Evening Star Newspaper, September 9, 1893, Page 13

THE EVENING STAR: WASHINGTON, D Cc. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 1893—SIXTEEN PAGES. GROUP OF CELEBRITIES. THE PALAIS BOURBON Tncidents and Anecdotes of theFrench Chamber of Deputies. THE FAMOUS ANTE-ROOM, in the Chamber Where Laws Are Made. Scenes DEPUTIES AND CONSTITUENTS ee Eee DEPUTY CAME from the chamber a few days since feel- ing as joyous as vic- tory just achieved and a toothsome lunch could make him. There was a cab before the butld- ing, the horse munching his feed, the cocher nodding sleepy on his box. ‘The deputy was in a sporting mood. He tapped the driver lightly with his cane. "Are you free?" he asked. ‘Yes, yes," replied the cabby, pulling his hat over his eyes and scenting a fare and Pourboli “Good,” shouted the deputy, waving his cane. “Viva la liberte. ’ The cocher beat his horse (they always @o that) and the deputy laughed himself out of sight. A deputy can be human. ‘The Palais Bourbon, the Palais du Corps Legislatif, the Chambre des Deputies. Those are the names by which this famous monument are marked. The first is the title of nobility, the sec- ond is the title administrative, the third is the title of the populace, the chamber. The chamber has its cabinets and its bu- Feaus—it changes one when it chooses, it changes the other at fixed periods. The citizens of the country decide when the fi-st shall be done, they send their rep- Fesentatives to babble, to write their cor- Fespondence, to sleep on their budgets, and to make what they can out of it. They elect their representatives to sult their own Sweet pleasure, and, really. they don’t pay dear for what they get. They glory in the Feports of their delegates and they find them working with patriotic ardor, indulg- ing in the most heated language in the dis- cussion of their rights and each striving, his utmost to acquire a bit of tercitory from his neighbor. In this the French chamber is just the same as every other Bourbon. The original Palais Bourbon was erected im 1722 by an Italian architect who flourish- ed under the name of Girardin{, and tt was built in the Rue de Universite. The pres- ent Grecian structure at the end of the Bridge Concorde dates from the first em- pire. It was constructed by Bernard Poyet, who will always be celebrated in the history of contemporaneous art by the aggressive originality of his style and opinions. He ‘was the architect of the Duke d'Orieans, of the Baron de Breteuil and of the archbishop under the king. Poyet was a man of expedien he was a danseuses, all this constitutes the chapter of advantages that come with an election | to the chamber of deputies. But on the other hand, there ts the tor- | ment of office seekers, the slander of versaries, the envy of opponents, and the Jealousy “of female lobbyists working in other interests, such is the reverse of the shield. Ushers and Pages. It is a serious subject to describe the ap- Dearance of a famous room, but in the ante-chamber there are grouped together ushers and pages, the former dressed in Somber black, with a chain around their neck caught up with w medal on their shoulder, and the latter in a livery of blue with buttons of gold and a bend about the kknees in brilliant red. They serve as mes- sengers to bring to the notice of the depu- ties within the demand that is made for them by the callers without, and every few moments they will appear at the door lead- ing from the chamber and elevated some six or seven steps above the level of the wait- ers, and posing as the favorite of piquant | commediennes, and the darling of popular | outs with the ins, aired his opinion in vig- orous language not long since, “establish @ mechanical administration,” he exclaimed, “made up of officials, of boiled leather and varnished wood, each with green leather aprons and green spectacles. Let them all be turned by a central steam engine, with the minister for chief stoker. It would be a gain. Public service would be better and more economical. The officials would know as much as their predecessors. The Great Duelist. ‘When Paul de Cassaquac mounts the trib- une the ladies occupying the front row of seats in the gallery applaud wildly, franti- cally, like the classic vestals in an ancient areni ‘The greatest duelist is the greatest favorite in Pari The language of the deputies is generally picturesque, historical and extravagant. | They love to indulge in heroics and national | honor, the grandeur of the tri-color and | similar spread eagleism always constitutes | the peroration of every speech. And it is ever duly recognized by applause, regar: less of the venerable condition of the word: the sentiment or the metaphor. If the right refers to the massacre of September, or those of St. Bartholomew, then the left is understood to make allusion to the revo- cation of the edict of Nantes, or throw out @ suggestion as to responsibility for the as- | Sasination of the hostages. The lgth Brumaire and the 24 of Decem- ber are keen thrusts at the Bonapartists, thrown from one corner of the chamber, and in revenge they shout back references to the 24th of February, the 4th of Septem- ber or the 18th of March. It 4s a battle of dates and history. “He Is not a man; he is a prize dis- course,” a carcastic member observed, as another tore him to pieces in an eloquent address, sparkling with simites and his- torical precedents. Strong Language. In the matter of villification and extzaor- ing room, shouting