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THE WEEKLY TELEGRAPH: TUESDAY OCTOBER 2-TWELV E PAGES.
‘‘OUR BOYS.”
One of the Tragedies of the
Civil War.
BROTHERS IN BLUE AND GRAY.
An Incident Related bj an Oil Miller In
the Shenandoah Valley—How Civil
Strife Divided Families and Set
Brother Against Brother.
Written for the Telegraph. •
I am a landscape painter: not he of the
atep-ladder tribe, who goes about this fair „ f t .
land of our. with vast tub. of ochre and | tlle oid square house up on the brow of
Massanutten. The miller says it ts haun
ted by the spirits of its dead. From out
them, oh I so hardly I cast my lot here
forevermore that I may learn from them
some good lesson from the fate that befell
them. 4
This is all of my story there is to give.
What the miller told me on a winter’s
night is the tale I began to tell.
The civil war of America has no parallel
in the history of the world touching many
of its features. Like ail ware its business
was to kill. Like few other wars it divided
households and families until brothers
met brother, father met son, uncle and
nephew and cousin, even hqfband and wife
were cut asunder by this knife of discord.
A soldier of the Twelfth Virginia sought
General Lee and aked that he might fight
at some other part of the line, for said he,
“my brother is iirthe regiment in my im
mediate front.” Look again at the picture
blueing, besmearing fehce planks and barn
doors with the peculiar merits of a patent
liver-pad; but of that other class who de
light to sit perched high up on the bill tops
on a camp stool, with only the glory of
G»d’s beautiful worlds to praise. 1 delight
to spring a bright thread across my can
vass and make it ripple and shimmer in
counterfeit of water, and bound it with a
forest of green trees and a mosaic of
that peaceful home in the springtime of
1861 went two as braveboys as ever fought
for conscience sake. Loving, gentle, true
and fair in limb and tace. They
were the sons of the owner of these broad
acres, the mansion on the mguntain slope
and the mill in the valley. Che elder of
these sons had spent the greater number of
his years in a northern school, and by pro
tracted schooling and residence among
them he had imbibed the sentiment of the
square-cut fields. Take, for instance, that peoploofthat. section. .
The father was a Maine man,the mother
born in the valley of Luray. The younger
of the sons had attended the schools of the
valley, finishing up at Lexington just in
time to go to the front at the first call of
his state. The elder of the sons ielt that
picture on*my mantel. You will see the
rugged end of a mountain, breaking ab
ruptly off and going away into levels-
^That is the* Massanutten, .the old guard of
the Shenandoah Valley, who has kept its
lonely vigils over this historic land, let us
say, 6iuce the morni. g stare sang together
in the dawn of creation. For lour long
years the echo of booming guns in deadly
the union was too valuable a birthright to
destroy, and with a heavy heart he went
away to come again as an enemy. The
opening of hostilities found one with Ash
strife or the bugle call to arms, never diet! i by, the other with McDowell, at
out. Indeed there are a goodly number of i Manassas. What shall I say
jpeop'e in these parts who strongly declare of the father and mother? , They
to this day that these are yet to be heard, 1 loved each son as David did his only Ab-
,sounding like giants playing at ten pins , salom. Their father fondly hoped" they
with boulders for balls and canyons for I might both fight in the army of the south;
.their alleys. On one side of this beautiful j but bis counsel did not prevail, and he
mountain is the larger of the two valleys— I could now only pray that God would par-
the Shenandoah proper—on the other is don whichever was in the wrong and bless
Luray, the shrine of chivalry. Here she I them both abundantly and alike. It wa«
bililt’her temple, and within her borders ] in his power many times to shelter and
beauty, bravery and high endeavor will I protect each one during the war. Of good
forever dwell. Here was the lair of
Ashby, of “Jeb” Stewart, and our more
glorious Fits Lee, a veritable litter of
lions. Sprung from the loins of a warlike
race, bred to arms as to an inheritance
from father to son, they laughed at war
and mocked her very carnage. I am dom
iciled here now, with my home up in the
clouds among the crags of Massanutten.
