Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-12

time Of the retired hobo was related to
the writer by one of the clan:
Il retired when got my leg cut off by
freight train bound west from Jersey City;
since then I've been taking life easy. It's
mighty hard work going about forever look
Ing for work and it's just like sliding on
a park bench when you're dead asleep to
live IN retirement, like the rich fellers
whove got all the graft they want. Only
they live off what they say is their own
money when they retire, while we retired
hoboes live of other peoples money and
. are honest enough TO say so. And say,
that's jhe easiest thing to do that l know
anything about.
A Fortunate Accident.
After my stump had healed up all right
and the hospital had given me a wooden
peg ! took a room with young Teller
on the Bowery-I had a little money /
hadn't swallowed yet. We'd been there
about a week when l fell down stairs and
lighted on the back of my head, and the
next thing / knew l was in BellyvUe Hos
pital with a half dozen doctors bending over
me and saying Wonderful. Broken neck.
and living, too and such things. In
little while l found out what all the fuss
was abUut-my neck was swollen twice Its
natural size, and my head was hanging
down on my chest, and l couldn't hold it
. up when tried.
''Wel. they held one clinic after another
over ne. All the time the doctors-they re
young feI!ers in BellyVicw, just out of coll
lege-kept saying my neck was broken. and
jabbered away about Ner-vertebray fl TO
XII. But all the time the pain was leaving
me- and So was the stiffness, and | knew
that my neck wasn't broken any more than
theirs. | was getting a clean bed and all
the food | could eat for nothing; | WASH
going To Kill a good thing until | had TO.
so ! kept right on letting my head fail on
my chest after l was able TO hold it up In
good style And every time a doctor would
hold up my head and I'd let it flop down.
no a ~ dead certain than that
my neck was broken, and was a living
wonder.
Things went on this way for about eight
weeks. with clinics every day or 50. Then
one day the doctor put n makeshift brace
on my head and gave ME a letter and told
me To show il at the Hospital for Ruptured
and Crippled, and the doctors there would
ft me with a sure thing in the brace line.
For a minute or two l thought my graft
was at an Cud sure; then | thought of my
friend. Joe Schmidt. who keeps a saloon
and stakes hoboes when they want 10 play
the 'phory jewelry game. l went 10 him
and showed him the letter.
" Jim lie said this is the chance of your
llfo' And he took me around TO a worker
in iron and brass he knew, and he made me
a brace Tor my head that fitted as nice as
you please, Joe paying him $50 FOR the job
A Second Baldwin.
"Then I pasted my letter from the Belly
view piece of sheepskin, clapped my
head In the brace. and went down into
William street. where a lot of swell bankers
and brokers hang out their signs. | hadn't
been sitting down on a marble door step
five minutes when a man who looked as If
his pockets were bulging with money, look
ed At me,
Hello! \ second Baldwin, is it?' he
said, and seeing the letter in my hand.
took IL and read all about my wonderful
case. Then he threw me s. and walked
Now you see why didn't want TO give
up the letter for a receipt for brace at the
hospital, don't you?
well. l swear. 1t wasn't more than three
minutes when up walked another Teller and
sang out like the first:
Heloi Another Baldwin?
'Then l remembered all at once that
there was Teller with a broken neck by
the name OF Baldwin going around exhibit