The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1903-01-02
He WAS DICKENS ESCORT,
.Milwaukeean Who Knew Famous
W.. Novelist.
IN LONDON WITH BOZ.
"A. Low1nan Was Then Member of the
Police Force of the English
Metropolis.

II do not want to talk of it, and have
,refralned for years from doing so. 1t
Is matter that is in the past, and what
have said upon the subject, years ago,
was misconstrued and I was misrepre-
scented. Now, at my age, and when
am nearing the close Of my life, and am
not we'll, it-would excite me too greatly
to enter into a lengthy conversation as
to- the incidents now so long past, and
with me, something in the far past.
simply cannot engage in conversation
upon the subject; you will have to excuse
me. Perhaps some time, when I am in
better health, l will write out for you
some Of my recollections of the man and
his movements in London as | recall
them.'
His Reticence Not Appreciated.
At various times the appointed police
escort OF Charles Dickens, about the
Sums, in the dives and haunts of the
criminal and degraded classes OF London:
an observer of the great novelist's move
ments and characteristics: one who
walked and talked with him on these
character studying; nighttime pilgrim
ages, and now, at this day, positively de-
Ginning to enter into a conversation re-
.garding his personal observations and
opinions OF one of England's foremost
novelist Of the Nineteenth century! 1t
was something the reporter could not ap
preciate.
Armed with letter of introduction,
Milwaukee newspaper reporter called
upon A. Lowman, at his home, 2GO Nine
teenth street, with request that he tell
something OF his personal observations Of
Dickens and the foregoing was the open
ing Of the interview. It should be stated,
! however, in Mr.. Lowman's behalf, that
he is in poor health at this time. and
also that twice in the past thirty years
he has been done up, as he puts it, by:
newspaper. writer's who made sensa-
nents until, like Gen. Bragg, the former
London policeman. became chary of all
newspaper people, and for many years he
has maintained absolute silence upon the
one great theme they have in vain sought
to draw him out-his personal recollec-
tons Of Charles Dickens. '''
- Known t" Many Milwaukeeans.
- Prominent citizens. in Milwaukee who
have Known this rather unique character
for years, are aware that for many years
= he"was a member Of the police depart
ment of::Londor; that his work was for
O.. Years in ':the haunts Of the wretehed
. CA2oSCSH:S1!} I1lftC SlCNL C4tC, tAdl Ill
this: capaeity,:it fell 10: his lot to escort
through: the lower strata. Of London,
Charles Dickens, gentleman, writer
aid Student of human character" and
that the policeman often accompanied
him." Dis "a guide, escort and protection,
upon his well-known trips through the
worst parts Of the city in order to bet-
acter which he has brought out with
such vividness in bis more than .14OO
:: cha racters as found in his works.
= The reporter found a pleasant-faced
patriarchal appearing. man, who per
haps,. as it occurred to- the reporter dur
panied the great writer into the dark
and loathsome haunts while the master
studied such desperate character, in real
life as his repulsive Bill Skies, in all
his hideous brutality; saw, with Dickens,
such men as Carker, in his villainy
.Fagin, the wretched tutor of young
sneak thieves, or went with the novelist
existence, where he may have found the
counterpart of Little 10, who was "allus
tole to move on" and Stephen Black
pool, Whose dying face was turned to
the star that has shined upon me in my
pain and trouble down below" saw,
Perhaps Pnnh the ha feke simplicity Of Tom
and Little Nell, or the child-like in
nocence Of Dora, Copperfelds child
wife; and then, perhaps, into the higher
strata, where Dickens found the counter
parts of the hypocrtical Pecksniff, Chad
band and Stiggins. or along the docks to
meet the homely Captain Cutie, with his
where existed the characters in real life
of the generous Cheeryble brothers, and
down again to the Debtors prison to
depict the terror, in England Of debtors
bounded by creditors, as we see in
Macawber and Mr.. Dorrit, and yet, this
former policeman-escort of the great
hunter for life-like characters, preferring
not to he interviewed upon such an ex-
perience!
A Little Information.
The reporter insisted that he would
have considered it one Of the greatest
honors of his life to have even had the
opportunity to walk or talk with
Dickens in actual life, but Former Po-
liceman Lowman only partly came out
II cannot talk of that past without
becoming too greatly excited. Yes, yes,
of course, I saw Dickens as he was In
London, in his tours of character-study
They are days and scenes long since past
and I do not like to dwell in the past.
You see, don't you, that | am nearing
the end, and what you will have some
day to write ere long, is a few lines to
the effect that "A. Lowman has passed
away and then you will announce his
funeral and that will be all. Besides to
talk Of Mr.. Dickens as / saw him would
only result in sending lot of curiosity
hunters here to bother me when l am
not we'll enough to entertain them with
"reminiscences"
And then Mr.. Lowman closed that
part of the subject like steel trap and
talked weather and other ordinary every.
day, mundane subjects.
Gradually, but laboriously, the reporte,
got him around again to the main point
and he said, in reply to questions:
IF l told you all l would wear myself
out. and You, too, and 1 am not strong
enough for the excitement of a recital;
yes, Mr.. Dickens was writer of short
lrand in his earlier years, and presume
wrote for the papers and probably re-
ported speeches i'll Parliament, but OF
that I am not more familiar than you
are. But he did not have to work at
that. He did better on his stories," and
again the speaker tried to turn the sui
ject. 4 ~
"Were his strongest characters taken