Thai is a sketch of it you see there on the
mantel; the farther one with the painted
gables and peaked reef, almost hid away
in woods. The other old square mansion
in bold view on the mountain side is the
central scene of both my pictnre and my
story. Before I enter further into its de
tails, let me introduce mvself. If yon
should doubt either my credentials or'my
story, you can consult for the truth of one
the police records of a far-away Tyrolean
village, near by to Innspruck and the
Rhine; for the tnnth of the other see the
old bone* miller whose mill fills
the corner of that canvas. He is an honest
old soul. Ho, not honest, either, for he
eobs himself to spare the toll out of the
widow’s bag of grain. He is excellent au
thority beyond the quality of wheat or the
strength of an over-shot wheel. You may
thank him for this veracious tale. He
swears by the Lees and avows he still
bears Stonewall Jackson’s guns at Fort
Bepublic. For myself, I do now declare
this to be my true record. My father was
a bird-catcher from the Tyrol, that stretch
of glory and majesty. He earned a good
living by the sale of his birds in the mnr-
iets of Innspruck. So great was his skill
that when he chirruped in mockery of a
wild bird the bird answered as to its mate
and yielded to capture as a foregone con
clusion. My father was a careless Bohem
ian, prelerring to sleep once only in the
same bed. A new place and new friends
must be found every day. My
now sainted mother was the only daughter
of a famous painter who lived only that
his child woulu mate the rapid, worthless
eon of a wine grower of the Rhine, fche
would have takeh him, perhaps, as many
a fair Gretchen does, just to please the
father, had not my father crossed her path.
His red sash, his gay pointed hat, with
waving plume, his insinuating speeches to
the multitude as he told how his bride
could mimic the music of the waters or
the notes of a harp. My mother could
paint a rose so true to life that the bees
would light upon her brush and poise
above her canvas to sip the nectar. She
could put a stream of water acrose the
view so like the real that a touch of your
tongue to it would cool its fever. Well,
they married, and here I am, the outgrowth
of that incongruous wedding of souls.
How is it, you ask, that I am living so far
away from these glad scenes of my youth.
As before stated, I am a painter. My
father did not desire that I should break
my ueck chasing bull-fincbes across the
gulches of his wild Tyrol. To please the
good wife, he said I should earn my living
by the brush. The mother taught my in
fant hands to sketch and in later years in
structed me ill drawing and painting.
When I was k! years old I obtained a
place in the public school of design, where
it was intended 1 should put the finishing
touches to my education. I will hasten to
drop this part of my story. I did not
dwell long there, and little is left to be
eaid. The old artist who gave me lessons
was a devout Catholic. He crossed him
self every time he passed a picture of the
holy family. He loved nothing but his
art and his God. To both
lie was intensely loyal. Very
noon he gave me a task.
I was to paint tne head of our Savior,
members and all, as he appears in Buppli-
action or agony. It was to be done inside
a given circle, the periphery of which was
the limit of the canvas. In a fit of wicked
mischief I drew the features so large I
could only get hall the face in the circle.
When completed it was a wretched piece
of work and a blasphemous burlesque. P
But for my tender age they surely would^ opened the door. It was* still dark and
murky, with no light of moon or star to
show a face or uniform. They rudely
thrust the old man aside and poured into
the hall The son appeared at the head of
the stair just as the foremost trooper
cleared the door. To escape was impossi
ble for the young man. Down that stair
was the only way out, and to leap from an
upper window with the yard thronged
with soldiers would have been folly. The
frantic old mother came upon the scene,
emerging from a rear room, bearing in her
hand a lighted candle. Her light threw a
wierd glow over the walls and faces. Blue
in such a tight might just mi well have
been gray, and vice-versa. Each aide drew
aa if in presence of an enemy. The fitful
glare of the flickering light aided the con
fusion, and when the captain of the troop
called oat to his men to go for the young
man he rightly suppoted they meant
war-like business and opened npon
have handed me over to the mob." A
mult of rage arose against me from school
and faculty. The blasphemy was beyond
any deviltry they ever heard of. What
they ever did about it I never learned. 1
made haste to leave those parts and three
months later was safe in New York.