in a loud voice: “The parties here who are waiting for M. Clemerceau,” or as it has been more fre- | quent of late for M. Millevoye, who Is the author of the charge that Great Britain paid sundry amounts in bribery to various members of the French chamber. M. Millevoye daily appeared tn this ante- chamber of late in response to all sorts of demands from ail sorts of callers, male and female. ‘M. Clemenceau and the Deputation. ‘There was @ most extraordinary scene in this room only four weeks ago when M. Clemenceau met a deputation of voters and undertook to defend himself from the charg- es that had been brought against him as being subsidized by Lord Dufferin. He said: “I have been in politics for many years, as you know, at this moment I am as poor as when I entered public life. I am living in a house that I have rented; I am living on furniture that I bought upon installments and that is not yet fully paid for; when my daughter maried, I was unable to give her a dot, and in the face of this I am accused of having made money out of the influence I am supposed to have exerted through my political position. For a verification of these assertions, I refer any one of you to the tradespeople in the district where I live, or to the furniture man of whom I bought my furntshings.”” Despite this defense, M. Clemenceau w: defeated last Sunday and 1s no longer a member of the chamber. Recently the call, too, has been for M. Dupuy, Davelle, Dor- oulede, Delahaye, an alliterative quartet that has been very much en evidence during the recent disturbances, An Exciting Scene. But the most exciting scene in this ante- room of the present season was when some two months ago the deputation of students called there for a conference with the pres- ident of the chamber, and demanded the dis- missal of the chief of police for his brutal- ity in the riots through the Latin quarter that were then progressing. That was a quaint basis for a revolutio: When the students’ committee left this ante-room they had the assurance of the deputies that the chief of police sbould be removed, and he -was within twenty-four hours. Where Laws Are Made. But what of the interior, that sacred apartment where laws are made, the affairs of Siam adjusted, where the left shakes its fist at the right and people very often call each other exceedingly hard names.It is not an inspiring interior. There are twenty marble columns around it supposed to sup- port a visitors’ gallery. The marble is yel- low, whether colored by nature or age it REMINISCENCES. man who changed his princisles with the times, and. London Telegraph, he was always with the administration. During the revolution established a weekly paper know: ax the Jacobin Architecte: in 186, when Napoleon I was at the height of his tame, Poyet pro- jected an elaborate scheme for the erection of @ monument to the glory of that great- est of all generals, and <inally when the Bourbons in the person of }.ouis XVIII re- entered France and assumed the throne Poyet, ever fin de siecle, loufly demanded “all good Frenchmen should erect a simple and majestic monument us a national secrate the fortunate return Such was the versatility of the gerius who fs responsible for the ir ure wherein the greatest of most romantic government of have been dictated, and where, recently, the interest of the intellectual world ha: been centered by the ‘lery discussions by some of the most eloquent orators extant. ‘The Great Chamber. To descend from the picturesque to the realistic, the great chamber where the dep- uties meet, and in which the public general- ly is permitted to enter freely at all hours, was built in the first years of Louis Phil- Uppe’s reign. The ante chamber of the great room where the affairs of France are adjusted is a most commonplace apartment in stone, where country constituents and others seeking an audience with members, either to give ad- Nice or to ask favors, are requested to wait. ‘The interior of this apartment is furnished with comfortable sofas extending along the walls, and in the center a table provided with writing materials and surrounded by eane-bottom chairs. ‘This is the spot where many of the trage- @ies of the chamber have been enacted. Here a minister was assaulted when he ame from his seat to answer the call of an alleged sympathizer: here nhetta was fnsulted upon responding similar ex- euse, and here, within a few weeks, Clem- enceau was surrounded by a circle of “a: mirers and welcomed back into a fame that posing struct- he had voluntarily sacrificed and which was thrust upon kim by the mistakes of his e1 emies. Such a record prompts the curious visitor to sty Awalting 20 Audience. Who can be this desperate looking char- acter in velvet who is constantly pulling Ris hat down over his eyes, and sits shrunken into a corner of the bench await- ly well the countenance of his there awaiting his turn ing a response to his card? And this other who persistently keeps his a in the ocket of his coat, and taps nervously with is fingers upon hix knee: is it a revolver that he so secretively fondies? Is it Intena- ef for a dep f the right or of the left, or of the center? And this woman who, With evident self-control, changes her place from one seat to rts si re ask- img redress for any tieal_wrons, or me! to play the secondary figure in an impending scandal? ivantoxes and Uncertatnttes. the business of a dep has fts | its glories and its triumphs, it has its perils and its uncertain- ties. Presiding