The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-21

IN nassed Chuck Connors last OF I'M
Bowery Boys. and so he lay in
~ sordid state for four days and
three nights.
Only a few women faithful unto and
after DEATH and few, oh, so pitifuiiy
few, men friends came to his coffin TO
say, God rest his soul.'
And this was a beloved vagabond II
| ever there was one. Keen of wit, READY
of repartee. the source of all the BowerS
slang stories for 80 years. Already an
Italian, Frank Salvatore, calls himself
Little Chuck" and stands ready to
step into the shoes of the dead man. He
isn't a bad little fellow, this Salvatore
and he sent a wreath of flowers and he
went to the funeral. Let him dress as
Chuck did and initiate his talk and
walk: Chuck is dead and will not care.
Since Saturday, when the Italian I'M
dertaker came and tackled crepe and
flowers at the doorway, No. Doyer
street has relished the attention that
death has turned upon it.
The door of Chuck's rooms, first floor
up to the left has stood open. There
has been a paddock on the door, as a
general thing for in the book of Rob-
son, the agent of the tenement, the
letter ID" has been marked against
chuck's name. 1t meant "Dispossess.
But Death got to Chuck before the dis
possess did.
Chuck had moved In when Fox built
the flats. He never paid any rent, and
so the story was spread that Richard
K. Fox had given him the apartments
rent free. This was not strictly true, but
Fox had never really endeavored to
dispossess him. Still Chuck thought it
best to keep paddock on the door, and
so they could never get in to get him
out.
Riley, the janitor, squat little man
and sure of his job, till some tenant
comes along who can lick him-Riley
the janitor, liked Chuck, and some think
Riley kept the paddock in place..
When Chuck died Riley gave himself
up to an orgie of moving pictures tc
drown his grief. The parlor of the Riley
fat is papered in red and they have q
piano there. There is vacant fiat oi
two rooms-$ month it rents for-be-
tween Chucks fiat and Riley's 1t is
being papered in red, too, and looks rea
grand. Into the sitting-be bedroom of it
for the other little walled space, is the
kitchen-Chuck's bedroom furniture had
been thrust, for Chuck is sleeping in his
coffin now, and, the funeral being over
he can be considered dispossessed after
12 years of never paying his rent.
| Chuck used to say he came of a race
that was congenitally opposed to paying
rent. but, STILL" he would add, in this
| country there is no open season to shoo1
landlords"
Chuck had the true story-teller's
weakness of speaking broadly IL he
thought it would please you. Hence
Chuck would tell you Rabelaisian bits
of "Squatter Sovereignty" stories
Stories of his early days when Mot
street was an Irish principality. These
| stories We're to be enjoyed. but not swal.
lowed whole, for Chuck was foolng vol
and likewise himself. He believed then
as he told them.
AS a matter of fact, Chuck's father
and mother We're worthy, respectable
people, and of those of his immediate
family who survive him, widowed sis
| ter, Mrs. Miller, who lives uptown, Il
a woman of some education and refine
ment.
She was panied that George" as sh
called him, should have died as he tat
| lived.
And SO Chuck lay and was walked il
the tenement house where his prett,
wife Nell had died, and, except for
mob of curious of the lower five, an,
a few, very few. of the sporting peo
Pile and newspaper men he had known
none was so poor to do him reverence
Two women had fought in the hall
way the night before. Ugly, dirty