The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-28

IG lS name on lle pdr1Sn register IS James John Collins. The police unmindful of the holy saints for whom his mother named him, dubbed him Jimmie de Rat"
 Crowded down by the river in lawless days of the civil war, when pillage was a profession and loot was regarded as legal Collins grew up without the pale of the law. He was nimble footed, nimble fingered and nimble witted in his fugi- tive way. War was in the air when he was a boy, the uantrells and Harnesses were heroes in Missouri and train rob ping was an established industry of the state
 So, in his small way during the civil war and the ruthless days that followed it. Jimmie Collins began to corner, com mandeer and pillage just as soldiers and carpet baggers, guerrillas and outlaws were doing. Only, instead of taking to the battle fields or the woods or the hills or the statehouses, Jimmie de Rat took to the street. He communicated leather pocketbooks instead of the raw hides the soldiers commandeered as cattle, and he lifted" money instead of food. He was in perpetual affray with the police.
 For years after the war Jimmie de Rat" like many others, did not know that it was over. He kept on fighting with the police. Finally, after 30 years continual skirmish and now and then pitched battle with the "bulls," Mike Kinney, who lived down on Collins street, convinced Jimmie de Rat that he played losing game Kinney induced de Rat" to quit his losing battle with the bulls" and go to work.
 For years he has been a trusted watch man in local constables' offices. His duty has been to watch property on which the officers have liens or on which they have made levies. Last fall a cornice of building at Sixth and Pine streets picked Jimmie out as a soft spot on which to fall. That put him in the hospital for three months When he recovered he compromised with the owners of the property whence the cornice had fallen for $l5Oo. This just before Christmas.
 Jimmie de Rat" had never had $15OO or anywhere near it in lump sum be- fore. Though man of much smaller acqustive ability than Carnegie, he was man of far greater philanthropic inn pulse, for Carnegie gives away only a small portion of his vast annual income and Jimmie de Rat gave away capi- tai, interest, everything at once.
 As soon as he got the check for $500 cashed, he forgot the weak side and per- manent limp that the falling cornice had given him. He shuffled along to the eaP nfa or woman or child that had ever be- friended him and proceeded to lavish money upon them. Not that he was a Coal oil Johnny" or anything like that | in his wild and extravagant philanthropy. ] He did not give one of his benefactors more than s25 and he gave some as little as 20 cents. He carefully measured the man or the woman or the child, the klno- ness done him. the need for money. 1 Sufficient it was that at some time in l his harried police haunted life, they had | done him a good turn. To one woman who had washed a shirt for him when ne was hiding ont from his enemies, the police. he gave $25 To shoemaker who had put soles on his soreiy trieo shoes. he gave $10 Right and lett front and center, to everyone who had ever | done him a favor or 1rlenoiihess Jimmie de Rat offered or gave money
 To Florence the daughter of state Sen ator Tom Kinney, he offered $lo Tor Christmas present. Little Miss Kinney refused with thanks. To Charley Hig-
 gins. formerly excise commissioner, he
 wanted to give s25. MT. Higgins also declined with thanks. Right and left.
 among old friends and new, Jimmie de l Rat followed to the letter the Scriptural 1 injunction to "Give all you have to the poor"
 | It takes time to give away $500 if you are careful and circumspect about it and giving away all this wealth took seven | months of the time of Jimmie de Rat Old friends had to be looked up and some of them had not been seen for years.