Evening Star Newspaper, May 17, 1890, Page 8

8 * THE EVENING STAR: WASHINGTON, D.C., SATURDAY, MAY 17, 1890—-SIXTEEN PAGES. HOW A CIRCUS IS RUN Inside Works of a Great Traveling Canvas Town. ——— A BIG SHOW ON THE ROAD. <otiedRieeme Skipping by the Light of the Noon From OW many people who attend a circus ever take the trouble toconsider what gigantic problem is involved in the conduct and transportation of such a town under canvas, which, with its 1,000 or more human inhabitants and its collec- tion of tame and wild beasts, perhaps equally numerous, must be conveyed over a vast continent from city to city by the light of the moon, as one might say, making nearly all of its stops for one day only, giving two exhibi- tions each twenty-four hours, traveling 150 miles on an average between pauses and carry- ing its dwellings and means of subsistence with it? If you nad been on the grounds when a cer- tain big circus struck its tents here in Washing- ton night before last you would have witnessed an extraordinary spectacle. Nosooner had the last strains of the “concert” that follows the regular performance died away than 100 stal- wart workmen began a simultaneous attack upon the emptied seats, while even yet the audience was making its way out Before ten minutes had elapsed the entire structure of benches, accommodating 10,090 | opie, bad disappeared and the demoushment Fea’ begun of Nero’s Rome. Ten minutes more and the enormous main tent was prone upon the ground, the supporting poles having been pulled from under it, and was being swiftly taken to pieces by skilled hands. By this time the menagerie tent also had been taken down. and as for the side shows, they bad vanished completely—fat women, bearded ladies, dwarfs, giants, snake charmers and all—each of these exhibitions having re- moved its own fixtures. To receive all this paraphernalia, thus reduced to its primitive elements, as one might say, eighty teams stood ready harnessed in the open, each drawn by four or six horses that neighed and pawed the ground in their eagerness to be off. In charge of all these teams was a “boss,” audit was bis duty to DIRECT THE SMALL ARMY engaged in loading them. Every movement that he made was imitated simultaneously by 400 men. If he took hold of a piece of tent 400 subordinates sprang to do the same; when he lifted a box and put it upon a wagon 400 pairs of hands were at once applied toa like task, and so with everything. Thus 80 wagons were loaded as quickly as one wagon could be, and as soon as a single team was ready to start for the | railway four score heavily freighted convey ances stood prepared, their dri ag | with uplifted whips for the word “Go!” The | auimal cages, of course, are built as covered | carts with wheels, and it had simply been nec- essary in their instance to hitch horses to|/ them. Asfor the elephants, camels, zebras, dromedaries, ring horses and other beasts not | caged, they had been sent om ahead ia charge | of their own attendants. | Thus loaded upon wagons the circus was| ready for departure. A whip’s touch and it | was done. Precisely forty-five minutes had | elapsed since the close of the great show, and | the little city under canvas, lately so popu: lous—its tents alone coverimg eleven} aeres—had vanished hike a dream. The | faring lights were out, noise had been | succeeded by silence, people and vehicles had | taken their departure and naught was left | where ali had been so bright and noisy and Joyous a few moments before but a dismal ex- panse of partly soaked ground and sawdust, with here and there a pool of water, Where had the circus gone? It was on its way to Richmond. It bad to travel 130 miles before morning and give a street parade at 10:30am. Therefore it must sleep eu routa. Cireus people have to do all their sleeping | Pretty nearly at the rate of from 30 to 50 miles an hour. For its accommodation the show had to have THREE LONG TRAINS, which followed each other as ciosely as possi- | bie. On board the first train were the 1,100 | persons employed by the exhibition. They occupied sleeping cars, but these conveyances | were not on the Pullman plan; they were designed for business rather than luxury and those who enjoyed in them the re- pose which their lavorsof the day had so | well earned were packed as closely as possible | in tiers of berths. Phe graceful bullet dancers | and slave girls who take part in the spectacle | of “Nero” were tucked away in rows by them- selves, the male Romans having their own | quarters. Seven buudred of these men and | Women there are who appear nightly in the | festivities which precede the burniug of Kome. | Most of them are Italian: about one hundred, who are E kept as far as possible separate from the peo- ple of the circus proper. The second train | carried the beasts of the menagerie and their | care takers, while the third train conveyed all | the tents, scenery, costumes and other para- phernalia. All three of the trains belong to the show, and the freight cars used are many of them sixty feet long—just twice the length of the biggest sort of freight car ordinarily employed by railways. When the circus got to Richmond yesterday morning early, every one of the people had | been waked in time to dressand be ready for disembarking. No sooner had the three trains — into the station than the work of load- jug their contents upon the four score wagons was begun, the task being performed with the same rapidity and system as before. Within a few minutes the entire show was on wheels and started for the grounds previously hired for it. Most of the performers and workmen rode on the carts, the topsof which were aswarm with them, including the closed ANIMAL CAGES AND THE GILDED CHARIOTS, ‘These last vehicles, by the way, costa great deal of money, often as much as $6,000 or £7,000 apfece. Ihe elephants, ring horses, camels aud zebras had to walk. Quce arrived at the show place the canvas cityprang into exist- ence in its new location almost as quickly as it bad vanished in Washington the night before. The big tents were put uplifted on their mighty and staked into shape. Up went the | skeleton structure of benches and the “Nero” | | seenery under the main canvas; the animal cages were quickly run into their places around the menagerie department, and the side shows, with their flaming pictured banners illustrating | unheard-of monstrosities, grew up like mush- rooms on every hand. Not an hour had passed before the canvas town was full grown. Then it was time for breakfast, and in three enormous dining tents the 1,100 performers and workmen sat down to their morning meal, which the cooks had been preparing for them. The meats were cooked on three ranges, which occupied big wagon, and there was a fourth range put up outside on the ground to help. Four huge cal- drons hanging over a bonfire in the open were for the boiling of vegetables and the brewing ofsoups. In a supplementary tent the carving and dish washing were done. All the crockery, cutlery and tin ware had been taken out of solid wooden boxes with hinges and locks and each performer or boss had « china plate, bowl, cup and saucer. The workmen had tin plates and pannikins, but the fare was the same for ail It is served by contract with the circus at #o much for the season. AFTER BREAKFAST, Breakfast over, there was plenty of work to be done before the parade was to start at 10:30—grooming of horses, feeding of wild beasts, cleaning of cages and chariots, sorting out of costumes, arrangement of “properties,” Floashing of ground for circus rings, &c., &c. ‘hen