Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-26
MISSED LITTLE TIN"
But BoWery Had Its Christmas
Feed Just the Same.
FIVE THOUSAND AT TABLE
Hungry Men. All Of Them, and
Their Grief Did Not Seem to
Hurt Their Appetites.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

NEW YORK, December o5-Down on
the Bowery today 5000 persons had tur-
key and other good cheer which they
could not buy for themselves for which
no dollar was solicited from the public.
The great crowds which attended the fu-
| neral yesterday Of Little Tim Sullivan,
the Tammany alderman, crowded the Sui
| Ivan headquarters on the Bowery today
| to find that Little Tins annual Christ
| mas dinner had been provided this year
| by his big cousin, State Senator Tim
| othy D. Sullivan, better known as Big
Tim The East Siders ate their fill and
departed with a free pipe and tobacco
and ticket for new pair OF shoes. 1t
had been Little TINS last request that
this Christmas charity be kept up by the
Sullivan family.
The hungry thousands dined under the
portrait of the late Little Tim heavily
draped in mourning. The occasion was
a sad one for the leaders of the Sullivan
organization. who. dsconsolate and glum.
some still with mourning emblems In
their apparel. stood at one end OF the
room and went perfunctorily and without
zest through the customary duties of
leaders. But for the hungry men from
the street the pressing calls of appetite
overbore the grief of the district for
Little Tim and they ate with the zest
of the famished and praised and cheered
the Cidn OF sullivan.
A Generous Menu.
The men were fed in patches of 80
the white oilcloth-covered tables being
wiped clean after each go had departed.
The orders to the managers were to feed
all who came. And this is what the
hungry faced when they got into the din
ing hall and ranged themselves along the
tables. all standing and each with his
separate plate already filled before him:
generous ''helping' Of turkey, a
large spoonful of mashed potatoes a
piece Of mince pie. a mug of coffee. a
mug of beer, with plates piled high with
sandwiches standing within reach of
every man.
And from the way the men ate it was
quite clear that they had come for the
food rather than for the beer once in
a while a man would ask for a second
mug of beer, but during at least one
period OF filled tables more men asked
for second mug of coffee than for a /
second beer. Sole of the men endeav-
ored to do the difficult feat Of holding
their hats, but most of them ate as in
the quick-lunch restaurants, with hats
OH.
from an orchestra and after each man had
had a chance to get fairly well acuuaint-
ed with the provender one Of the leaders
a the desk arose and asked their atten-
fences. He said: Men. Senator Sulli-
van wishes you each and all a merry
Christmas and a happy New Year And
now, just remember that there are long
lines OF other men down there in the |
street waiting to come in to cat, and
kindly hurry as much as you can to give
them their chance"
Brief in Their Thanks.
This was followed by three rousing
oh ha
turned to again and with varying de-
grees of promptness starting toward the
door, some pausing along the way to
gather up anything left on tables nearer
the door than their own places Now
and then a sincere looking man would
make his way up to the leaders desk TO
say God bless the Sulivans." and only
occasionally one OF the Bowery types
would saunter as near as he thought
wise to the man with the beer pitcher
and say in loud but husky tones things
indicating how higher than all the earth |
ly high the Sullivans were in his regard.
These men were as quickly as possible
urged doorward.
Then, as the men passed out each re-
ceived pipe and paper of tobacco.
and with these a ticket emitting him
February next. anniversary of the day
when Big Tim-while still little Tim
had received a needed pair of shoes from
his schoolteacher, to a pair of shoes and
a pair OF WOODEN stockings.
Big Tim Was Overcome.
For the first time in his life Big Tim
was there at the Christmas feast. "You
know. he's a big. soft fellow. in a way"
said one of his lieutenants. land we
never could get him to come and see
how this charity of his works. He
doesn't want any glory out of it. He
just wants to have these chaps have a
feed. But today we managed to get him
to look in. It was in the morning, and
he had come down to his ONCE upstairs
here, and we dragged him to the end
Of this room and he looked in. In about
a minute hts eyes brimmed. and he said:
can't and turned away"