at banquets, dining upon turkeys and troffies, ind: = in trapped champagne, enthused by the applause of constituents, complimented by office seek- ike the modern edition of the| | ts impossible to say, the Ionic order prevails and bases and capitals are in gilt. At the | foot of this colonnade thus made ere red benches and a number of chairs in green. Their mission is to receive the exhausted bodies of the 5S4 deputies. Facing these benches Is an elevated seat, | or pulpit, called the tribune, where the presidents sits, below him a platform, where | the speakers take their stand when they deliver their orations. On either side is secretary and a stenographer, who frantl- cally endeavor to keep up with the flood of patriotism that pours’ forth. Hanging against the wall behind the tribune is a gobelin tapestry picturing the school at Athens. Statues of liberty and public order done by Prodier fill appropriate niches. Opening Proceedings. Two o'clock strikes. A roll of the drum is heard from some unknown direction, the president enters and takes his seat. He opens a letter, he glances at some papers placed before him, rubs his face with his handkerchief, picks up one thing after | another and puts them down again. That is the undeviating habit of the present in- cumbent. I remember when Gambetta held the post, his first act upon sitting in the fauteuil was to raise an opera glass to his eyes, hold it there with one finger bearing a sparkling gem, extended into space, and calmly study the pretty faces in the ladies’ gallery. ‘Then the deputies take their places and belies poses fig 3 bench. e right Is crowded, the center . Abell strikes twice. ~~ “Messieurs, the session is 0; ." eries the head usher. si . “In your places, messteurs."* There ts a brief chatter and then the usher announces again: “The proces-verbal adopted.’ Voting. An urn fs circulated around among the members and each votes, not only for lim- self, but for his absent neighbor as well. This liberty of expressing the opinion of an absentee, who at the moment may be en- Joying a trip on the Bois lake, or playing at piquet in the club, is an extraordiaary one. It occasionally comes about that a count of the chamber fs demanded by some disgruntled tndividyal who finds himself on the losing side of the vote. When a [quorum is present, all ts well, but very often there is an’ insufMcient ‘number in ir seats. Then the sessfon is closed to 1 ten minutes later, when tar- marvels, there is tnvarlably the discovered necessary to leg- ally continue business. Securing a Quorum. During those ten minutes every resort in the vicinity has been searched, the waiting | Toom, the smoking rooms, the reading room, {drinking room, and in some manner or by jSome means a questionable quorum is se- cured. The voting urn circulates anew, and where there were 250 on the first bal lot, there are 520 on the second. How they double up no one ever pretends to know, but as the names are answered to, and the seats are occupied, no one pretends to in. quire. The brilliant sun shines through highly-colored glass ceiling and touches e bright point in the chamber with a resplendent light. The discussions begin and one impassioned speaker fol another on the platform. owe One’ sarcastic gentleman, vel of evidently at dinazy language, the Palais Bourbon might be considered a veritable adjunct to the Halles Centrales, the French Billingsgate. Such remarkable expressions fly about as charlatans, vendus, pot-de-vin, honte de la nation, filou, renegat, pourrituze, demoral- ization, zut! and marguarine. Calls to or- der accompanied by ali sorts of threats are hurled at the offenders without effect, the voice of the president is drowned, that of merely adds to the uproar. One more step and everybody 1s menacing every- body else, clenched fists are shaken, the orator, who, from the tribune, has caused all this tumult, descends to his place amid loud clamors of “revolution.”” In the heat of the loyal indignation and at the moment when a stranger in the gallery is gathering in his hat and pzepar- ing to escape before the building {s shaken down, a type of French boy bearing a waiter and with the utterly vacant expres- sion that only a French boy can command, enters the chamber placidly and drawls forth in the measured tones of absolute in- difference: “Orgeat, monade, biere.” ‘Then all hands take a drink and quiet is restored for awhile Then ard Now. Formerly the world went to the Palais Bourboun in the hope of listening to a fin- ished discourse, expecting to sit beneath the majestic efforts of an orator, to be aroused by @ scholarly exordium, to be en- tranced by highly colored phrases, to be fired by the peroration. But now the world too often finds nothing but “talk” for its visit, for with pathful frequency the joy of the deputy is at its helght when there is such an agitation in the chamber that {ts boisterous echoes reach the Quay d'Orsay or roll over the Place de la Concorde. It has become so now that the hoarse murmur of the crowds, the charge of the cavalry, the outrages of the police, a car- riage overturned by a nolsy mob shouting forth silly cries of hatred or vengeance, another carriage that it welcomed with equally silly applause, a burned kiosk, a wrecked omnibus are God-senis to the Parisian idler and the national deputy. One day the air of the Palais ts agitated with the affairs of 8! with charges of bribery against conspicfous members open- ly accused of having sold themselves to