came a ride of many miles in procession through the city and a return tothe show lace at noon. With doors to be opened at P.M. every one must take lunch on the jump, 4s it were, for costumes have yet to be put on and all made ready for the “grand entrance,” Meanwhile the side shows had been opening for business in advance of the regular per- formance, and all the freaks, frum the living skeleton to the Circassian beauty with the glued hair, were already bestowing their smiles and photographs— the latter at 10 cents apiece—upon the early crowd. At5p.m. there was dinner, after the first performance in the big tent; at 7 p-m. the doors were opened for the evening perform- ance, at the close of which the canvas city was folded up and silently stole away to the next Stopping place. Such is cireus life. It requires three men to make the advance Preparations for a circus like this. One keeps always one month ahead of the show. It is his duty to visit the editorial rooms of the princi- pal newspapers in each town on the route and make the best arrangements he can for reading notices of the coming circus. Editors are apt te be liberal with him in the expectation of ad- vertising to come later. Very nearly every- thing that is sent out in the of printed matter for advertising | rear to light the tin cans of | tional circus is written by this man. He makes the wording for all the posters and lithographs among other things. The 5] faculty which earns him a whopping big salary is his dex- terity in han and effective words, the importance of whichjin cirous advertising is not to be over estimated. He works all the year round, accumulating adjectiferous verbiage by the quantity in winter to put forth in the ac- tive season, The second advance agent travels for weeks ahead of the show and does nothing at MAKE CONTRACTS FOR ADVERTISING. It isa part of this man’s business to know absolutely the circulation of every important paper in the United States, He goes to the man- ager and says: “You have so many thousand subscribers; I will pay you so much per thou- sand for a given amount of space.” Thus he always gete his money's worth. The third ad- vance agent is always two days ahead of the circus, and it is his duty to see that the desired notices go into the papers during these two days—for otherwise the editors might for- get them at the last moment—and to supply anything supplementary that may be requisite, With the show when it reaches town comes the “press agent,” whose task it is to look after the newspapers in the interest of the circus while it isin the city. He distriputes tickets liberally among reporters and editors and in- Vites them out to the grounds, with an eye to complimentary paragraphs. If the boys are hungry, the press agent waves his hand and, lo! a feast is spread; if they are thirsty, he shouts for the drinks, Frequently, in conse- quence of this continual shouting, he cannot help becoming much fatigued. Onan average, a press agent lasts about three years, then the show loses him by spontaneous com- bustion. Such a circus as the one described has incon- nection with it no less than three huge cars, which are, in fact, good-sized printing and lithographing establishments on wheels, Each of these cars has thirty workmen on board and a boss in charge of it, One of them always travels two months ahead of the show, another one month ahead and the third two weeks ahead, All the aps pha, hand bills, posters afd other such adver matter are prepared on board and the circus is in this way rendered independent of emgeay -cur inp es- tablishments. It costs $7,500 a day to runa traveling amusement establishment of the kind that has just left Washington, NERO BEHIND THE SCENES, The introduction of historical spectacle, with elements of opera and ballet, as an addition to the circus, evidently marks the beginning of a new era in the business. A writer for Taz Stan was accorded the privilege of seeing Rome burn from bebind the scenes night before last, and he found the view exceedingly interesting. Making his way, under the escort of the press agent, through a break in the “flies” he found the whole space behind— the Nero procession was on the point of start- ing—flled: with Pretorian guards in armor, beautiful slaves, Nubians, gentlemen of the mob and more particularly balles girls, The last named were in a great state of perturba- tion at the moment on account of a hop- toad. Doubtless they would have pulled up their skirts had they had any on worth mentioning; but as it was they simply skipped about pretuly, expressing their alarm by cries of “Ob—la, la!” Then came the prompter's call, and a company of them marched out and | along the Roman street before the audience, way.ng golden olive branches. “Vestal virgins on deck!” was next the prompter’s cry, and a gorgeous chariot, drawn by six milk-white horses, came bumping over the rough ground out ofa tent immedi- ately in the rear, which provided accommoda- tion for the vehicles. Half a dozen charming young ladies were seated upon the chariot, guarding the sacred and eternal fire that blazed ina brazier. A company of Pre- torian guards with superb helmets and shields followed the vestals out into the arena, and then another call obliged 100 of the bailet girls who had been making a circle around the hop-toad to form in line and march out in their turn, waving silver olive branches, Six stalwart Nubians next took upon their shoulders a litter in which was luxuriously borne a pleasing young woman, who was kind enough to explain that SHE WAS A FAVORITE SLAVE. Next came more Pretorian guards and then the great four-horse chariot of Nero came dashing out of the vehicle tent so recklessly that one of the men at the horses’ heads came within an ace of being crushed against a post atthe entrance to the Roman street. More soldiers came after, and 80 on. It was very interesting to look out from be- hind the scenes while the ballet was in pro- gress upon the great sea of human faces, One could have gazed with pleasure upon the spec- tacle for » longer time from that point of view; but the time came for the attemdants in the d-fire powder, and the show was over, Few people were able to translate the sur- | prising Latin inscription conspicuously dis- played on the outside of one of the Roman monuments, Itread: “Um Nero, Pinxitibus Borit. Bobinusitus Vilexit Delit. Coronflit Percyrius Erxit, Remus Romulus Fectus Ex- eterit Xvs. Det.” Maybe you can translate it, tee — ELECTRIC SHINES, | The Mysterious “Fluid Employed in a New Role—All for a Nickei. There was that about the new comer which proclaimed him a statesman. Men who devote their lives to politics as a means of subsistence acquire a certain likeness of aspect which stamps them unmistakably to the habitual ob- server. It is the same way with actora, As for this particular public personage, his ap- pearance otherwise was in no way remarkable; he wore @ square beard of an- cient Ezyptian cut, the upper lip shaven, his silk hat had a good deal of its nap rubbed the wrong way,and he pulled his trouser legs nearly up to his knees as he bade the boot- k begin operations. “It don’t cost no more for an electric shine than for the ordinary kind?” he queried, “Just the same—nly a nickel,” replied the colored boy, daubin ; the blacking upon the right boot, with a sighly essential dilution of alive, don't see any -Jlectricity about that,” said the statesman. “There isn’t none sah,” explained the boot- black, “De'lectric ty comes in on de Polish.” How ° WORKS, And with that he p zked up the nozzle of what