One year afterwards I found myself
cosily housed away up on the cool heignts
of Massauuttvn. I was employed by a firm
in New York early in 1865 to come this
way and take sketches of these famous bat
tlefields The grass had not begun to grow
tm the graves of the dead. Gaping trenches
on hill brow», forts away up on mountain
sides were red and bare, death and devas
tation sat upon the roadside still. 1 found
a welcome in every house, a vacant chair
at the board and a bed to rest upon. They
arc now my people—hills, valley and all.
I love them, yea even their very faults are
nacred. Chastened by the rod that smote
repute among his friends and neighbors,
he was not reproached if he occasionally
gave his elder son aid and comfort in his
distress, nor did the younger complain
when he learned, as often he did, that the
elder had been “home” to see the old peo
ple, The aged parents strove to do their
duty as God gave them light. The eldtr
son never received a harsher reproval than
when the sire said to him: “My son, it is
grievous to us that our children must slay
each other;” or, “If you could have both
belonged to one side how glad we would
have been." It was only said to the elder,
and in this way did the sorrowful father
appeal to the son.
To this lovely valley war was a scourge,
such as were the plagues to Egypt. This
old couple drank the bitter cup even to its
dregs. In the fall of 1864 the curtain
began to ring down on the drama of war
along these valleys. The end was
near. A body of union cavalry was en
camped over injthe neighborhood of Front
Royal. The confederate scouts beat about
along the valley as far down as Siraus-
burg and up the Luray. Gen. Early was
enacting the last of his exploits and Sher
idan was coming up to the end of the
fight. The elder son, as the miller told
me, was a sergeant of cavalry, and it was
his regiment at Front Royal. He
was familiar with the toontry and
often met people whom he knew, farmers
from the surrounding country or store
keepers in the village. In his youth he
had been companion to nil the better class
of these village people. He led in the
dance when glutted revelry made life a
glad feast. He could take bis fence at a
gallop along with the best. Indeed, lie
had ridden at autumn tournaments with
half the troop of Ashby. He was filled
with a burning desire to see his old home,
his father and his mother. He applied for
and got permission to go to see them, and
although the risk was great and the way
rough he found himself at his father’s gate
an hour before dawn on the morning of an
October day. It chafed his proud spirit
that he was forced to skulk and hide irom
his old neighbors and friends, and creep in
as a culprit. War declared it must be so,
and very Boon he was snugly wrapped in
his own father’s bed and asleep.
Within one hour after our young ser
geant left the camp at Front Royal to visit
nis old home, there came anorder to mount
and prepare to meet a body of confederate
cavalry coming down the Luray valley as
quickly as possible. The regiment moved
promptly aud swiftly, and just as the elder
son had tucked the cover around him in
his bed a squadron of his own command
pulled up at the miller’s door. They were
ignorant of the fact that they were so near
the home of their comrade. The old mil
ler was up, as was his custom, shambling
about among his pigs and cows and getting
his rocksteady for the daily griit. Too
loyal to his old friend on the hill to ex
pose Ida company, he refused to give the
union men any points of advantage, but
in the miller’s stable was a cavalry
charger, saddled and bridled, ready for
flight, and the union people surmised cor
rectly that a soldier was Bleeping some
where near. Quickly divining that
he was in the farmer’s mansion up the
hill, they devised a rapid plan to capture
him. Who can say wlift were the dreams
of the sleeper in his cosy bed? An evil
spirit, or a good one, as you may elect—
did disturb his rest. _ At the moment
the squadron came dashing up the long
rocky road, he had dressed and was com
ing down the broad stairway. The startled
aoniiel seined ilia carbine, buttoned iris
coat tightly, and drew his revolver to sg)l
his life for all it was worth. A brief par-
ley was had with the old father, by the
head of the squadron who had surrounded
the house and called the old farmer to the
door. Too dazed to rightly take in the
aituaiion, and dreading the appearance of
any kind of a soldier our old gentleman
trembled like an aspen leaf ns be
them with his clrbine. He never knew
how well lie hit ins mark. His fire was
instantly returr.eij and he fell, a lifeless
lump, at the foot (1 the stairs. Cowering
in one corner wo the stupefied father,
while the heartbro ten mother was wailing
in her agony of so 1 over the body of her
first-born. The o i miller, hearing the
sound of arms, ran in his fright and rang
a large bell whiel was used to call the
field hands to their Jinner. The sound of
this old bell at thi hour of the morning
was enough to attr ct the attention of the
troopers, who, belie ing it was a signal of
some kind to bring elief to the household,
made a hasty exi out of a back way to
their horses. Quickly forming, they scur
ried down the maintain side, and by
morning were safe! posted on an adjoin
ing i bight ready or the fray. Nono
appearing, at d: plight they quietly
resumed their ilirnev in search
of Ashby’s men. Ti s dean soldier nor the
troopers never knee they had killed their
friend. Each died lelieving it a loyal
fight. Scarcely hai the union cavalry
passed out of sight a ound aud down the
side of the |mountaii when the younger
brother appeared n the miller’s door
The doors were shut for the honest old.
