The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-06-22
FOR 4 MONTHS
A HOMELESS
WANDERER
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Antwerp that he was pleased with the
ship and treatment and was satisfied
That was the last l heard of him until
l read of him in The Journal this
morning:
Yet, he signed regularly" replied
Captain OLSEN to question. AT
least he made his mark, being unable
to write"
A Vagrant in Worcester.
Alone in a foreign land with five
! shillings in his pockets Lewis SIcoX
| began to travel from one pace to an
ether, always endeavOring to get
/ home. Probably ne would never
have been heard from had not Capt.
John Thos. Hurry, of the police court
| mission at Worcester, Eng, interest
! ed himself in him.
Captain Hurry found Silcox in the
prison there a vagrant, dressed In
! rags and full of vermin. His pitiable
! condition led the capita to ask ABOUT
! his home, and upon obtaining the ac-
! dress of the mans mother sent let
ter 10 her, telling her of her sons con-
dition, and asking that money be rails
ed with which to send him home.
! This was the first information Mrs.
! SilcOX, who is very aged, had OF her
son in many months, and her anxiety
and worry was greatly relieved, as
! she believed when he did not come
/ home from Pensacola and nothing
could be learned of his whereabouts
| that some such fate had befallen him,
or else that he was dead.
The letter from Captain Hurry led
! to correspondence between aim and
| Hon. S. NJ. Loftin and G. r. Stanton,
the latter of Bluff Springs, who act
| ed for Mrs. Silcox in directing the
care of her son and forwarding the
money for his transportation home.
Captain Hurrys Letter.
Captain Hurry's first letter, which
appraised Mrs. Silcox of the where
abouts of her son and his condition,
! is as follows:
4 Fairfax Place, Lansdowne Road,
Worcester, Eng, March II, 1906.
Dear Madam an sorry to in
form you that your son, Lewis Sill
cox, was this morning sent to prison
in this city for being a vagrant, that
. is being found far from home and
sleeping in a shed without means of
support. He has been in this city
now for some months and a few per-
sons here have given him a few cop
pers with which. to get him a little
bread, but l am afraid that he has
slept rough all the time. He is lit
orally covered with vermin and most
scantily attired in dirty rags.
Il have-tOld him I would write toI
you and ask you if you can send me-
money to pay his fare from here
home He is anxious to come home,
but is unable 10 move towards YOU
through lack of means. We have been
in communication with the American
minister in this country, but because
your son has lost his papers which
prove him to be an American citizen,
the minister cannot help him.
When your son comes out Of pris-I
on l will put a shirt and coat, etc, on
him and get him in poor house until
= receive a reply from you. l hope
you may be able to help him come
home or | cannot tell what will be-
come Of him. If you are not able to /
send the money to pay his fare just
put the matter before the people about !
you there and they might collect
enough. There needs enough to pay
for suit Of clothes, shoes, hat, ETC.,
fare from Worcester to Liverpool I
from Liverpool to New York or Phil
adelphia and from the seaport to his
home and one would have to go with
him from here to Liverpool to see
him on the ship. l suppose $4,000 or
$4,000 would cover expenses. l am
the city and police commissioner at
this city, but cannot pay his ex-
penses from here home. I am sorry
also that the American minister can
not help him, but feel sure there are
friends around his home who viii be
ready to send up help, that your son
Lewis may be returned TO you. Help
a brother when he's down; do not
kick while he Is there, if you cannot
help. Show this letter to the mayor,
marshal or sheriff and ask them to
lend their assistance to get the means.
| wish my mission was ricn enough to
send him home.
Yours truly,
CAPT. JOHN THOS. HURRY, c. A,
Police Court Missioner"
The Money Was Sent.
As soon as this letter was received
Mrs. SilcOx and her relatives immedt-
ately set about raising the necessary
money, which they succeeded in do
ing with the help of friends. In the
meantime correspondence had been
passing between Solicitor LOftin and
Captain Hurry, and as soon as the
money was raised it was forward
ed to Worcester. 1t amounted to
$1,000. Mr.. LOftin and Mr.. Stanton
had entered into the matter through a
spirit of friendship and were glad to
be of assistance in getting Lewis ST.
cox home.
A Disappointing Letter.
After the money was sent there was
a long delay and then a Disappointing
letter from Captain Hurry who, with
Silcox had gone from Worcester to
Liverpool and purchased a ticket to-
New York, but Sileox was refused
passage. During his incarceration at