looked like a ruber hose about six feet long, on the end of wh ~h was asmall cylindri- cal brush with stiff britles, The brush re- volved at such a rate of s: ved that the states- man was unable to distinguish the bristles as it was «pplied to his shoe, producing und: the manipu- lation of the skilled operatur a shine of excep- brilliancy in an incredibly brief time, Now and then during the short process the boy would breathe upo. the leather, so that it might be made to gle~ n more brightly under the subsequent touche: of the brush. “It takes about half de tiv.s to shine em up dat way, sab, dat it does i. de old style,” he , ashe pulled @own the trouser leg over the shoe that was done and started in on the other shoe. “Yor. wantter know how it's worked? Why, you see, sah, dere is wot dey call an ‘lectric motor in de box under your feet. Wher I turn it on it makes a long wire arm ‘aside ob dis hose go round like blazes, Or. de end ob de arm am dis brush. an’ dat’s de whole busiaess ob shinin’ boots by ‘lectricity. De mos’ partickler object ob de in- vention am tosave de time an’ muscle ob us bootblacks; but it is also expected to make money on it at de big waterin’ places next sum- mer, so I heard de boss say. Now you'se done, sab.’ A nickel, if you please.” NEW PUBLICATIONS. OUTLINES OF JEWISH HISTORY: From B.C. 586 to C.E. 1890. With Three Maps. By Lapy Maas. Kevised by M. Friedlander, Ph.D. Philadelphia: Ihe Jewish Publication Society of America, THE KREUTZER SONATA. By Count Lro Tot. stot. Boston: Ben} R. Tucker. Washington: Charles Baur. HOW TO PRESERVE HEALTH. By Louis Barkay, M.D. New York: The American ws CO. BLACK BEAUTY: His Grooms and Companions. The “Uncle Tom's Cabin” of the Horse. Bos- tou: Tue American Humane Education So- ciety. Serenading a Dead Bride. In the case of Mrs. Charlies W. Eckert, nee Helen Brecht, the coroner's jury at Pittsburg rendered a verdict to the effect that the bride of a day came to her death from an overdose of poison administered by her own hand, with suicidal intent, Helen Brecht married Charles W. Eckert to please her parents, Two weeks ago, when the wubject of marriage was under discussion, Miss Brecht told her in- tended husband that the match was dii able to her and that she loved another better. After the wedding ceremony, and while the bride lay on her death couch, ® band of musi- cians stood outside the house serenading the newly married couple. She swallowed “rough rats,” buying « whole box for the purpose. The German steamship Karlsruhe arrived in Baltimore yesterday from Bremen. She brings oue thousand immigrants, MOUNT VERNON’S RULERS. Annual Gathering of the Regents at the Old Mansion. 4 PROSPEROUS YEAR AND A PROMISING OUT- LOOK—IMPROVEMENTS MADE ON THE GROUNDS ADDITIONS TO THE LIBRARY—THE PRESENT MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. OUNT VERNON was the scene o notable gathering of patriotic women today, when the annual meeting of the board of lady re- gents began. These are the ladies whose privilege and pleasure it is to see that the old homestead of the first President of these United States is cared for as it should be and kept as nearly as possible in the con- dition in which it was left Every year the ladies hold a meeting at Mount Vernon lasting generally through a number of days. At this meeting all that has been done since the pre- ceding meeting is reviewed and reported and all necessary arrangements made for the en- suing year. The old house is thrown open for the use of the regents, and for a time at least it has a more homelike appearance than the mere presence of boat loads of visitors can ever give to it. It is not wholly deserted then at the whistle of the steamer as it returusto the wharf. Other the piazzas an ople are to be seen around re lawns besides the resident superintendent and his assistants. ‘oas many of the ladies as have already gone down the sight of the old home must have been a peculiarly beautiful one. To all, of course, it is leasing sight, but they have the feeli that it is through their diligent care that the well-kept condition of the build- ings and grounds is largely due. Mount Ver- non and all its surroundings never looked more beautiful than they have this week. The place is always well kept, to be sure. That fact every one knows, But it really seems as though this year the trees were greener, the lawns more velvety, the outlook more charming and that nature herself had vied successfully with man to do honor to the memory of a great man. HOW MOUNT VERNON I8 GOVERNED. The government of Mount Vernon isa simple one. The whole property belongs to an asso- ciation of ladies from all parts of the country. Their power is all-supreme now, but that they hav wielded it wisely and carefully is a fact that is clear to the most casual observer, They havea resident secretary and superin- tendent, who looks out carefully for all their interests and sees that everything is as it should be, He has an assistant and a number of men and women around to look after the place under his supervision, The board of regents as it is now made up is composed of the following ladies: Regent— Mrs. L. Macalester Laughton. Vice regente— Mrs, Margaret J. M. Sweat, Maine; Mrs. Cor- nelius L. King, Vermont; Miss Alice M. Long- fellow, Massachusetts; Mrs. Abby W. Chace, Rhode Island; Mra. Susan E. J. Hudson, Con- necticut; Mrs, Justine V. R. Townshend, New York; Mrs, Nancy W. Halsted, New Jersey; Miss Comegys, Delaware; Miss Emily L. Har- per, Maryland; Mrs. Mary T. Barnes, Wash- ington. D. C.; Mrs, Emma R. Ball, Virginia; Mra, El . Washington, West Virginia; Mrs. Letitia H. Walker, North Carolina; Mrs. Lucy H. Pickens, South Carolina; Mrs, Ida M. Rich- ‘dson, Louisiana; Mrs, Cynthia H. P. Brown, Tenneseee; Mrs. Jennie M. Ward, Kansas; Mrs. Elizabeth L. Broadwell, Ohio; Mrs. Martha Mitchell, Wisconsin; Mrs. Elizabeth A. Rath- bone, Michigan; Mrs. Mary I. Leiter, [inois; Mrs. Fanny G. Baker, Florida; Mrs. Alice Hill, Colorado; Mra, Rebecca B, Flandreau, Minne- sota; Mrs. Phobe A. Hearst, California. Of this number all but Mrs, Chace, Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Broadwell, Mrs, Mitchell, Mrs. Leiter and Mrs. Baker are expected to be present ut the meeting this year. Mr. E. Francis Riggs is treasurer of the association, Mr. Harrison H. Dodge, superintendent, and there is an advi- sory committee, consisting of Judge Jos.P. Co- megys of Delaware, Mr. Justice Field of Cali- fornia, Hon. John 8. Barbour of Virginia, Hon. T, N. McCarter of New Jersey, Dr. J. C. Welling of Washington, D, ©., and Mr. G. W. Childs of Philadelphia, A PROSPEROUS YEAR, The past year has been the most prosperous since the centennial year, The travel has been greater and the receipts correspondingly increased, During the year there have been about 37,000 visitors to the tomb. October, the month of the conclave of the Knights Templar, was marked by the heaviest travel. During that month there were 13,000 visitors, in one week 11,000 and in one day 4.000. Almost all the receipts of the assoc e been spent in repairs and restorations, and but few im- rovements, in the strict meaning of that word, ave beenmade. The object of the associa tion has always been to make the place just as itwas during Washington's time and not to make it look altogether too elegant. No new rooms have been fitted up. The last of these was finished three years ago by the vice regent from Maine. RESTORING THE SERVANTS’ QUARTERS. Within the year the old servants’ quarters by the conservatory have been restored by the vice regent from Kansas on