perfidious Albion, or with earnest threats of an outraged section suffering under the tyranny of an outrageous chief of poilce. The next day all is calm. taxes on agricul- ture are discussed, opinions ére gathered on concessions to a new railraad und similar evidences of a peaceful country are dis- closed. One day the visitors in will be serious and tragi in great numbers to exact’ unfulfilled prom- ises as they did upon Nama F.umestan; they may flourish sanguinary weapons and make idle boasts; they may threaten through their influence or through their physical prowess. ‘The next day all is calm.taxes on agricul- and inclined to humor; they will treat their representative like a ‘god and pledge him eternal support; they will speak lightly of the most serious affairs, joke even rbout Panama. A. CURTIS BOND. ee A TRUE POKER STORY. the ante-room they may come An Ex-Senator Who Made a High Bluff on a Bobtail Fi From the Albany Express. i ‘This is a true poker story.The incldent hap- pened not long ago on an Albany boat bound down from the capital to New York. ‘The game was that in which the man with the most money had the best of !t. ‘That there was no limit, and the players comin in were forced to lose unless they “called’ a bet. In the party playing were an cx- senator, three assemblymen and a physi- cian. The hand with which this story has to do saw all the players in. All drew cards, the ex-senator drawing one and a certain assemblyman next to him taking three. The others drew also and the bet- ting commenced. It progressed steadily until something like $100 was in the pot. Suddenly the ex-senator planked $200 down on a raise. The big bet scared cut all Lut the certain assemblyman. He looked at his cards for a long time, studied the ex- senator's face and nervously saw the £200 and raised it $100. There was a forced smile on the face of the ex-senator. He quickly saw the $100 and raised it $100. ‘The assemblyman looked sick, but he put down $10) and feebly said “i call.” The how down revealed the fact that the ex- senator had a king high bobtall ‘lush, while the assemblyman held a pair of deuces. The ex-senator said something to himself and went to his stateroom. The rest of the party remained up all night and a goodly part of the $90 and over in the pot was spent in quart bottles. It Is said the ex- senator has never bluffed in a gume since. ————-see— NOT IF SHE KNEW ‘IT. She Remembered the Trouble to Get a Husban Froi Spare Moments. ‘A few weeks ago a railway collison kill- ed, among others, a passenger living in a country town. His remains were sent home and a few days after the funeral the solicitor to the company called upon the widow to effect a settlement. She placed her damages at £5,000. “Oh, that sum is unreasonable! the solicitor. 50 years old? es, sir.’ ‘And lame?” “Yes. “And his general health was poor?” Very. replied our husband was nearly Probably noi, sir. “Then it seems to me that four or five hundred pounds would be a fair compensa- ‘our or five hundred?" she schoed. “Why, sir, I courted that man for ten years, ran after him for ten more, and then had to chase him down with a shotgun to get him to marry me. Do you suppose that I'm going to setile for bare cost of shoe leather ana “ammunition ‘The man of law concluded that she de- served all she could get. a Saved by a Narrow Margin. From the Chicavo Kecord. “Been to lodge, have you, Absalom?” sald Mrs. Rambo, in a metzilic’ tone of voice. m’ dear,” replied Absalom. at time does the lodge usually let out’ “About—um—about 11 o’clock."* nd what time do you think it ts now?" r—it's about 12, isn’t it?” It is half-past 2. Does it take three hours and a half to come home?” ' Lodge bodies move slow- v And Mrs. Rambo west gasvingly upstairs to bed. THE PATENT OFFICE. Two Important Departments Have Grown From It, REMOVAL OF THE MODEL EXHIBITS. A Possible Beginning of the Trans- fer of the Whole. IN A RENTED BUILDING. HE PATENT OF- fice has been moved— or at least that fea- ture of it which is known to the public. ‘The office of the pat- ent commissioner re- mains in the old building on F street, but the collection of models, which was the “show feature” of the office, has teen moved to the upper floors of the big red brick building on G street between sth and 7th streets which was put up by private capital for the use of the city post office. ‘This removal will confuse the occasional visitor to Washington who thinks that he knows the landmarks. To visitors the big Interior Department building, which occu- pies two full city squares, has always been “the patent office.” And the patent office meant to them the collection of models dit played in glass cases on the upper floor. ‘The watchman at the main entrance to the Interior Department building will have a hard time for two or three years explaining to the tourist that the model room is in another building now. The model room of the patent office was the first .show place in Washingtoa. it came here with Congress from Philadel- phia when there was no Capitol and no White House, no National Museum, 10 Washington monument, no State Depa: ment brary with the original Declaration of Independence on view, and, in fact, no object of particular interest to sightseers. Most of the department shows are of com paratively recent date. They were estab- lished because the importunities of tour- ists for information became a nuisance to the workers in the departments. They wanted to know just what was yolng on everywhere, to