The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1917-12-05
BOWERY BULL
ISSOUL WINNER
Famous Singing Waiter and
B0unccr Tells Of Conversion
Eight Years Ago.
DEDICATES LIFE TO GOD
Little Mission Transforms Old
Pickpocket, Gambler
and Convict.
DEDICATES LIFE TO GOD


In the days when Chatham Square
was the sailorman's sarsasso Sea, long
before Niger Mikes and tJe Chatham
Club and the Fleabas enticdd the slum-
mer in their brief day OF glory and then
tho stifiing police. there was . singing
waiter on the Bowery known as Bull
Johnstone. In Callahan's place he held
the worlds record for skidding schoon-
ers across wet. glary tables without
spilling drop. When. between rounds.
he stood beside the forlorn plano with
the towel Of his profession draped grace
fully within his crooked elbow and lifted
his tenor in the monstrous ballads Of
that day and hour the crowd in Calla-
hams slung their dimes at Bull john
stone. For he was good. boy. he was
good!
From Callahan's he went to .McGurk's
Suicide Hall. where he not only was
singing waiter for young men with
creamless tarts but was bouncer as we'll
AS he had been a prize fighter and q
baseball player and came up through the
streets with hard muscles and harder
eyes, he was the Bowery's best bouncer.
Discards His Devious Deviltry.
In short. tho Bull whatever vocation
he elected was at the top Of It. He was
q thief. he dealt faro for IakesR0aonp
thai In Jake's Grand street dive. NJ WSS
crooked umpire In crooked baseball
league. he was a pickpocket and gam
bier end convict, and most OF all he
was rummy-oh. such rummy was
Bull. christened william II. Johnstone
by his hopeful parents when he re-
ceived the holy water on Cherry Hill.
On December (, 1909. Bull was peg.
ging along Water street. The old lays
had petered out. but as a certain feeling
lin the throat persisted he had to make
touch. Seeing a lot Of men In the Nc
Auley Mission he wandered In and cast
an appraising eye over the assembly tc
size up his material. -
As they used to say In the double
decked novels, eight years pass by. De
cember I, .1sl7-last night. Again thu
mission is crowded. There is prayer
and a song and a voice. This meeting
tonight, friends. is to celebrate th'
eighth anniversary OF the conversion O.
the we'll known singing evangelist. thu
man who goes from prison to prison ant
gets the boys where they live because h
| talks their own talk and has beer
through more than they have"
Our Old Friend Of Suicide Hall.
Introducing, Of course. our old frien
! Of Suicide Hall. Bull Johnstone. Yes
sir, the bald!sh. clear eyed. crooke
nosed (from a fight). happy faced ma
with the gimp leg (from trying to pre-
tend he could play baseball after all tina
stuff) and the black cutaway coat an
the voice that led all the hymns and out
| hymned everybody else, IL none othe
than old Bull Johnstone. the singin
waiter OF the Bowery.
On bench up In front sits Mr.
Johnstone. and the three girls-all ac
quired Since McAuley's Mission re
trieved the Bull eight years ago. III
youngest, JEANNE. won't stay put. Sh
holiers HThars daddy up there" right
the middle of a prayer and runs up I
the platform and tries to pull his toes
Bull Johnstone. favoring his right lie
but with plenty Of spring In the othe
hops from his chair when the prayer
ended and begins his experience.
There seems to be quite bunc
here tonight" he says. "You kee
quiet, JEANNE, or I'll give 1t to you whe
/ get home) Well. was born rigi
around here. men. / got my education
house Of refuge"
"All I got out of 1t was hatred G
authority, for you know a kid catcht
holt of everything by the wrong handl
And / grew up and ] was the wise gu!
7 had been knockin' around the Bower!
slingin' beer In the back room OF Mik
Callahan's in the days when Mike wa
the maker and breaker of police caI
tains. 49,.
Some people will tell you these felleI
are all hard, but to people like them
Callahan's they're the grandest men eve
seen. It was my way OF thinkin TOO. an
l got to livin' that way. Men. you r
member Chew Tobacco Mike. that col
ner on the Bowery? He says to me or
dav. Bull, II you don't get out I'm goin
m nut YOU where they throw the Ike
away .,,,,
$50 I says to myself. III go up
Apbanv TO clean out the soft yaps W
hIt the rattler for caser apiece ar
.. landed among the Joy factories OF II
Cut in Albany-you remember the Gu
man. Yaps, I said? ! found the wise
, bunch of thieves I'd ever broke up asai
He wanted to Go Home to Croal
) ..They had me covered to a spot. ar
/ 7 had many a good drunk with the re-
, rrafters In them little burgs. hi
: opportunity to learn all that was goi
. in INV line, but ! got sick and put {
the bum. goes to lieutenant
y police and says to him. George. wa
. Inc fare on the old river boat SOS
: can get home to croak.' He let me ha'
. II.
my wish was to sponge on my O
aunt when I got to New York ana p
nv feet three times under the tab
!. .. When walked In she looks me up a
], down. She never says thing.
= thipkin' she was eoin' to ] asks her
Comttnvcd ON 4o1rtA Po0s.