The Life and Adventures of Ben Hogan, the Wickedest Man in the WorldHogan, Ben (Benedict)
History
The Life and Adventures of Ben Hogan, the Wickedest Man in the World
Hogan, Ben (Benedict)
Hogan, Ben (Benedict), 1841?-
Turning, he saw a richly dressed young woman, in conversation with a
gray-haired man. As he approached, the latter turned away, and upon coming
up to the girl who had called him, Ben found his old friend, whom he had
met in Owney Geoghegan's. It took only a few words to explain matters. The
gray-haired man who had just left her was a sea captain, with plenty of
money, who had been smitten by her many charms. He had provided her with
funds to redeem her clothing and jewelry; had given her two hundred
dollars in cash, and was prepared to give her any additional amount. She
had called to Ben as "cousin" in order not to arouse the jealousy of the
sea captain. And she was now prepared to pay back Ben's kindness with
interest.
The two, therefore, started off together, and lived royally while the
captain's money lasted; then they hit upon this plan for raising more. The
captain was so smitten with the girl that he was only too anxious to spend
money to gratify any whim of hers. She represented to the captain that she
needed money to furnish her room in better style, and the confiding old
fellow readily made out his checks for the desired amount. In this way he
contributed another four hundred dollars to the enjoyment of the girl and
Hogan.
It will be observed that when this woman was in want Ben was quite ready
to assist her; but when she struck good fortune again, and was supplied
with somebody else's money, he was equally ready to share it with her, and
get all the pleasure out of the adventure possible.
Ben never saw the girl afterward, but their brief acquaintanceship was one
that he will never forget.
At length, after an eventful sojourn in the metropolis, our hero
determined to pay a visit to Syracuse, the scene of his early adventures.
On his way to that city, he stopped off at the town of Little Falls, where
occurred a very amusing incident.
As he was a stranger in the place, he sought the companionship to be
found in a friendly and adjacent bar-room, and was there accosted by a
fellow anxious to make a bet. The conditions of the bet were that each man
should put up twenty-five dollars, and the one who first succeeded in
knocking off the other's hat, should take the money. Believing that his
own skill in the boxing art would make it an easy thing to win the bet,
Ben squared off with the stranger; but all the science he could bring to
bear did not enable him to knock off his opponent's head-gear. In about
two minutes and a half, Ben's hat was sent spinning to the floor, and the
Little Falls representative was accordingly entitled to the stakes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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