll groom ID
and always reserved. ne talks wl:h
none of the other guests, and so makes
no confidants.
&c h1yo nf ,hN
sumo to know what they are talking
about that he was, not many years ago,
one of the best-knoWn and most dan.
gerous bank robbers in this country
the brains Of a most notorious gang
whose members, excepting himself. are
dead or in prison. The story is mat lis
inactivity is purchased by syndicate
OF banks VINO prefer to pay him SUBJ
stantial yearly income ror life to keep
him from collecting a much larger one
himself
1t is said he goes to certain bank
every Monday, receives his salary"
and returns to lne hotel. He is con-
tent to accept his annuity and rest in
peace, after a most strenuous life.
Another of the guests of this hotel,
which is no different from other hotels
OF cheaper grade, except that it is very
large, is man whose whole makeup
bears the unmistakable stamp Of edu-
cation and refinement. He seems out CT
place, and he is. He has been at the
hotel several years now, but he could
count up his acquaintance on the
fingers of one hand In appearance he
is tall, straight and exceedingly digni-
fed. He is very careful of his personal