The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-12-21
He and Mindless Wife Dis
covered Living in
Room in Cellar.
SIGHT WASLOST
AT MALVERN HILL
Fought for Confederate Cause
and Was Wounded Five Times.
Wife Has a Cancerous
Growth and Veteran
IS Stone
Blind.

stone-biind. gray haired with hardly
a rag 20 his back, with wife, who,
crazed with cancer. sleeps not. with a
pension from Tie government. and the
city which So would shame one almost TO
mention. when .is needs are considered.
an old Confederate soldier. who bears I'm
his body the undylns memory of five
wounds received In tile Civil War. and
who. on the neid OF Malvern Iiin. gave
his sight T. tine Lost Cause. lies to-day
n danS basement room, unyislted. un-
remembered and un6uown. Bur for Cap
tain o"ier. OF the salvation Army. this
veteran, VINO l-s passed the allotted time
oi three-slore years and ten would have
tonight no fire 10 warm his meagre
bones no cheer TO give nis dying VIE.
and hardly q crust of bread a. sustain
the life he once offered 10 hls country.
lie was seen last ulglt lying next 10
his wife IN the basement room al 80.
z1l North EighteentA Street. and. iu the
ann light which came from tile rapidly
sinking OF lamp on the table. rlcol4.,d
q story, that for tragic sadness has fsre-
ly been eQualed
Pitiful Condition.
lie Was psieep ln LIs clothes. and b,-
lis side lay his wife. si1ty-eiaht wears
of age garbed in some Iong-slnce-f4a.,f
gown, a counterpane and sheet ana q
ie| old coats thrown over both o. keep
them warm 4 sickcnlu- odor perrrestad
the room. Mlldewed walls surrounded
them. On them spiders weaved their
"eos' as thoT had woven them these
many years gone A crippled stove at
'achtd itself % the chimney by means
OF "hat might have passed for "A stove
pipe, bat Il contained no fire.
II was cheaper 20 sleep in bed .yith
one p clothes on thau 90 pay five cents for
~
cred and oustV. few pots and mans
occkcd the mantle. and on the opposite
wall one could make out in the ecant
hsht a few old photographs. IN the far
end OF tho room was a sofa. adorned with
a Few RAGS and a dirty pillow. what mat
tered itf The man could not see. and tho
mindless wife did not care
Hair asleep. when the reported entered
Win captain Fowler. sat an aged woman
relic Of some other. happier days. a guar
dian whom Captain Fowler had appoint
81 10 look after the old couple in his alb
sence- She woke with a start when they
enterd, and IN a feeble voice, inquired
their business. The old man raised him
self on his elbow, and claspjng. Captain
Fowlers hand, kissed 81, saying, God
bless you. God bless YOU" The wife stir
red and groaned IN her pain. and then,
half-rising. disclosed the LETT side OF her
face covered with cancerous growth
face drawn and pinohed with hunger. II
vas such a sickeuing. pltiful sight that
the two visitors had 70 turn their heads
She groaned. and said, 'Oh. my face, my
face X hurts me so" The old man patted
her reassuriagly. There. there, dear he
said, don't cry please don't cry" Her
head lay on pile OF rags. and over
both emaciated forms a scant coverlet
was drawn. and on top OF that was
spread heap OF old coats.
Fought for South.
The old mans name Is Charles AIorran
He is seventy eight years old. and he has
been IN his present abode for seven
months His pension as a Confederate SOL
der Is 80 year. and every ten DAYS he
receives an allowance OF 81 from charity
through the whole OF the Civil War ne
Fought as son OF the South, though he
was born In Cardinr. Wales He bears
the scars OF five wounds. and said pitf
fully Yes, I lost my sight on the bar-
uefield Of Malvern Hill." He has been
stone-bIind eleven years His mind
wandered so. that il was only IN patches
that his tragic story could be cleaned
from his faltering lips.
was a member" he said. "of the AL
oemarle Artillery. and fought IN
Pickett's Division. was once a mem
Der OF Trinity Methodist Church. and
was one OF the four who oraanizeI
the Trinity Mission Praying Band This
band was sort OF mission organization
and went about doing good much like
the salvation Army in its religious SER
vices.
Yet the old couple have had few visits
now from any one. save frona members
or the salvation Army, for soven months