The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-21
POLICY, HELLT WALLS PARROT
GRANDPA horst IN THE TOMBSj
BIRD WAS STARVING.
Held on Charge OF Having slips m fua
PossesdOn-Said 20 Have Lost $1,000
and More &C the Game-WIfe wandered
From Their Wretched Home and Died.

and More NN inc 0AfiN-Vllo ~
From Their Wretched Home and Died.
The Borst home was at SIS Monroe street,
but it's broken up. Grandma Borst, aged
90, wandered away on a bitter night some
two months ago She was taken TO Belle
vue Hospital and transferred 70 the Black
wells Island almshouse, and she died there.
Grandpa Borst Is locked up In the Tombs
awaiting trial for having policy slips In
his possession.
GRANDPA Borst was arrested last Tuesday
afternoon, and that left nobody In the
home but Polly Borst, age uncertain. Polly
Borst Is a big green parrot with splash
Of brilliant red on her topknot. She has
interesting conversational powers.
The Bergh society has now got Polly.
Officer Gay, with the aid Of much diplomacy
and a skeleton key, entered last evening
the little junk Uttered den which for two
years has been the Borst home and rescued
Polly-the last Of the family that was left
on the premises.
It was not whisky this time that wrecked
the family. 1t was policy, plain policy.
Old Asaph Bors, cabinetmaker, furniture
tinker, Junk collector, was policy hend. He
broke down and told the story-that Il. part
Of t-when lie was arraigned before Mag
istrate Steinert In the Essex Market police
court yesterday morning. just how many
hundred or thousand doll ~ he has fed into
the policy hopper Is uncertain He fed
in Ii he had and all he could raise by pawn
ing his own and his wife's clothing and
trinkets. He said himself that when he
came here from up In Massachusetts,
few years ago he had 5000 and that the
SO 600 and a lot more with It ad gone into
the tottoml a. pit Of pyhcy. His pockets
when he was arrested and searched re-
vealed t rec policy tickets and something
like three dozen pawnbrokers' checks.
These assets pretty well told the story
Of his own doings, but Il did not tell the
story OF the VIZ tched life OF the old couple
In cir dingy back rooms up on the NTH
floor Of the Monroe street tenement house.
The neighbors told that story to all who
went TO make inquiries yesterday. There
was not a word OF sympathy for Grand
pop Borst. The neighbors didn't call him
-Grandpop' by way OF friendly nickname
either. They called him 'GrandPop' be-
cause OF the parrot. All day yesterday
and all day Wednesday the parrot, locked
up in the little den used for Kitchen
was calling out 'Grandpopi GTandpopl'
marred occasionally by Grandma Borsu
Grandma Borstl' The neighbor knew
the bird had neither food nor water But
the door was looked. The ianitor had no
pass key. Nobody would venture 10 break
In. 80 Polly kept on calling @Grandpop'
and Grandma and giving emphatic and
frequent utterance to the sentiment that
Polly wanted q cracker. Nobody doubted
the truth OF the statement. Polly wanted
a peck OF crackers, and wanted water, and
wanted about everything parrot could
want
Al last the Society for the Prevention Of
Cruelty 70 Animals was notified, and at
o'clock last evening Gay called In full uni
form TO make Polly visit. The population
OF the tenement followed him up the narrow
winding stone stairs 70 the fifth floor and
down the hall to the door at the rear. Tho
janitor had no key. He wouldn't break in
he door-not he. The law did not au-
tborize Ofioer Gay TO break II in. There
was a confab in the hall. Meantime Polly
from within was taking keen interest IN
the proceedings.
Hello grandpoP, gandpop; sTandpopr
came the shrill voice from behind the door.
Where's Mrs. Borst, Grandma Borst,
Grandma Borsti Polly wants a cracker-erl'
"I'm going 20 have that bird somehow,
said Gay. Get me some keys.
The keys were produced-some skeleton
KEYS which came from bOIueMueIot Nay
didn't stop TO ask where. In jihy the door
was open and the gas lighted. Up on
tall box OF some sort that stood IN corner
and in an enormous cage was Polly. IL
was a case OF cold famine in Polly's cage.
Not a scrap, 70 eat and only little nlthy
water In a battered little cup.
Hello, Grandpopl He'll, Grandpopl He'll
He'll He'll Play policy Play policyl Grand
ma Borsti Grandma Bo-o-orst!' was Polly's
rapturous greeting.
Then she skinned the cat eight times
In rapid succession and gave emphatic
expression 70 the cracker sentiment over
and over again.
She got the cTacker-got several crackers
and cookies and pieces Of apple from the
sympathetic neighbors. Then she held
reception down in the janitor's rooms while
her cage was being wired so that It would
hold together when Gay took II across town
to the Bergh society headquarters on
Madison Square. While the unkerng was
going on Polly skinned the cat, took several
drinks, nibbled impartially at the assorted
comn1issary stores and called Gay grand
pop in the heartiest and most candid way
possible. Policy got into the converse
sPlAy poNcy Play policy Hello He'll
He'll, Helll' was about the burden Of Il.
he got the policy y ,Glrd from poor cid
POLICY broke her heart, poor old soul
Borst spent all his money on policy and
grandma had a miserable life, Look at
that room And she was such q nice old
woman, too, and she wanted a home. She
hardly had place 10 sleep
The Borst home was about az much .
home as a junlIman's cellar. Il was so
crowded with broken furniture, worthless
old odds and ends litter and rubbish Of all
sorts that there was barely room 10 turn
around. The neighbors said that the old
woman, who was weak and feeble, had
slept on an ironing board stretched from
the stove 10 the table the greater part OF
the time. The tradition Of the house was
that she had been used to good surround
ings when her first husband was alive.
Her trouble over the policy playing and
the wretched home had something 20 do
with her being Eighty at times, the neigh
bors thought She would wander on In
the bitterest weather with no shawl and her
head uncovered. Repeatedly the neigh
bors went after her and brought her back
When she disappeared the last time she
was traced 10 Bellevue by the janltor's
wife. She had given another name-the
name Of her first husband A Ms. john
son she went TO the alnlshouse, and she died
there al out two weeks ago.
On Tuesday afternoon Detective Ser
eeant ShanslSy and Detective O'Farren Of
the Seventh precinct we're keeping an eye
] GlAI 81