peer into all of the rooms where the clerks were trying to work, and to ask innumerable questions. Now ‘they are turned into the State Department K- brary, or directed to the National Museum or the Smithsonian, and they soon see enough to satisfy their thirst for knowl- edge. But the model room of the patent office they have had since the foundation of the government, and for fifty-three years It has been in the same place. It has been desolated by fire twice, but that did not prevent the collection’ becoming 30 bulky that the government had to amend the iaw requiring that working models be filed with applications for patents, The Model Room The removal of the model room to new quarters was the result of the agitation over the safety of government buld- ings growing out of the Ford’ Theater disaster. The model room of the patent office was on the top roor of the Interior Department butlding, where several thousand clerks are employ- ed. The clerks needed more room ani a safer place to work than under*the impend- ing weight of the hundeds of tons of mod- els. So the model room had to go. Tt can never have quite the same interest for the tourist again unless the ambition of the patent commissioner is gratified, and a building is erected for the express accom- modation of the patent office. There exists in the patent office a tra- dition about a patent office fund which some day is to pay for the new patent of- fice building. There is really no such fund, though the employes of the patent office will assure you that there ts, and though the patent commissioner has sometimes spoken of it in his annual report. The fact is that originally the fees for the {s- ue of patents were deposited in the treay- ury to the credit of the patent office, and the expenses of the office, including the salaries of its officers, were paid out of this tand. At that time the fee for obtaining a patent was $4. Originally the work of is- suing patents was done by the State Le- partment clerks, and the Secretary of State, the Secretary of War, and the Attor- fey General passed on applications. It was not until 180—forty yeurs after the passage of the first patent law—that Con- gress recognized the patent office as a sepa- rate establishment, and made an appro- priation for a “superintendent of patents.” By this time the patent office had grown to be a very important institution, Its ex- penses were much less than its receipts.and the fund to its credit began to grow rapid- ly» In 18@ the patent office was made part of the Interior Department, but the fund still accumulated until Congress in i868 passed an act turning the money into the general treasury, and made specific ap- propriations for the expenses of the patent office like the appropriations for uther bu- reaus of the government. This abolished the patent office fund altogether, but the commissioner of patents still keeps an ac- count of It; It has become a tradition of the office, and’ at intervals Congress {s peti- tioned to make appropriations from this visionary four millions (for that Is the profit which the patent office has made for the government in a little more than a hundred years) for the erection of a pati office building. It 1s not at all likely that Congress will do anything of the kind—at least for many years, What Has Sprang From It. The patent office can “point with pride’ to the Agricultural Department and to the Intertor Department, of which it is a part. Not only is it older than either of them, but it is really the parent of both. Origi- nally, as I have said, it was a part of the State Department, and Thomas Jefferson gave earnest personal attention to the granting of individual patents. He would have his hands full today inspecting the 25,000 patents issued each year, to say noth- ing of the complicated law department of the bureau, where constant litigation over the priority of patents {s in progress. When the State Department moved to Washing- ton, in 1800, the patent business was con- ducted in some buildings which are still standing at the corner of 2ist street and known originally as and afterward as the Ten years later Con- gress appropriated money for the purchase of @ building on the site of the present Post Office Department building, known as Blodgett’s Hotel, and had it altered for the use of the Post Office Department and the ‘keeper of the patents.” On the 4th of July, 1836, Congress appropriated $108,000 out of the patent office fund to erect a special bullding for the use of the patent office. While it was being constructed the old Post Office Department bullding burned and the patent office went into temporary quarters in the city hall. Three years after the ap- propriation was made the patent office took possession of its own home. The new building was the main bullding of the pres- ent Interior Department structure. It was two stories high and the second floor was given up to @ gallery for the exhibition of models. There were not so many models there had been when the building was planned. There were only the accumula- tions of three years, for the fire at the old Post Office building had destroyed every one of the 10,000 models which had accumu- lated in almost half a century of patent law. But new models came in very rapidly, and when in 1877 the patent office wa: burned again, there were nearly 200,000 models of American inventions and about 12,000 models of devices which had been re- Jected by the patent office. Around this patent office