friend was straighte ing out the stiffening
limbs of the dead bo;, The neighing of
the dead cavalryman i steed in the miller’s
stall caused the you ger boy to halt and
look. There was a I :dcral charger sure
enough. No mistaki g that rigging, those
fat haunches and ths. fine saddle. The
miller might be a pri oner for augbt he
knew, and the old hoi sc above the clouds
might then be in the -nemy’s hands. He
dismounted, hid his a imal in a conven
ient shed, and made bis way cautiously
to the rear of the hou e. No need of all
this precaution. Whit could the three
old people and a d ad boy do to harm
him? A moment later ind he was weeping
os only a desolate In art can weep. No
word of reproach for the blue coat that
wrapped the brave bi other. He was the
fifth born, and royally did always hold up
tile name of the hou: i. Dead 1 and that
by his friends. Tears could not avail to
lift this awful weigit. They told the
younger boy of all tha was done, and ex
plained it as well as tl :ir confused minds
could. Going to the ri or colonade to bathe
his face the confedcrat soldier saw in the
grey light a body of ca' airy emerging from
a ravine almost under is very feet down
the mountain side. J imping quickly to
the conclusion that t is was the union
cavalry returning foi another survey of
their fight, he sprang from the porch;
shouted a hurried gooi bye to the people
in the hall and ran ra .idly to where nis
brother’s horse was tiei. In a twinkling
he was going like n null train across the
fields, leaving his (own emaciated
steed hid out in the cowlhed. He had even
lost his hat in the hurrnof his escape. As
lie leaped a stone wall on the brow of a
smaller hill he came injfull view of the
approaching battalion of men. They were
bis own men of Ashbi’s command, and
ijoing for no Other j.iiriose hut to salute
bis dear old father an! mother. They
looked up the mountainside and saw this
frightened, hatless trooper flying before
the wind on a maguilitent animal, and
taking him for a union soldier escaping
they followed in hot purtoit. The flying
horseman had the hill aid the heels on
them, and believing they Would hang him.
to a tree if caught he was: putting in the
best work he and his nobs;,animal could
do. Despairing of overtaking their fugi
tive Ashby’s men decided to give him one
volley on the wing. Quickly j unswinging
their carbines, they, as one laan, fired at
the retreating form of their comrade and
friend. He fell ns dead n stone.
They boro him tenderly on tlifeir shoulders
to the house on the hill top and laid him
beside that other dead boy id the father’s
home. Let the one marble slab in the
garden tell the rest of my Htory. Killed,
each by his comrades, thinking to tho last
that the enemy held them at bay. The
old miller would weep as he told of how
hey buried them in one grave, and covered
them with a single slab, Hie preacher
said: “God gave to each one a soul to save
and a mind to regulate the conduct of life.
These lads etch for himself plMMd hit
maker well.” The mother only once was
heard to say: “Dear God, is this thy way?”
The father wrote upon the enduringmarble
“OUR BOYS.”
Columbus, Ga. Hans Vooel.
Pretty South American tUrls.
From the Philadelphia Record.
