The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1913-02-06
A Cabnan' S
Experience
BY EDWIN BRINSLEY

| vehicle on one of the principal streets
Of New York. 1t was nearly midnight
and fine sleet was falling about him
But John Burns was far more inter
ested in catching nap than in looking
| upon the marvellous electric display
! But soon he heard his cab door open
and shut and mans voice say:
Wake up
John Burns turned and looked
| through the glass behind him upon the
| features OF very old man. The only
| part Of his apparel that was not GOV
cred by his cloak was his hat, which
struck the cabman as something re
markable. IL was what is called bel
crown, with a large curled brim and
covered with short fur. The chang
ing electric displays lighted the wear.
er's face, showing a cOuntenance not
only old. but there was an evil twinkle
In the eye.
"Northward." said the passenger.
ION what street,"
THE Bloomingdale road"
THE what?"
THAT one" The speaker pointed to
Broadway. Cabby put on the power
and, turning at the corner. entered
that part of Broadway lying north of
Forty second street and now the live
lest part of upper New York. After
reaching a less crowded portion of the
thoroughfare he asked the old gen
tleman behind him just where he
should take him and received orders
to turn into One Hundred and Fortieth
street. From that time the passenger
kept pointing out the way till he pull
ed up before an old fashioned house
situated among modern edifices. The
fare" opened the cab door and, sup
porting himself with a staff, tottered up
the walk to the front door
From this point John Burns in tell
ing the story appears confused. He
doesn't remember whether the house
was lighted or in darkness. He can't
say that he saw the old man go into
the house. His impression is that
there were no lights in the windows
and If his fare went inside he must
have gone right in through the closed
door. The only thing John Burns re
members distinctly is that the wind
blew aside the mans cloak, which
reached to his ankles and exposed a
pair of legs no bigger than those of a
skeleton.
However this may be, the cabman.
who. it has been said, was in need of
rest, soon began to doZe in his seat
He was awakened by a blaze Of light
coming through the doorway of the
house before which he was stopping
and saw distinctly two persons there
The one was his passenger, the other
a lady. The latter was dressed very
much in the present mode of high
waist panniers and clinging skirts
The man who was bowling himself out
flourished his bell crown hat, bowed
very low and scraped excessively with
his feet. After number Of such
caperings, which made John Burns
wonder. he came down the walk, turn
ing to throw a kiss to the lady who
still stood In the doorway. Then the
illumination seemed to go out all Of a
sudden. and the passenger stepped into
the cab, closed the door and said:
Down the Bloomingdale road"
Having learned that the Blooming
dale road meant Broadway, cabby ask
ed no questions. but motored south
ward. He received no order to leave
the thoroughfare or to go to any par
ticular place, so he drove on past the
junction at Broadway and Thirty
third street and Madison and Union
squares and thence straight south
ward through what is now lower
Broadway. The life Of the city grew
less and less as he proceeded till it
became the midnight of great city.
1t livened up as they passed the City
Hall park, adjoining which most Of
the newspaper Offices linger, but died
out as they approached Trinity church.
at the head of Wall street Burns was
directed to turn into Rector street. |
bordering the churchyard on the south
"Stopw said the stranger.
John Burns drew up to the curb.
81 am under deep obligations to you"
said the passenger in a tone that |
sounded to John Burns very pompous. |
you have taken me to call on my wife |
at her residence. and am now going |
to pay visit to a gentleman whom ] |
was reluctantly obliged to punish for
some annoying remarks he made about |
me. Good evening""
With flourish of the bell crown hat. |
In lieu of a fare. the strange man
seemed to fit up the side of a stone
wall, through an iron railing, and dis |
appeared beneath a monument located |
but a few feet beyond the rail.
Whether John Burns awoke from a
1ream or was so astonished that he
1idn't know whether he was asleep or
awake he fails to make 1t appear.
As to what he did the next day to
lear up the matter he is explicit He
up to the dwelling where he
had taken the stranger and asked Of
me passing who lived there.
Don't know" was the reply. That's
he Jumel house. She lived In the
Early part Of the last century and mar
led Aaron Burr in his old age"
"Who was Aaron Burr?"
"Former vice president Of the United
states. He killed his political rival in
duel"
From the Jumel house John Burns