The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1909-02-12
Lincoln's Birthday Is Selected
As an Appropriate Time for
Awarding Them to the High
est Bidders.
TO WEAR MASKS AT
AUCTION IN CHURCH.
Sale of One DeSpairing Man
BY E, T. O'Loughlin
Brought Pleas From Others
For Homes at Any Cost.
BY Ethel Lloyd Patterson.

BY Ethel Lloyd Patterson,
This year Lincoln's birthday will
have been celebrated by an auction
OF 200 able-bodied men. In the Park.
side Presbyterian Church, Flatbush
avenue and Lenoy Road, Brooklyn, at
o'clock this evening, they will
mount the block one after the other
and be Knocked dov q. into voluntary
slavery to the highest bidders.
Grinly surveying their future masters
through black masks. 200 freeborr
American citizens will slip their should.
ers beneath the yoke that Lincoln gave
his life to lift from their black brothers
u am swamped, appalled,. numb be.
fore the tragedy OF these 30 lives" en-
claimed E. T. O'Loughlin, secretary o!
the Park Slope Board OF Trade to-day
Il feel as though I had lifted the lid
and caught glimpse Of hell Itself"
The Idea OF the human autcion orlg.-
mated with Nj. O'Loughlin, The date
for It was set on Llncoln's Birthday Al
his suggestion, and he will be the auc-
tlonoer
But after this is over I want TO
drop It completely" Mr.. O'Loughlin an
nounced. II feel as though would
never be able 10 sleep again II kept
It Zip much longer
1T all Started with one little adver.
tisement In the papers and one mans
hard luck story" Mr.. O'Loughlln be.
gan. 1.-THE first man was one I knew
He came 30 me and told me that he had
been ont Of work for six months and
could not get anything to do. Things
were getting desperate at home. They
had sold or pawned everything they
had that was of any value, and food
was beginning to be scarce around the
house.
Sold Everything but Self.
"wsu triad "a on. tho, ., a.,
and corlin't seem TO land him. He
used ~ oo,,, in ,,d con ~. o,er, d.v In
hopes I did have something for him
One day he pumped himself down In
On. n, mt cb,,r, .yy.u. ,o cav. .I,ve
sold evsrv,hine nov e.cont mv,st,
Then he n,used THAT. an idss, no
saws WHY don't ssl, nv,e,t-
"Wer he kent hammsrinp awav n.
me-" Mr.. O'Loush,,n continued "un,n
hs finally rot mo 20 thinking that /.
was prac,ical ANYWAY agreed n .rv
1, for him was N nil, tho adver.I,e-
nent OF his sale in the pauers lust like
van would q horse and neonle were
to auply TO me 40 that his name need
not bs known. | wrote the ADVERTISE
nent and took IT over 10 A coun,e q,
Nav York parers When T took II N
TIL. World IN. ma, heh,nd tho Gasr
didn., wan, TO take II. He thought II
was a toke.
"When I got home that night there
was a World reporter waiting 10 get
the facts. / told them to him. and the
paper had 4 full half column the next
day.
That's Just about the preface to the
story. That article started the letters
from all over the country; the most
pltiful, heart breaking letters any man
ever read In his life. At first they came
two and three in a mail. but they soon
climbed UP to forty and fifty a day;
pleas, prayers to be sold.
"One man wrote: I had about made
up my mind TO kill myself, but II only
you will sell me, maybe I can live even
yet
Another one said. I have been on,
OF work for fifteen months, and / am
starving. had made UP my mind to be-
come a burglar, but I'll take this one
more chance, II only you will give 1t to
me-
II wrote to them not to Kill them
selves, not to do anything desperate,
that would try to help them
Received TWENTY-FIVE Answers,
elm Tho meonwb;la had had ,hou,
,we,,v-,wo answers to my frs, odvsr.
=" Mr. O,1ouvb,in said "J had
nioked ont the ons I cons,dered nos,
suitable for him, and had left. OF
course, twen,y.one persons who were