Marcus A. Mayer, who has been pilot
ing Mme. I’atti through South America,
ttys:
The girls of Montevideo are the loveliest
I ever saw. There is one part of the house
where they allow ladies. That is the
“Casuela.” It is the circle just below the
gallery, or “Paraiso,” andf one of tho
male sex is not allowed there, and ladies
are not allowed to wear bonnets in the
Casuela. The front row is reserved and
we charge $6 for these seats. The rows are
for the admission tickets to tbo Casuela,
and for these we get $1.60. At about 6
o'clock the young ladies commence con
gregating at the door, anil there they stand
until 7 o'clock and keep up such a "clatter
and row that the police often compel us to
oiten the doors and let them in at 6:30
o'clock.
You should see the scramble! They are
worse than men or boys. They take the
seats back of the front row, and those who
are lucky get a seat, while the unfortunate
damsels are compelled to stand up. This
place will hold about 800 women and it
is a beautiful sight to look up at them in
all the colors of the rainbow—beautiful
brunettes, all bedecked in diamonds.
At the dose of the performance a platoon
of soldiers—fifty men—forms on each side
oi the door at the exit to the streets and
keeps the crowd back, so that the young
ladies can depart in peace, and as they go
they are met by their brothers or fathers
or some escort to see them home.
You never see a lady on the street at
night alone—she is always with a chape
rone—and you Beldom see t|iem in the uay
time alone.
SENATORIAL CHUMS w Mk Ingalls ** the thinnest manincon-
ULUT-fl. L\J±I.A..n.AJ VgiAUlUU. The most learned political leader
Attachments Formed in Con
gress Between Great Men.
STATESMEN WHO ARE FRIENDS,
on the republican side of the House, is
McKinley, of Ohio, aud Tom Reed, of
Maine, is the wittiest and most sarcastic.
On the democratic side, John G. Carlisle
is conceded to be the most intellectual,
and Sunset Cox the wittiest and most en
tertaining. Reed looks like Bell, the pho
tographer, and not infrequently he re
ceives compliments for the excellent like
nesses which he has taken; and that makes
him mad. Bell, on the contrary, is some
times complimented for some witty speech,
and that gratifies him and wreathes hi
happy face in smiles. Bell is pleased with
liis likeness to Reed, and when approached
find called “Mr. Reed," he remiuds me of
a western cornfield; by grinning from ear
ear. General Weaver, ot Iowa,
house of congress than Senator Sawyer of H ,, °JV 3 ^ remarkable men
J of the House, by reason of his extensive
The Illnnde Twins or tho House-Senntor
Stanford to itottre—The Smallest
Man In Congress Is General
Wheeler of Alabama.
Special Correspondence,
Washington, Sept. 22.—There is uo
more likeable or loveable man in either j J°
The Girl Wns Dllferent.
From the Philadelphia Telegraph.
A Boston artist declares that a newjy-
betrothed lover commissioned him to paint
a certain secluded nook in the rocks on the
shore, because there he had declared his
passion. The picture waa painted, but be
fore it was done the lover said to the ar
tist: “Of course I will see you through on
that picture, but my engagement is off, and
it would be painfully suggestive to me. If
you can sell it to somebody else I will take
another picture and be extremely obliged
beside.” The painter assented to the ar
rangement, but within a week his patron
again presented himself. “It is all right,”
he announc'd joyously. “I’ll take that
picture." “Am I to congratulate you on
the renewal of your engagement? - ’ the ar
tist asked. The other seemed a little oun-
iiiM d. leu .|:iji k !v r.-< ,.vrri d lii.r self-pns-
Wssion and grinned, as lie said: “Well,
not exactly. It waa the same place, hut
the girl waa different.”
Wisconsin. He has been ill recently, and
compelled to absent himself from the Sen
ate, much to his impatient regret. His
former twin-senator, Stanford, of Califor
nia, has long absented himself, and Sawyer
has missed him very much. Together,
they were the portliest men in the Senate,
and would outweigh Baulsbury, Spooner,
Ingalls and Brown combined. Sawyer’s
wealth of waist and breadth of beam would
be ample for aldermanic instead of senato
rial position. He is a splendidly compan
ionable man possessed of fascinating con-
versa ional powers. Although past 70
years of age, he is not garrulous; but as he
prows older he grows fonder of the compan
ionship of his friends, especially his younger
TIIE SENATORIAL CHUMS,
acquaintances. He has secured thepasssge
of more pension bills than any other two
senators; and has many pensioners upon
his private bounty. Generous to a fault,
nothing but safe and sagacious invest
ments have saved him from penury. His
entire salary is expended in the employ
ment of clerks who aid him in his
oension work; and, in addition thereto, he
gives away about $7,000 nnnualJy in small
chanties. He never makes a speech. It
would be impossible for him to. do so;
and that is the very reason lie never made
the effort Uncle Fhiletus is not an ignis
fatuus hunter. He will not try impos-
siblities. Recently, when asking consider
ation of a pension bill, he undertook to
toietly announce the merits of the case.