behalf of the school children of that state, who raised $1,000 for the purpose, Many of the bricks were still standing in position and all the old bricks were used in rebuilding the structure, This was built as nearly as could be on the plan of the old building. One great improvement, though it does not show at its true worth, was the ro- claiming of the land on either side of the wharf for a distance of about 1,800 feet. A sea wall has been built and the great cavities in the rear filled up. The river had gradually under- mined the bank along here until a portion of the road had caved in and greater damage was threatened, There were some accidents last spring that did a great deal of damage. These were in the form of extensive land slides along the river bank, and one came very near wrecking the old tomb. A considerable sum of money had to be expended in repair- ing the damage that these slides caused. THE FARM. The fields of the estate are gradually being got back to condition by a proper rotation of crops, They were badly depleted by over-cul- tivation, and out of the 235 acres in the estate less than 50 are now open to cultivation; the rest is timber, swamp lands and lawns. With the exception of these items mentioned the re- ceipts of the association have been expended almost entirely in necessary repairs to the mansion and to the several buildings, all of which are of frame and need constant repairs to keep them in prcrse condition. Visitors, too, do agreat deal of damage in the course of the year, and all thishas to be attended to, ‘The association is by no means arich one, Its only reliable source of income is from the re- ceipts of the sale of tickets on the boat, and of this amount the association only gets a third, It has always been supposed that the receipts during the time of the conclave were enor- mous, yet in that whole month—the most pros- perous one in the history of the associati they only amounted to a little leas than $4,000, THE LIBRARY. There have been many additions to the library during the past year, if not with books actually owned by General Washington, at least with books of similar editions to those he possessed. The books that Washington left to Bushrod Washington were afterward sold to the Boston Athen#um. This accounts for the small number of his books now at Mount Vernon. Odd pieces of furniture that belonged to him, however, come into the possession of the asso- ciation from time to time and are religiously cared for. A COLLECTION OF PORTRAITS, Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet recently presented the association with a collection of sixty por- traits of Washington and the generals of the revolution that add greatly to the interest of the collection at Mount Vernon. The collec- tion is of historical value from the fact that it is made up to a great extentof Portraits issued as “private” or “club portraits,” of which there ry few impressions issued before the plate was destroy It would be almost im- possible to get another set together which would be as complete as this is, in containing the authentic likeness of e' 'Y general where For years Dr. Emmet was engaged, with others, in tracing out the descendants of these men with the ‘Object of having their portraits engraved whenever a likeness could be found. Another handsome present was from Mr. — P. Avery of wlpeaie a is an enamel paint on copper of Gen, Washington, from the original by Gilbert Stuart, panes "trom life for the Marquis of Lansdowne, Philadel- phia, April, 1796. On the back of the enamel ainting is the inscription, “Gen, George ‘ashington, President of the United States of America, &., London, May, 1825, Painted by Henry Bone, R.A., enamel ter to his Ser enamel ter to R. H. Duke of Yor! Stuart &e., after original by Gabriel 8 fa the pe — iiinnrens ‘iavaentdh sige jp vag nidgy OOS inters of his day, and painted from life many Bethe aoe i Eine a "eel as” many copies of celebrat in 1775 and died in 1698. ‘This cnemel wasped- chased by Mr. Avery in London in 1878, OLD PORICK CHURCH. Pohick Church, near Mourt Vernon, which Washington used to attend, has always received considerable attention at the hands of the re- gents, and it is their custom to attend services there every year at the time of their meeting. This custom they will follow tomorrow. One of the most important restorations that they have made eos a Year was that of the old stone baptismal font of this church, This font had been lost ever since the destruction of the old church, very many years ago, and it has but recently been recovered. It is a — affair, nearly as as an ordinary bath tub, and stood on s substantial foundation, This part has never been recovered. What has been the fate of the old font in all this while is not very well known, but it has evidently been tra around a good deal. It was recovered from a er, who is said to have bought it for 10 cents and had converted itto the ignoble Uses of a horse trough. The regents have sup- plied it with a handsome new foundation and it is once more set up in the church in the active performance of its sacred duties, An interesting fact connected with the history of Pohick Church is that during the late war the church register was stolen. This was over 150 years old and back to the early history of the church, It contained the names of Washington and many of the old wardens and other church officers, Its loss was serious one, for it involved a question as to the title of the church property. ‘This register was recently found way up in the northern part of New York and has been returned, Its re- covery has cleared away all the clouds over the deeds of the church property aud the church is once more at peace. THE MANAGEMENT OF THE ESTATE. The estate of Mount Vernon has been well cared for by the superintendent, Mr. Dodge. His assistant is Mr. James Young, and Mr. F. A. Wheelan is the gardener. Besides these there are three colored women and six colored men employed around the place. There are many improvements that Mr, Dodge has planned for the coming year, and these he willcarry into effectif they receive the sanction of the board of regents, One important restoration in Pree is that of the old ha-ha fence or sunken wall that ran across the m above and below the mansion during Washington's time. Then a number of other brick walls that ere known of and that were torn down probably while the mansion was occupied by some member of Washington's family are to be restored. An- other great improvement will be the reclam- ation of a piece of swamp land, some thirty acres in extent, that now lies directly west of the tomb. It will bea difficult and expensive task to reclaim it, but there seems to be no doubt that its existence is responsible for much of the malarial trouble that is preva- lent around Mount Vernon, These and other important matters of business will probably oc- cupy the attention of the board of regents at their business meeting next week. Most of the ladies went down last night by a special trip of the new Mount Vernon steamer, the Charles Macalester. The meeting formally convened today, but the members are not likely to get down ‘to active business before Monday. ———_-e- STRAUSS AND GILMORE, Two Famous Musical Organizations to Appear Here Together. Strauss and Gilmore are two names so familiar in the musical world that when the two come together it means an event of great import- ance. That is just what will happen in this city next week and this is the only city in the country where both these leaders will appear atthe same time; first one, then