building the Interior Department building was con- structed. The Interior Department was created in 1819. It was contemplated in the scheme of the patent office ; for as ear- ly as 1812 a report was made to Congress on the propriety of establishing a home de- partment in connection with this bureau. Out of {t also grew the Agricultural De- partment. There was an “advisory board of agriculture” In the patent office more than forty years ago, and the patent commis- sioner was the original distributor of seeds. The way the Interior Department throw the patent office into the shade was rapid and remarkable. As soon as the depart- ment was created, a wing to the patent office building was begun on the 7th street side. The first appropriation for it, made at the time the department was created, was $50,000. The cost was $600,000. It w: completed in 1852. Four years later th wing on 9th street side was erected. It cost $750,000. Eleven years later the G street wing was completed—cost $575,000. The building of the patent office, considered so grand when the plans for it were drawn, looks very small beside the additions to it which have been erected. And the other bureaus of the department occupy a great deal of space outside the department build- ing now. The pension bureau has its own big building in City Hall Square and the Indian office, the census office, the bureau of education and the geological survey oc- cupy quarters in rented buildings in differ- ent parts of the city. Through the years of department growth the patent office has stuck to its old quarters. And to most of the visitors to Washington the Interior De- partment building has always been the “‘pat- ent office.” It_ is the patent office no longer. The vaulted ceilings with their frescoing in Ted and blue will look down on the big glass cabinets no more. The cases have been arranged in the bare halls of the big office building, square, red and ugly, erected @ few years ago half a square from the In- terior Department on G street for the use of the city post office. In this building are the clerks of the unfortunate record and pension division of the War Department— survivors of the Ford's Theater disaster. A Great Historie Value. The collection of models has a great his- toric value and it seems a pity to store it in @ building which is not fire-proof or even built of stone. The loss which the govern- ment suffered in the fires of 1836 and 1877 was irreparable. The first destroyed all of the collection of models. The second de- stroyed 87,000 of the accepted models. Stlil the government has in its possession many original models of great inventions and many of the early models of others. The model of the first sewing machine patented was destroyed in the fire of 1836, but the model of the second, patented in 1842, is still in possession of the government. It is now at the world’s fair, where most of the inter- esting models have been taken to be a part of the exhibit of the patent office, illustrat- ing American progress in invention. ‘The honor of being the father of the pat- ent system is claimed by many. Patents were granted in England even before they | were granted by the American colonies. The biographer of Joseph Jencke, who came to Massachusetts from England in 1612, claims for him that he suggested the patent system and that {t was adopted in colonial Massa- chusetts on his suggestion. The biographer of John Stevens, an American engineer who is said to have devoted his life to experi- ment for the common good, claims that he made a petition to Congress for the passage of a patent law in 1790 and that the com- mittee to which the petition was referred reported the law of April 10, 179. The jour- nals of Congress show that the proposition for a national patent law was made to Con- gress by Mr. Madison and Charles Pinckney: and before that time two inventors, David Ramsay and John Churchill, April 15, 1789, had petitioned Congress for’ patents on In- ventions which they had made. It is claimed for Nathan Read, the inventor of a “multi- tubular boiler,” by his son that he was the first petitioner for a patent. Read was afterward a member of Congress. Who- ever was the first petitioner, the first patent was issued July 31, 1790, to Samuel Hopkins for making pot and pearl ashes. It was signed by George Washington, President; ‘Thos, Jefferson, Secretary of State, and Jchn Randolph, Attorney General. “Some years ago this original patent certificate was offered to the government by the descend- ants of Samuel Hopkins—of course, for a consideration—but though the Secretary of | the Interior recommended the purchase, Congress did not make the necessary ap- propriation. Some day probably this curious relic will be added to the many which make the model room one of the most interesting places in Washington to sightseers. It ts to be hoped that when this is done the mod- els will be displayed in some more suitable hall or in a building constructed for their keeping. — QUEER ANIMALS OF MEXICO. The Cacomixtle That Lives in House Roofs, and the Vampire Bat. “There are plenty of queer animals in Mexico,” said Mr. P. L. Jouy of the Smith- sonian Institution to a writer for The Star. “I pickgl up some of them on a trip through that country, from which 1 have just returned. For example, there is the ‘cacomixtle,’ a very odd creature indeed, which tives commonly in the roofs of houses. 1t 1s as big as a cat, loug and slender, and in color yellowish brown, A species of clvet cat it is, but not a true cat, you understand. 