Beck of Kentucky, objected to his state
ment, saying: “I am willing to vote ‘aye’
upon the question without debate.” Saw
yer sat down, and the bill passed without
any questions from any source. After
wards Sawyer went to Beck and plain
tively said: “Why did you object to Re
statement?” “Because, replied Beck, “if
we ever let you get started, you’d talk all
night." It was a bit of good-humored sar
casm from the Scotch-American senator,
which meant, in liberal translation:
‘Sawyer, you can’t make a speech, but
but you are honest, and we’ll vote for
wliai you waul, anyway.”
Senator Stanford, the California sena
torial heavyweight, does not like his
place in the Senate. They say that he
wanted the honor of an election, and of
course his desire was gratified. But he is
out of his clement. Coming from the bus
iness into the political world, was a tran
sition too great for him, and he is not con
tent. No sooner was he seated in that
great legislative body than he found him
self associated with people that were pecu
liar from his standpoint. They talked of
politics and parly preferments; but few of
them would talk business, pure and sim
ile. In the railroad world Leland Stan
ford is a king. No one disputes his judg
ments or beliefs. Here in the .Senate he
finds Edmunds, Harrisson, Allison, Call
and others who know comparatively little
about railroads and grand financial
transactions; yet these gentlemen are more
tlinii liis peers on nil questions. He is
smaller than they. It is like transferring
a Napoleon to Elba. 'He is out of place;
or feels that lie is, and that amounts to the
same thing. It is understood that he will
soon retire from the Senate by resignation.
If he does so it will go hard with Uncle
Phil Sawyer for n while. Of " all the men
in 1 in* Senate, Stanford ha- a great, r love
for Sawyer. He finds in the Wisconsin
senator a crude business man who has
gained more than a competence by hard
knocks. He is sorry that so good a man os
Sawyer should spend liis last days in the
Senate; but he loves him just the same.
They like the same kind of wine, too; nnd
they smoke the same brands of cigars.
Gen. Wheeler of Alabama is the smill-
cst as well as the shortes' man physically
in the House. He is a very little man.
indeed, but he is an intellectual giant not
inferior to Alexander H. Stephens.
Wheeler was a lieutenant-general in the
confederate army when lie was 24 years
old; and atone time he commanded the
entire confederate cavalry. Federal offi
cers always regarded him as a dangerous
foe to meet on the field. In the House he
is quiet and unobtrusive, but whenever
there is any measure before congress in
which he ia specially intereated.he is heard.
Nothing can daunt him. It is recorded of
!>iiu tout one morafcjg whea he had a mat
ter of special interest to Sis constituents, on
private bill day, he raised a storm because
lie was unable to get the speaker’s eye.
Patiently and unostentatiously lie en 1
deavored to get a hearing from noon until
3 o’clock in the afternoon. Then, walking
down the aisle in front of the speaker,
when other members were securing recog
nition and passing bills by unanimous
consent, lie ahotited: “I object” again and
again until every member who had mat
ters engaging their attention were obliged
to stop and succumb to the sharp, hurtling
and effective words of objection from the
little man from Alabama. Then he got
recognition aud demanded the passage of
his bill by unanimous consent. It was
done. Gen. Wheeler was determined to
be the one solitary determined objector
who should stop all the legislation in the
Honse until he secured recognition. Inas
much as he seldom pushes himself aggres
sively forward, the matter was noticed and
commented upon; and since that day,
whenever Wheeler wants the House lolitu^
and favor him, he finds but little trouble.