the other, and then both together. At the united per- formance they will play alternately music characteristic of each great organization. Next Saturday afternoon there will be the first of the Strauss concerts and another will be given Saturday evening. Gilmore's Band will play alone on Sunday afternoon and the matinee will be made the more interesting by the presence of soloists of the highest reputa- tion and excellence. It is said that his band was never in such splendid condition us now, and never provided more interesting and varied programs, The Gilmore matinee on Sunday has been especially arranged for the benefit of his admirers in this city who may not be able to attend in the evening. Sunday evening Strauss and Gilmore will be onthe game platform at Albaugh’s, playing alternately, and at this concert Gilmore's so- loists will sing, making a musical festival of unusual attractiveness, There is something interesting, almost magical, in the very name of Strauss, The music, particularly the dance music, of this extraordinary family, which has put into the world over 2,000 compositions, has charmed its hearers for more than one genera- tion. It has a fascination about it in its com- position, theme and harmonization thats quite unique, But the Strauss interpretation of this marvel- ous music is @ revelation to those who have heard the great orchestra of Vienna which bears their name. There is said to be an in- imitable dash and swing in the playing of the Strauss orchestra, @ constant rhythmic vari- ation and a contrasting of lights and shadows that are a source of continual delight, making the most familiar numbers seem like new com- positions, It is doubtful if there is another orchestra in the world that plays a waltz as Strauss’ men do under the baton of their leader, Edouard Strauss, who makes his first bow before a Washington audience next Satur- day at Lincoln Hall. Gilmore welcomed the elder Strauss to America at the Boston peace jubilee twenty-seven years ago, and it is pecu- liarly appropriate that here, in the capital of the nation, he should welcome Edouard at the commencement of his American tour. It will be an occasion of extraordinory interest, and a special program will be arranged for each con- cert, The Saturday matinee will be Strauss’ first appearance in this city. ee Spoiling a Rancher’s Fun. From the New York Sun. On one occasion, when with the government survey party in Texas,a man rode into our camp ona mule and gave us the news thata band of Indians had attacked a rancher about seven miles away. We made up a party of twelve soldiers and civilians and covered the distance as fast asour horses could go, Sure enough, there were fifteen or twenty Indians besieging a cabin and they were just getting ready to set fire to it by backing up a wagon loaded with hay, We got two of them and cuptured six ponies and the others were not yet out of sight when the settler opened his door and stepped out, followed by his wife. He hada rifle and shea shot gun, and the first words the man said were: “Now, you dog-goned onery lot, but what does this "ere meat Who in —— are you'uns, and what brought you here’ “Why, man!” said our captain, “we came from our camp seven miles away to save you.” “Save h—li!" roared the man, “Who axed fur any of your help?” “Yes, pint him out!” added his wife. “Why, asettler rode inona mule and said you were attacked; and, of course, we came to your help.” “Well, dod rot you, you hev spilt all the fun, We've been waitin’ right yere fur five years to hev them Injuns show up and we'd just got ‘emred hotfur fun, when youhad to cum chargin’ up an’ scatter’em off! It was deud wrong on me and Nance.” “You bet, Sam, dead wrong!” she added. “Why, you'd have been burned out in ten minutes more!” exclaimed the amazed captain. “We would, eh? In the first place that hay is still wet from the rain, In the next place, I drawed out the axle pins and every wheel would hev run off in backing ten feet, In the last place we jist wanted to git the crowd in range and then sweep ‘em with the old swivel I've had mounted back yere fur over two years, Ireckon you meant right ‘nuff, but it was dead wrong on me and Nance, and after this I'll thank ye to mind yer bizness, Them Injuns is gone and the Lord only knows when another gang will cum along.” And the pair picked up their hoes and went to work in the corn patch without giving us another word or look, ———+o-—____ Kansas Philosophy. From the Atchison Globe, When your ship finally comes in it may be a wreck, A fool can never sit in a corner; he is always in the middle of the room. It is not what others think of you that makes you; it is what you think of others, When you finda man who is fond of staying at home, his wife finds fault about it. People are never satisfied, women want to wear pants and men do wear dress #*+,, Peopie who are fond of dancing ought to learn to play the fiddle and save that expense. When a mau has asore throat and it hurts him to swallow, he wante to swallow all the ta re never feels so bad that he will not feel if noone asks him what he is feeling about. When a man reaches forty he begins to look around for the namesof men who distinguished themselves after that age. tae Ma not egy! Sg Tomy yt do so i wrong a it wi Daeuniaiaritsieh setedarat When a rooster clucks, and @ rooster runs up of a pullet, the second rooster is very t the worm is mighty small amount of noise made. for the GEN, FREMONT’S VIEWS. A Half Hour’s Chat With the Great Pathfinder. WHITE-HAIRED BUT VIGOROUS—HE IS GIVING TIME ‘TO LITERARY WORK AND I8 THINKING MUCH ON THE LABOR QUESTION—THE TARIFF AND TRE IMMIGRATION PROBLEM. A Sraz reporter called on Gen. John O. Fre- montat Lieut Fremont’s the other evening,and hada pleasant talk of haif an bour or more, In spite of his snow-white hair and whiskers the general still has » youthful freshness of com- Plexion, a clear, bright eye and the easy grace of manner and movement that is usual only in youth and full vigor of manhood. He looks ten or fifteen years younger than he is. ‘When the Star reporter entered the drawing room he saw the figure of a man with white hair seated in an easy chair in the bay window. In the growing twilight he looked like a man advanced in years and perhaps feeble. At the announcement of a visitor he arose, and as he advanced to the middle of the room he might 8 i for aman of forty-five. Of rather slender build, above medium height, his white hair parted high and combed back from his forehead and temples, whiskers just parted atthe chin and not of heavy growth, with a complexion not blotched by the finger prints of time, he isa remarkably handsome man, and his gentle manners and musical voice suggest the courtier, while there is an expression on his face that shows @ stronger character, Seated within the recess of the window with Tax Star man, he talked of men and affairs of the day, but modestly avoided talking of him- self. e takes a deep interest in all national affairs, and, a thing which seems quite remark- able, he appears to be as far in advance of the common thought of the day as he was among the progressive ranks of thirty-five hee ago. He appears not to be satisfied to look backward atja brilliant past, but, ignoring that ,is thinking ahead, The labor question is one he is studying now, and he is engaged in literary work, in part probably on that subject. ‘MEN WHO RETIRE TOO 800N. Speaking of the interest he felt in national affairs he said he did not think a man should lose this interest with his advancing years, but that he should advance