10 is a beast mtermediacc, in structure between the cat and te Weasel. In respect to its habits also it re- sembies both weusel and cat. “she roofs of tne Louses in that part of the country are usually covered with tles. ‘Vhe cacomixte takes up its resiaence be- tween the tiles and the raicers of a dweil- | ing, depending ‘or its supplies fo rood on its skit in foraging. Not a few, but great Rumbers, of these creatures live in this fashion. They are strictly nocturnal, though occasionally one is seen in the day time, Not infrequentiy one sees half a dozen of them playing together on a roof at night. They are very skillful at catch. ing chickens, am their predatory way: cause them to be n garded by householders as enemies rather than as peis. “Why do not the people kill them? They do occasionally. But the animais have such good hiding places in the roofs that they are difficult to get at. They enly come out at night, and are very wary. But the chief reason why they are tolerated is that the natives are too Jazy to take the trouble to catch them, preferring to put up with the loss of their chickens, ete. I captured one by using a fowl for bait and surrounding it on all sides with steel traps. In the morning several of the traps were sprung, but save in a single instance only scraps of fur remained to teli the tale, the beasts having made their escape. When taken young they are quickly tamed, but their bodies emit a powerful and disagreeable eMfiuvium when they are excited, so that one has a desire to be claewhere. On that account they are not desirable pets. ‘l had an odd adventure near Guada- Jajara. That city is situated on a high piatecu, and owing to its elevation has a delightfully cool climate. Though actually in the tropics, it is to ali intents and pur- poses in the temperate zone. But within short distance of the town one may de- scend into a region 1,500 feet below, where the vegetation is wholly tropical in char- acter, and where coffee, pineapples and mangoes are raised. Naturally the fauna of this lower level is as different from that of the heights as is the flora, and there I found an attractive hunting ground for birds and smfall mammals. One morning, having spent the night at the bottom of a barranca, or canyon, I was somewhat alarmed to find my horse bleeding pro- fusely from what I at first took to be a stab wound inflicted by a knife. On ex- amination and inquiry it appeared that the animat had been bitten by a ‘vampire bat.” Such bats, the natives informed me, are quite plentiful in that neighborhood. Some- times they inflict serious injuries. “This species of bat is well known. It is not very large, having a wing spread of only ten or twelve inches. But it is ren- dered formidable by a rather extraordinary dental equipment. Instead of the usual four incisors it has only two; but they are very long and as sharp as razors. They are shaped exactly like sabers. They are set in the upper jaw and fit into sockets in the lower jaw. Better instruments for cut- ting could hardly be imagined. The animal fs nocturnal in its habits, like other bat: Its head bears a curious likeness to that of a bulldog, and I dare say that it has a disposition to match. The natives say that it will attack human beings who venture to sleep in the open air at night. They have a theory that branches of pine hung over the open doors and windows of dwell- ings and barns will keep the vampires from entering, but I seriously doubt if there is any ground for such a belief. “T brought back with mea ‘tejon.’ It is now as big as a good sized terrier, but it was quite young when I got it—only a few inches long, in fact—so that it has been perfectly tamed. Until recently it was permitted to run about the house, but now it has to be kept chained up because it i» so inguisitive and mischievous. It shares those traits with the raccoon, to which it is nearly related. In its wild state the tefon lives in troops of fifteen or twenty individuals. They go about investigating rotten trees and stumps for insects ‘They rob birds’ nests of their eggs, steal fruit, and destroy corn when {t fs in the milk. Consequently the natives regard them as pests. They are found in the tlerra caliente, or hot region, along the “T found some very peculiar crabs at Lake Chapala. That ts the biggest lake of Mex- feo; a beautiful sheet of water ninety miles fn length. The crabs are quite small, but they exist there in such vast numbers as to contribute an important {tem to the fare of the natives. Their color is that of the gar- net, as nearly as I can describe it. I caught eighty of them in an afternoon, picking them up from beneath stones along the water's edge. Of course, they are fresh- water crabs. Probably you are aware that there are no fresh-water crabs in the United States. Curiously enough, I discovered that the species was new to science, though Lake Chapala has been visited by ever so many travelers. “[ procured several specimens of the ‘clarin,’ which all through Mexico is the highly prized of cage birds. The orig- inal stock is sald to have come from the state of Vera Cruz. Its song is the very essence of the deep shady woods and falling water. Poured forth suddenly, it has a surprising tinkling metallic quality. In fact, {ts music is more remarkable than that of any other bird I know of. know of Papa’s Tastes. From Good News. New Gtrl—“What does your like for tes Ss ttle I—“He always likes most