It is a hurly-burly place, and a man must
become recognized as a lighter before he '
receives the wholesome respect of his col-
1
fund of information upon all topics of
public policy No matter what subject
happens to be sprung unexpectedly upon
the Cave of the Winds, as Don Piatt
designated the popular branch of congress,
Gen. Weaver is always ready to intelli
gently and instructively debate it. liis
memory is remarkable. He will quote
from speeches delivered a decade ago, refer
to books and pamphlets which bear upon
the subject, and clearly state his own posi
tion, giving amply sufficient reasons for
the conclusions which he reaches. There
is an aggressiveness and soldier-like air
about him which is sometimes commented
upon in a critical spirit, but those who
know him best know that he is toerance,
charity and conciliation personified. His
friends cling to him as a leader, and his
political opponents respect him for his
honesty.
Congressman Bob Vance of Connecti
cut, democrat; and Richard Guenther of
Wisconsin, republican, are the closet of
friends in the House. They are both
blofcdes, eoth handsome, bright and lovea
ble. Moreover, were it in the bounds of
propriety, it might be said that they are
given to playing pranks and practical jokes
upon each other, like college lower class-
men. For instance: Guenther recently
returned one evening from an extended
visit to his home at Oshkosh, Wis. After
going to his hotel, he started to call on
Vance. On the way he met Amos Cum
mings and they walked together up
Fourteenth street toward Vance’s
rooms. On the way they met
crowd of colored boys, ranging in ages
from 4 to 16 years. They were marching
with wooden muskets and shrilly blowing
tin whistles. They were playing soldier.
“Hold on,” said Guenther. “Let’s give
Vance a serenade.” Thereupon Guenther
and Cummings hired the little darkies to
march up in front of Vance’s residence,
play a tune and shout: “Three cheers for
Congressman Boh Vance of Connecticut.
Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah! Tiger!” The
little fellows carried out their
structipns to the letter, and were
paid for their services. Vance did not
respond to the serenade, but he
THE BLONDE TWINS, VANCE AND GUEN
THER,
heard that evening that Guenther had
returned. The next morning the New
York Sun and the World contained an
nouncements of the great serenade which
had been tendered Vance “by the Trotter
Guard of Washington.” And, whenG.ucn-
ther came down stairs to breakfast next
morning, he was handed an express pack
age which seemed very heavy for him,
and lie wrote across the address: “In care
of Congressman Vance, No. 608 Four
teenth street,” and the package was
returned to Vance who had sent it. It con
tained two excellent, well-formed symmet
rical red brickbats, and nothing else. But
Vance says he will get even on that sere
nade, and die probably will.
Smith D. Fbv.
blaine and conkling.
The Old Controversy again the Sub|.„
Gossip,
Washington Correspondence New York
The controversy brought about bv l,
publication of a very biuer letter "fit
lio6<*)e Coukling, wri.ten in 18C6 r,' E
corning Sir. Blaine, ha. revived memo?;”'
of the various attempts made diirinJ
life time of Mr. Coding to britg". * *!
reconciliation between the two men. j“L
Rnssell Young made the last attempt j.
was when Mr. Blaine was i n th- wT
Mr. Conkling eaid to Mr. Young that
wouhl accent a personal apology f ro '
Mr. Blame for the original speech of,?
tack made in the House of Repeats
lives upon the sole condition that the d ?
claimer should b made in the onen
ate. Such; a condition was so impossibL
that the proposition was not even
ed to Mr Blaine, and I doubt if R
heard of the attempt which was made in
such good faith by Mr. Young. °
There was very little bitterness of feelin.
between Messrs. Conkling and Blaine d„ S
ring the last ten years of the former’s life
I ludge of tins by talks with friends of Mr
Conkring and with personal conversation,!
with Mr. Blaine upon this subject. Bui
the breach between the tw > men was m
wide that any attempt tosecureareconcili
ation could have but resulted awkwardly
I do not know how many men I have met
in Washington who appeared to have be-
lieved that they were born npon this earih
with the sole mihsion of bringing about
a reconciliation between these two men.
borne of the Washington aspirants have
even gone so far as to invite them to the
same dinner-table Once Mr. Conkliar
when senator, went down to Jinner with
Mrs. Blaine upon his arm and Mr. Blaine
took out Mrs. Conkling. Mr. Conkliar
conversed with Mrs. Blaine, who is one of
the most entertaining of conversational,
ists, and Mr. Blaine talked witli Mrs. Conk-
ling as if they were old friends. This was
tbo most daring attempt ever made in
Washington to break the ice between the
two men. It failed, of course.