in thought with grow- ing experience; that aman should study and work for his country’s good as long as life and vigor of mind was left him and that he should gain something from long expe- rience, “Many of our able men,” he said, “step off the stage too soon, when they might yet be of service to their country. In England it is not so, and it is not essential to our progressive nature that it should be so here. When 1 was in England forty years aco I heard Gladstone make a speech, He was then just on his first advance into power, and I have watched his development since, As he has advanced in years he has advanced in greatness and now in old age he is at the zenith. I was at the lawyers’ club when a message from him was spoken to a small company by the phonograph, and it seemed to me as that marvelous litt instru- ment spoke the words it had carried over the ocean I could almost recognize his voice, though it has been forty years since I heard him speak. When I go to the Capitol now most of the faces I see there are, naturally, new to me or are those I have known only of latter years, yet there are a few of those knew during and before the war. THE CHANGES OF POLITICS, “My time is so occupied with private busi- ness that I have not time to make a study of all the important questions that come up from time to time. Ikeep the run of political af- fairs in a general way and am_particularly in- terested in afew. The republicau party came into existence suddenly on a single issue and has hada brilliant career, That issue is now, of course, no longer an issue and other questions come up from time to time upon which opin- ions may differ. “Transition goes on, and in time there will be complete change pertiaps. The labor question is, think, the question of the hour; the most important the country has to deal with. Its solution calls for wisdom and statesmanship of the highest order. The time is drawing close at hand when it must be dealt with in a spirit of broad patriotism. Trade and labor are the questions of the times.” THE TARIFF. The conversation turned to the tariff and the general spoke guardedly on the subject, He said he hardly knew just what he wanted to be quote as saying. He had not read Mr, McKinley's bill nor studied the sub- ject with the care of one pee to express an opinion he would hold. to. He had not heard the speech of Mr. Butterworth, but knew of it and was inclined to take the same view of the question Mr. Butterworth took. “We must have protec- tion,” he said, ‘but conditions must be taken into consideration, and there must be equality and a in the application of the theory. I think I agree with Mr. Butterworth. He un- doubtedly has the right idea of the subject.” THE LABOR QUESTION. “The labor question,” he continued, “is one Ihave given more attention to. It demands attention, The interests of the laboring peo- ple and of capitalists alike make it necessary that the subject should be deait with wisely, The labor movement is progressive, Itstarted from nothing and has reached great importance, At first there was no need for organizations. Later a few workingmen banded together for their mutual good, Now these organizations have grown into great power. They send their representa- tives to Congress and influence the politics of the whole country. It is a movement of the people. The good or illof the country de- pends much upon how it is directed. What is for the good of the workers of the country is good for the whole country, and a policy which is wise will be for the welfare alike of labor and of capital—it cannot be to the permanent in- terest of the one and against the other, THE IMMIGRATION PROBLEM, “A thing that occurs to me, and I think it will come about in time, is that immigration might be stopped for say thirty years to give the children of foreign parentage time to grow up and be educated into citizenship, The adult foreign population may not qi un- derstand and fully appreciate our. institu- tions, but their children raised in this country, educated at our public schools—and the school system should be extended and broadened all the while—the children so raised make the best of Americans, the best of citi- zens, They love this country, which is their own, and they may be depended on always to detend its institutions. With thirty years for this class of citizens to grow up and develop the nation will be as firm as a rock, and we will be for all time a prosperous anda glorious people, No foreign immigration could burt us after @ generation of pure Americans had been bred as our fathers were bred. Immigration must be sus- pended for awhile to accomplish this and it will be done. It will solve the labor problem.” THE RISING GENERATION. While talking of affairs of the nation the general was interrupted by a bright boy of about ten, full of animal spirits, who came bounding into the room. “I got my ball, grandpa,” he cried, rushing up to the general. ‘Then seeing a stranger was present he bowed, but proceeded to call his grandfather's atten- “See how nicely it is stitche: Ph tion to the ball. It isa league ball, anda first rate one.” 6 general took the ball in his hand and examined heme “Yes,” he said, “it is a good “Well, can I climb out of the window?” the boy arked, An indulgent smile came upon the general’s face as he patted the boy on the head and told him to climb away. A drop of eight or ten feet and the boy was on the lawn, calling to some little friend to “come catch.” “That boy,” said the general, “knows all about base ball. Ho reads all the reports of games in the papers and knows more about it thanIdo, Ithink Ihave seenbut one game since I have been here this time.” After this little diversion the general con- tinued to talk of the labor and other economic problems, ————+o+—_____ Mrs. Carlisle as a Helpmate. ‘From the Atlanta Constitution. Mr. Carlisle has been ably assisted in his senatorial canvass in Kentucky by hard-work- ing friends, who have been up early and o/ten in his interest; but the telegrams state that his strongest ally and the one engaged most actively in the campaign is his wife. This is certainly “a unique One of the most beautiful of Kentucky women, and well informed as to the political situation, it is likely that she will win her way and her husband's, too. The dispatches state that has already exerted a strong iufluence o — members of the legislature literally smiling them into submission, # helpmate indeed, and a wife of whom husband is justly proud. His success is and she is fighting side by side with him tain it, Whatever be the result it can said nae that she is, and hus been, success! i 4h. ily ii : z I HG i iia ii a THE WEEK IN NEW YORK, Happenings Talked About by the People of Manhattan. ANDREW CARNEGIE'S BIG MUSIC HALL—REP BESENTATIVE BUTTERWORTH AND THE IMPORT- ERS—THE STRANGE CASE OF MR. CROKER— HOW DEAD NEW YORKERS ARE FORGOTTEN. (Correspondence of Tax Evexrvo Stan} New Yore, May 16 Tuesday was a great day for that active and altruistic Scotch-American, Andrew Carnegie, for on that day was laid the corner-stone of the vast and splendid new music hall at the corner of 57th street and 7th avenue. Itisto be & noble structure on a noble site, and it is the consummation ofa long-cherished scheme of this broad-minded millionaire. In his speech at the ceremonial laying of its corner- stone he explained that the object of the building was not the making of money, but to furnish a home for music and for all good causes. Its object will not be fulfilled if it is only occasionally opened for some grand event Mr. Carnegie