The Transformation of Seattle's 'Pencils'
A beloved local street vendor and Civil War veteran receives a surprise wardrobe upgrade from a local merchant, sparking a reflection on Seattle's unique local legends.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Seattle can trot forward men in the lower walks of life with characteristics and histories of sufficient importance upon which to found novelettes or plays. There is one character in this city that is better known than Mayor Ronald, and he has a history, too, one that he can well be proud of. He occupies a very humble position in life now, but in the troublous times of the war he was at the front and did noble service in his country's cause. The man's name is Thomas Lamuge, but he is better known by the sobriquet 'Pencils.' Every man, woman or child that has been in Seattle for a week knows the old gentleman. He is a deserving old chap, and when the condition of his finances and the dilapidated condition of his wardrobe were brought to the attention of Hyams, Pauson Co., that firm sent for 'Pencils' and togged him out in great style. They sent the old soldier to a barber shop and then, after his beard had been cut off, attired him in a fine suit of clothing and placed a plug hat on his head. Good clothes, however, do not make him proud. He chaffs with the newsboys as of yore and industriously solicits customers for shoestrings and pencils. 'Buy a pencil, you big, fat rascal; buy a pencil, you beggar!' is a familiar salutation of the old chap. Born in Scotland, he came to this country in 1860, enlisted in the Civil War from Tioga County, Pa., and rose to the rank of captain. After the war, he suffered frozen feet while mining in Pennsylvania, later moving to Seattle. Despite offers of help from relatives back East, he remains in Seattle, preferring the city he now calls home.
“Buy a pencil, you big, fat rascal; buy a pencil, you beggar!”
Every city has its 'local characters' who weave themselves into the urban fabric. This profile of Thomas Lamuge—'Pencils'—mirrors the enduring, often mythic status of street figures in modern Seattle, where individual stories of veterans and long-term residents are often caught between social invisibility and neighborhood affection.
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