I do not think any of Sir. Conkline's
real friends can be pleased with one view
pursued by • er.ain newspaper publication!
since the publication of the Conkling let
ter of I860, and that is the allegation that
Mr. Blaine’s course towards Mr. Conkling
had embittered and ruined his life and had
indirectly driven him to his death. Mr.
Conkling was a proud, independent gem
tleman, who would have been the first to
resent the imputation that he had been
personally injured by any aggressions of
Mr. Blaine or his friends.
The last time I ever heard Mr. Blaine
speak of Mr. Conkling was in Paris last
May. It was soon after Mr. Conkling 1 !
death. Mr. Blaine spoke of Mr. Conkling
with great respect and consideration. He
said then that lie thought the mistake in
Mr. Conkling’s life was when he declined
to accept the chief justiceship of the
supreme court from the hands of Grant
Mr. Blaine thought that Mr. Conkling ex
celled in the consideration of the pnnei-
ples of abstract law and that he would
have made a name on the bench not ex
celled by any of the great judge!
who have occupied this high place.
I have often heard Mr. Blaine speak of
the controversy between him-elf and Mr.
Conkling. He never spoke of it, unless in
response to a question. He always spoke
without any trace of feeling and always
indicated a readiness on liis pari to g) as
far as a man of honor could :a :cfdc the
quarrel. Indeed, it can be said of Mr.
Blaine in this connection that he b a man
who harbors no resentments. In the heat
of a controversy he would go as fsr as any
fight was over tho bitterness would b
«one. -
How He Stood the Witches OIL
,Putnam Cor. Amerlcus Recorder.
Superstition has not played out amm,
the negroes yet. An old negro up her»d<
ciding that witches were after him cut hi
only water bucket to pieces as it wa
claimed that,that would drive them awai
He then used water out of a jug til
he was able to get a new bucket.
-.OTJS3S-
BILIOUSNESS, SICK HEADACHE
HEARTBURN, LIVER INDIGESTION
DYSPEPSIA, COMPLAINT, JAUNDICE
Preserve the Forests.
From Science.
The importance of preserving the forests
becomes evident in South Africa. J. G.
Gamble, iu the “Proceedings of the Insti
tute of Civil Engineers,” points out that
the soil of Africa becomes dryer every
yean Although the amount of precipita
tion is not decreasing, the springs become
less strong, and rivers that used to flow
permanently are dry during the summer.
Gamble considers the devastation of
forests and the grass and bush fires
the principal reasons for this state
of atlnirs. Besides this, the trails
made by animals are transformed
into canons of considerable depth by sud
den rainfalls. In these canons, which are i
in some cases more than thirty feet deep, j
the surface was washed off before it has I
time to percolate the soil. Tripp has made 1
observations on the amount of evajH.ration
and found that on the highlands fully one-
half of the falling rain runs oil' without
penetrating the soil. This experience em
phasises the fact that the ultimate aim
of rational forest culture, so far as its in
fluence upon agriculture is concerned, is
the increase of tho power of the ground to
hold moisuire, and thus to prevent the
Up.u oosiug uiTof the precipitated raiu
Hunting Hidden Money.
From the Marietta Journal.
A couple of gentlemen from Whitfield
county, Oa., were iu Marietla last Monday
on a mission to locate hidden treasures.
From an Ohio federal soldier they had in
formation that during the war lie had
hnried ten thousand do'lars in gold and sil
ver in n.barn that formerly stood back of
the brick house nowoccupied by Mr. Henry
Meinert. Tills properly now btlonga to
Mr. John It, Winters. The old barn has
been torn away and some wooden tenement
liou i'K have been built there. The gentle
men in search of the hidden money had a
description of the location and were san
guine tin t they could unearth the money.
We learn they dug nbout the lot for sever
al hours Monday afternoon but their labor
was not rewarded.
Dr.C.McLANE’
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