said it should not be closed if there remained one good cause desirous of using it, If the Price could not be paid thenalower one should taken, and a lower, or if. necessary no price at all if the cause were wholly charitable or for the public good, The building will be a most complete and ideal one for musical purposes, Abundance of room is secured, the land having cost $307,000, with a frontage of 175 feet on 7th avenue and 150 feet on 57th street. The parquet will seat 3,000 people, having a larger floor area than that of the Metropolitan Opera House, Acous- tics and ventilation have been studied with the most minute care by the architect, Mr. W. B. Tuthill, who is assisted by Mr. Richard, M. Hunt and the Chicago firm who constructed the auditorium there. There will be parlor halls for orators, chamber music, &., but no theatrical arrangements. The building will be fire proof and is expected to cost $800,000, but it is not likely Mr. Carnegie will stint himself if a few thousands more are required. He is president of both the Oratorio and the Symphony socie- ties, in which be takes a deep interest, and the new building gives him yet another oppor- tunity to advance the fortunes of his young protege, Walter Damrosch, who is getting his share of fortune’s favors this week. SOME OF OUR OLDEST FAMILIES, It is well known that New York isa city of many layers, from the dwellers in cellars to those in the highest stories of the lofty flats and tenements, But rather an unexpected layer has been discovered by the diggers of the foundation for the Washington arch at 5th avenue and North Washington Square, who turn up at every spadefal headstones, pieces of coffins and quantities of bones. What fore- fathers of this hamiet they are whose repose is thus rudely disturbed no one seems to know very positively. Certainly their descendants have paid little attention to keeping their memory green, but, as is well known, New York is not very strongon monumental ob- servances, Some say this site used tobe the potter's field, but the remains of headstones seem to disprove that theory. Others sur- mised that the graves were made during the cholera epidemic of 1832, but the dates on the stonestwere much earlier than that, It is to be hoped'than on none of them was carved the familiar epitaph; ‘Gone, but not forgotten.” THE LAW AND THE LADY. The poet has sung that man wants but little here below, nor wants that little long, and his remarks have always been considered especia!!y applicable to the ballet dancer. So the report that the forty ballet girls who are to perform with Strauss at the Madison Square Garden, and who arrived here a week ago on the steamer Labn, had brought with them $10,000 worth of costumes is of itself ficiently startling one, But it is still more startling to hear that the Treasury Department is so far lost to all sense of propriety as to have the whole outfit zed by its special agents. ‘The technicality involved is the ques- tion of the ownership of the airy nothings. If they belong tothe dancers and are tools of their trade they can be passed, If they belong to the Madison Square Garden Company those gentlemen may have to pay §5,000 duty, or even $10,000 fine for attempting to smuggle them in,’ Secretary Windom has now to bend the whole force of his intellect to the solution of this weighty problem. What steps he will take to familiarize himself with its intricacies it is difficult to see. Possibly he may have to personally inspect a performance of the troupe to ascertain if costumes are necessary tools of their trade, At any rate, the old maxim that the law does not concern itself with trifles was never more completely refuted, CROKER'S INTERMITTENT FEVER, The friends of Mr. Richard Croker must be kept in an agonizing state of suspense by the alarming fluctuations in his health, Nothing is more wearing to one’s nervous organization than the alternation of the extremes of hope and fear, and thisis precisely what Mr. Croker's friends have had to undergo for some time, ‘The case is a singular one and worthy the at- tention of physicians, us, perhaps, presentin, another phase of those curious electric phenomena which have of late years interested scientists. The in- tensity of the symptoms seems to depend entirely on the transmission of news by the Atlantic cable. The cable brings word that Mr. McCann continues his silly aud indiscreet romances with fresh details of gifts in money accepted by acontiding and unsuspicious in- fant, evidently trained from the cradle in the roper line of conduct for the daughter of a New York city official. A relapse of the most alarming nature instantly sets in and Mr. Croker sinks to a state of feebleness where it is barely possible for him to sign a letter in broken and tremulous characters, Again the cable flashes the intelligeuce that McCann was not on the stand. Mr. Croker rapidly recuperates, even dispensing with a doctor and going out to breathe the bracing air of Wiesbaden, His physicians calls his complaint “pleuritic exa- dation anda high degree of cerebral neures- theni.” These be lofty terms, but the un- scientific think the disease bears a strange re- semblance to what might be called in the vulgate a guilty conscience, a complaint as old as our forefather Adam, who, it will be remem- bered, ‘was afraid and hid himself.” . A WEEK OF PISTOLS, Pistols have gone off this week with fairly a Kentucky briskness, First we had the shooting scrape in which a rich mining millionaire figured with one of the multitude of mysteri- ous females that haunt this town, and the parties in this fracas had no soouer made up in the police court before bang went two more revolvers, and probably with fatal resulta, ‘The attack in one case sprang from the rage of # rogue at being crossed by a Wilkie Collins ty; of shrewd and respectable family lawyer. 4 the other case the shooting grew out of a quarrel between hall boys in a flat, Evidently neither the gallows, the dynamo nor the uu- ll be used hereafter, se that have « homo- cidal taint in their temper. MR, BUTTERWORTH AND THE IMPORTERS, There is universal interest in the outcome of Mr. Butterworth’s speech on the tariff. It looks as if the importing element, which in- cludes many strong republicans, were pre; ing fors concerted movement of national ex- tent. They hail Butterworth’s bold utterances just at this time as a godsend, and they will make use of it as a proof thata man may be an orthodox republican and s' tout opponent of the pending bill. They have “circularized,” to employ an abominable but couvenient word, the country by appeals to the retail trade, and Congress is already aang this new influence. Hexar R —-—_ Mrs. Paran Stevens’ Pony Express, From a New York Letter. Mrs. Paran Stevens is continually paralyzing thetown. Her latest whim isa pony express. She has become so disgusted with the rapid transit of the messenger boy that she has estab- lished her own service for sending parcels and notes to her friends and ——-— coe _____ Bound and Robbed in His Sleep. Frank B. Echamengia, a Cuban music and under influence of watch and money were gone. He said he had of seen or any one in his room daring 4 ; iN THE SULTANA TRAGEDY. AFrightful War-Time Catastrophe Re- called by a Pension Bill ‘THE STORY TOLD ASTAR REPORTER BY AN ETE WITKESS OF SOME OF THE TERRIBLE SCENxS— HOW HUNDREDS OF LIVES WERE LosT—low THE EXPLOSION OCCURRED. HERE has just been introduced in the Senate a bill which is the latest chap- ter in one of the most horrible oceur- rances that marked that period of horrors which extended