The Washington herald., 1908-05-01

New York. April 3O-A bit Of history
and a quaint old character went out OF
Greenwich Village forever, to-day, when
David W. orr killed himself By sending
a bullet into his head from % ealIber
rifa in his workshop. at As Hudson
street.
An ambulance took him to St Vincents
Hospital. where his life went out So the
steamhtting establishment that had
known him for many years is closed and
the Two highly colored Autographs Of the
Merrlmac and the Monitor hang on the
wall without anyone to interpret them as
old Orr could.
BY the younger generation Of Greenwich
Village Orr was looked up TO as a ro-
mantle figure Of past and stirring times
a sort of leaf torn from history, as it
were; a very sere and yellow leaf of late
with his rheumatism, his dependency,
and his sixty-one years. His greatest
pride was that he had been a messenger
for John Ericsson and later q machinist
on the famous cheese box on raft our
ing her memorable hght with the ironciad
ram in Hampton Roads. So he SAID, any
how. and never tired OF telling the story
10 those who cared to listen TO an old
man who lived with the ghosts Of the
days that were,
Suddenly Becomes Young.
AS he told the story a light came into
his eyes and he suddenly felt so young
again that he laid aside his cane, which
in recent years had been his inseparable
companion, Then ne forgot his rheuma-
tism, forgot his stesmhtting. forgot his
struggles TO make a living. and the dingy
basement by some necromancy suddenly
resolved itself into the turret-room Of the
Monitor
Yes, my children" he would say. I
can see it all now as If it were yesterday.
It was a spring morning in March. 1862,
when we lay in Hampton Roads waiting
for the Merrimac, with its high iron
sides. to poke its nose out. Suddenly
there she was. right before US. and I felt
my nerves tingle. I knew IL was 10 be a
big fight. and that for the first time the
Monitor was to match its skill against an
ironclad ram. But John Ericsson was a
great man, and the forty-five Of us on
felt confidence in him and his vessel.
Had I not been a messenger for John
Ericsson? Had I not seen the Monitor
when she was being built al Greenpoint?
I knew we would win, but a man always
feels queer before a fight; sort Of all
gone feeling, and his legs grow weak. He
would like 10 run away, and would If II
wasn't for what the other fellow would
think. But we. out there in the harbor,
we could not run away. We had 10 stay
and face the music
FOrgets His Fear.
''Then. all at once, the thunder of the
big guns filed the air and solid shot like
giant haflstohes ratified on the turret OF
the Monitor I forgot my fear then and
fought in a fever of excitement until the
battle was over, and the AIerrimac sailed
away Would you believe it. children,
they did no more than dent our sides
Oh, that was a famous victory
So the old man told the story. with
many additional embellishments in de.
tail, for a good story. one must know
improves with age, like old wine. But
always. with the sailing away Of the
Merrimac ana the clearing OF the smoke
there was old David Orr back again from
Hampton Roads. sitting in a dingy base
nent shop in Hudson street, Greenwich
Village, with pile Of work lying
around needing his attention. All. no
What a materialistic world this is. Ro-
nance must give place 10 the struggle
after the almighty dollar
Not long after the war old Orr, young
Orr then, settled in Greenwich Village
In those days there were wide watering
troughs in front Of the stores. at which
the horses Of the farmers from up in tbs
country about 18th street stopped TO take
drink and the society folks lived in the
ancient brick houses with slODing roofs
Even to-day one might. now and then
see a brass knocker. green with age. and
a metal doorplats which still bore the
name Of some one long since gone to his
rest.
Old Town Changes.
But the watering troughs were gone
the farmers no longer drove that way tn,
stores had ceased to be a gathering plac,
for the gossips. the people from uptown
no longer went to Greenwich Village t.
eat of its famous chops and steaks. anC
an alien race inhabited its cobble- STONED
streets. He lamented over this, over hi
failing eyesight, the fact that this. il
conjunction with rheumatism. prevente,
him from being as good a steamftter a
he used 70 be- and fell back more an,
more on his memories.
So this morning they found the oil
man dead, under the autographs of tn
Monitor and the Merrimac. He had takel
the rifle that mayhap, he had used on tn
Monitor. tied a string 10 the trigger. ant
pulled it with his big toe. sending a bulle
through his head.