The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1911-03-15
1 MOST UNIQUE SPECTACLE
,rr>rAN STRAYS AND OUTCASTS
OF THE METROPOLIS.
Are Given Bread And Shoes

Rig Tim Sullivan Most Picturesque
politician New York Has Ever
Seen. Is the Friend of the Great
ARMY of the Down and Out.
Once a year the BOwery furnishes
snectacle such as cannot be seen
anywhere else in the world. Thous-
ords of men-human strays and
on-casts-m members of the great
ormv of the down and out, line up to
receive their mid-winter gift from
-ba most picturesque politician New
yarl, has ever known. Last week
mas the day of distribution, and
between 5000 and 1000 waste men
zach cot a pair of shoes, two pairs
If socks and a cup of coffee from
bio Tim Sullivan. The snow fell
steadily as the shoes were being Civ
on ont. and many men in the line
sbfvared and shook during the long
wait for it takes hours to handle
srcb crowd Besides those in
charge of the affair had to keep
charm eve out for ''repeaters." The
dregs of humanity were in that long
Ijne-drunkards, criminals, defect
ives 1aggards, beggars, idlerS, ne'er-
do-WeIls. Some looked strong and
some looked weak. Some had a
grudge against the world at large.
Some were cringing Some were the
victims of misfortune, but the vast
majority were the victims of vice.
There are a half dozen charming
stories as to how Big Tim came to
give shoes to the broken-doWn men
of the Bowery. The one most gen
erallv believed is that once, when
he was a poor, ragged boy, a school
teacher took pity on him and bought
shoes for him when she saw him
almost barefooted in mid-winter.
Then and there he made VOW that
if ever fortune smiled on him he
would once every winter give a pair
of shoes and socks to every man he
could gather about him who was
penniless
4 Power in Politics.
Big Tim has been a member of the
assembly, state senator, member of
congress and now is state senator
again. No man in New York poll
tics ever had a more devoted fol-
lowing than Big Tim. No man in
Tammany has more personal indu
ence. Had he so desired he could
have made himself head of that
powerful organization. If he so de-
sired he could unseat Murphy at
any time. Many men high in office
today owe their places to him. He
has made and unmade judges. Some
of the black-robed justices of the
supreme court are at his beck and
call. Never was his position more
secure or his hold on his followers
more tenacious than it is today He
is absolute master of the Tammany
districts south of Fourteenth street,
and some :3FJHe leaders north of
Fourteenth street acknowledge him
as their chief. e.-..l....
1t is idle to suppose that he gets
his great following from the MASTERS
Of the BOwery They only form a
section of the Sullivan army The
bulk is formed of the people of the
tenements who find in him friend
in time of trouble.
Big Tins Appeal.
One story that William Travers
jerome has told illustrates admira
bly, this phase of the mans infu
ence. 1t was just after Jerome had
assumed office as district attorney
that the incident occurred. Tam
many had received a crushing de-
feat. All it's men had been swept
from office.
One day Big Tim called to see
Jerome.
Judge" he said, I am not here
to ask any favors of you. l fought
you as hard as l knew how in the
campaign and if | had the oppor-
tunlty over again I'd fight you hard
er Jhan ever. You won. | lost. |
mats all there is about it. But
want to put little matter up to
you. You have one of my people
III jail. His name is Johnny Rea
gan He's in for assault. You've |
soJ the goods on him, and you can
send him up the river if you wish. |
Inc thing | want to ask you ISL
whether it would be just to him and |
JUST TO the public if you put him
away?
Here is the way it is: He's just
On ordinary New York boy. He was
porn in tenement, and he has a
mother, sister and BROTHER He
went to school for two years, and
l Wnen he was 10 he went to work
Nnen he was 16 he was driving a
Uuck, and that is his business yet.
lie isn't crook, and he isn't a
oousn; but every now and then he
Sels Jagged, and when he is jagged |
ne IS a brute. He had fight in
saloon with fellow month or so
ago and while they were in a clinch
the fellow called him name-well, /