from 1860 to 1865. The bill provides for placing on the Pension roll, at the rate of @25 a month, the name of any officer or enlisted man who was on the steamboat Sultana when she exploded her boilers, April 27, 1865, who has an honorable discharge from the service, One of the few men who knows, by actual experience, anything of the scenes which fole lowed immediately after the explosion of the Sultana,is Mr. W. H. Michael, editor of the Congressional Directory. He was an ensign on the gunboat Tyler, then lying above Memphis. MR, MICHAEL'S NARRATIVE. To Sram reporter, who requested him to relate the story, Mr. Michaol said: “I was officer of the deck on the Tyler that morning of April 27, 1865, and when temporarily below heard screams coming apparently from up and across the river. I at once went on deck and inguired of the quartermaster, who knew no more than I did, but who bad seena bright light upstream. He thought some vessel was on fire. “At that time there was a dense fog and this, combined with the darkness—daylight was more than an hour made it impossible to distinguish any object more thana few yards distant, Our boats were at once manned and my cutter was the first out, The wails, cries and prayers for help could be heard distinctiy all around us, but we could not see any one for quite a while, What an awful situation that was. Hundreds of dying men pleading for aid and we, ready and willing, uuabie to do a thing. By and by the fog lifted’ little, and then 18 did not take us long to fill the cutter with half- drowned unfortunates. We raced to the shore with the sufferers and raced back to the middie of the stream until our ove boat saved 65 per- sons. Of this number not one was free from severe bodily injuries or painful scalds, HOW SOME WERE SAVED, “Most of them were nearly nude. One poor boy clutehed the limb of « tree so tightly that we could not force him to let go his hold. We took limb and man on board together and them discovered that the rescued one had lost bis reason. Another was so badly scalded that the flesh came off when we puiled him over the gunwale of the boat. One lad, who had been reduced toaskeleton by his confinement in prison, bad had his #ight destroyed by steam. He audibly thanked God be was saved and within a few moments breathed his last in the arms of one of my sailora. ‘Tell mother — were his dying words. How often have | wished that some good angel would tell me where to find that poor bere‘t mother that I might con vey to her the unfinished sentence. A woman was rescued who held on to # plank with one hand while she kept her babe above water with the other arm. ‘The babe was dead, but the almost lifeless mother did not know the awful truth for several hours after sne was enved) Then she became @ raving maniac and remained so for several days. Many of the scalded, chilled and borror-stricken men died unnecessarily, When we would slow up to take them in the boat they would be so overcome with joy at the thought of being saved that they threw up their hands, and be- fore we could seize them went down to rise a0 more until that day when the sea stall give 4 it dead, The Jast man my boat picked up had lost his reason and was superdaturally ener- gized. He came swimming down by ing and laughing alternately in his maduess, We had great difficulty in getting hold of tim and greater difficulty in keeping him in the boat after we hauled him in. Witnin an hour he wasacorpse, When the roll was fually called there were 1,238 corpses, 4 COMBINATION OF CIRCUMSTANCES. “This awful loss of life was due to a combina- tion of circumstances that seemed fateful. All of the Sultana’s boilers exploded simultaneow: ir. The river was more than ordinarily hign: in fact, it had overflowed its banks in many places and the current was very strong, The cetas- trophe occurred opposite Tagleman's Land.in, several miles above Memphis, and just a+ away from all hope of immediate succor, The Sultana’s boats and life preservers were ali de- stoyed by the explosion. Most of the psople were so reduced in strength by disease aud by Jong confinement in rebel prisons that they were wholly unprepared either to help themeeives or to render aid to others, if that bad been possible, The discharge of steam and hot water was of such tremendous volume that every part of the vessel was deluged and over- whelmed in an instant,and every one was more or less scalded, All the conditions were un- favorable, except the one which, while it made the r high, sprinkled the river surface with floating trees and other buoyant debris, Many lives were saved by these frail supports; in fact there were but few of the survivors who did not owe their existence to these fragments of timber. RESCUING THE SURVIVORS. “The boats of the Tyier and the Groesbeck picked up 280 people of the 2,021 that were on board the Sultana when the explosion occur- red. Qne act of heroism shouid never be for- gotten, When Executive Officer Chas, Ackle: who was temporarily in command of the Tyle went out in his boat to the rescue his wife ac- companied him and worked as bard as any one dragging menon board until «he was ex- hausted. With a number of the survivors she was taken on shore and there she recovered, She administered stimulants to the poor fel- lows and by her faithfui devotion saved many she lives in Daven- port, Iowa, und is existing on what little mouey she can earn asa vest maker. That woman is a ine and ought to have a medal. “That the Sultana was overloaded there can be no doubt, Her registered capacity was only 376. Brig. Gen, Hoffman, commissary general of prisoners, ina report to Secretary Stanton, said: ‘Upon careful consideration of all the facts as presented in the, testimony herewith submitted lam of the opiuion that the ship- ment of so large a number of troops (1,866) on one boat was, under the circumstances, unnec- essary, unjustifiable and a great outrage upon the troops.’ In addition to these 1,466 soldiers there were on board 70 cabin passengers, crew of 85 men and a cargo of live stock con= sisting of about 60 horses and mules aud more than 100 hogs, SL UGGLING A TORPEDO ABOARD, “The reported connection of a blockade runner named Lowden alias Dales with the ex- plosion was ® secret for many years, and it was never divulged during his lifetime, Wm. C. Streeter ot St. Louis says Dales told him after the war wat over that be smuggled a large lump of loaded coal on board at Memphis while the Sultana was coaling there. A\ that time it was generally believed that the ex- losion was caused by some such devilish work, at =oproof was wanting. While the Sultana was taking on fuel, and with it the infernal torpedo, I visited her and mingled with the living skeletons who had been rotting in southern prison pens for months, but who were then happy at the prospect of soon meet- ing the dear ones at home. Some of them were too weak to move without assistance. Others jay motionless on cote or blankets «pread on the decks and in spite of their sufferings were cheerful—they were nearing home and were beneath the glorious red, white and blue. How few of them ever reached their earthly home!” “oe That Ended It. They are telling down east « story respecting the recent high jinks kicked up by a drummer who regularly visits towns in Penobscot and Piscataquis counties, says the Lewiston (Me.) Journal, Eis completo discomfiture was ef- fected in ® 1ost startling manner and with dis- estrous conrequences, The drummer formed intimate ac tance with a young woman in flinge not far from Bangor, ed 5 Hl I Hee HH E i ie At fig 4h