any- thing that we hasn’t got.” | | | AUCTION SALES. FUTURE DAYS. RATCLIFFE, DARR & 00., AUCTIONEERS. Gal. LEYS, LEAD BRASS RULES, &c., &c., BY AUCTIO By virtue of'a decree of the Supreme Court of ‘the District of ‘Columb! ‘on the 17th of July, A. D. Hiaity cause ‘No. 1 docket ‘34, wherein “Abrabain G. Cook et al. arc complainants and Martin N. Evans et al, are de- fendants, and a further decree, passed in same caiise on the 21st day of July, A. D. the undersigned will offer for sale, 0 Yon. on THY RESDAY, SEPTEMBE FIRST, 1803, begiuning at TEN O'CLOCK A. M., at the'auction roms of Ratcliffe, Darr & Co., 930 Penna. ave. uw., in the city of Washington,’ Dis- trict of Columbia, all the right. title, interest and estate In law and in equity of the parties to the equity cause in and to the following goods and chattels, to wit: All the Type, Printifig Ma- terial, Printing Presses, Electric Motor, Cabinets, Paver Cutters, Imposing Stones, Lead Cutters, Galley Racks and the usual assortment of material machinery usually found in a Job printing es- teblighment. Tt will’ first be offered ‘as an en- Urety, and if a satisfactory bid be not received it will then be sold in detail. ‘Terms cash. THOMAS M. FIELDS, Receiver, abs 340 D st. how. ~ ‘RATCLIFFE DaRR & ©O., Aucts. THE ENTIRE WELL-KEPT FURNITURE. HANG iS, CARPETS, &c.. CONTAL IN HOUSE NO. 501 THIRTEENTH STREET NORTHWEST, On WEDNESDAY NING. SEPTEMBER THIRTEENTH, at TEN O'CLOCK, we will sell, At the sbove naied residence. by’ direction of @ Indy declining housckecping. the entire Furniture Sentalned thereln., comprising WALNUT, CHERRY, OAK AND OTHER CHAM. BER SETS. WARDROBES. SPRINGS. HAIR STEADS, CHERRY DESK, CHAIRS, WARE, LACE CURTAINS: INS. BRUSSELS “HALL, STALE ER CARPETS, KITCHEN “RDQUIS. to which the attention of parties RATCLIFFE, DARR & ©O., Aucts. DUNCANSON BROS., PARK, REMISES NOS. 327 AND RO MAPLE AVENUE WILL BE OFFERED SEP- ARATELY. By virtue of two certain deeds of trust te 4 Gate on the Ith day of February, A. D. 11 And recorded wveuy the land records o® trict of Columbia in Liber No. 1608, spectively 120 "et gra. aud 13% the request of the bplders of the sell gt public auction, in front of the on HURSDAY, THE TWENTY-FIRST SEPTEMBER, “a. af FIVE O'CLOCK 'P. : All’ those certain pleces or parcels of bd premises, Kuown and distingnisbed as and = jots num ty-weven (47) a m2 (25) of Barr tod. Sanuer's subdivision of Tots in block Dumbered thirten (13) of A. L. Barber & Co.'s subdivision of Le Droit Park, as said Barr and Sanner's subdivision is duly recorded in book county No. 8, page 73. of the records of tbe #ur- veyor's office of the District of Columbia, together with the Improvements. thereon. Terms of sale: One-third of the purchase money te,he Dald im cash and the balance to be pald te three equal installments, respectively in one (1), two (2) and three (3) years, secured by deeds of trust “upon the ty sold, with interest, pay- semi-annual the rate of 6 per per annum, or all cash, at the option of the purcaaser. ‘A deposit of $250 on each lot will be requirad at the time of sale. Terms of sale to be ewaplied Hlth In atteen days from day of wale, otherwise the property will be resold at the risk and cost of defaulting purchaser after fiye days’ advertise. pent in sore ‘one or more petepapers . D. WINE, ‘Louis CLARENCE B. RHEEM, ‘Trustees, 916 F st. n.w. UCTIONEERS, — WEST. se5-dSds THOMAS DOWLING & CO... 612 E STREET NORT! VERY VALUABLE CORNER Bl THE NORTHEAST CORNER D AND L STREETS NORTHEAST, aT AUC On MONDAY AFTERNONS. ENTH, 1893, at HALF- on the’ premises, we ‘TART OF ORIGINAL LOT 4," “IN, SQUARE 745," Located at the northeast corner of: 24 and L sts. ne. ‘Terms: One-third cash, talance in 1 and 2 yeas with notes he mg iuterest, aud secured hy ad of trust. “All conveyancing and recording at par- chaser's cost, $100 deposit required at the time of wale, THOMAS DOWLING & ©O., its ‘Auctionéers, RATCLIFFE, DARR & CO., Auctioneers. HIGHLY VALUABLE AND DESIRARLE IM- PROVED BUSINESS PROPERTY AT THE NORTREAST CORNER OF THINTY-FIRST BSA P RE Er eras Sedat DRUG STORE, BY AUCTION. Ou MONDAY — APTERNOOS BER ELEVENTH, 1893, at HALF-PAST FOUR O'CLOCK, we will sell in front of the premises ia pea ies oat ot OF eee OLD: ‘cOREETOWS, fronting 21 feet 6 in. on M (Bridge), with depth of feet 9 in. 2 gee f st os, payable in installments, the perticuiars it which will be anvownced at the sale, and a fur- ther trust of $500 due in December, 1893. Terms: Over and above the trust above stated, to be pald In cash, or all of the purchase money may be paid in rash, at the option ‘the purchaser. A deposit of $200 will be required the time of sale. Terms to be complied winh in 15 days irom sale, or the right to resell at the risk and cost of fhe defaulting purchaser ls reserved, All, convey- aucing, recording, at purchener's cost. Ral DARR & 00. se2-d&ds Auctioneers, ~~ RATCLIFFE, DARR & ©O., Auctioneers. ENTIRE STOCK, FIXTURES, GOODWILL AND LEASE OF THE OLD ESTATIASHED DUG RUSINESS AT THE CURN’ THIRTY- FIRST (CONGRESS) AND OM (RIDE) su WEST WASHINGTON (GECRGE- TOWN) BY AUCTIO! Oa MONDAY, SEPTEMBER ELEVENTU, \803, AT ELEVEN O'CLOCK A.M., we will sell, ‘on the Premises at the drug store, Streets, the entire stock 9° Tollet ‘and Fancy Articles, Cieirs, Tormsco, AC, | &e. the Fixtures, siontwill and Five yeat Tease. While this is provahly . if am the oldest drog stand in che stock Drugs, Chemicals, &@.. are Sutirely mew and of the best quality. ‘This establishment ts at | Present doing @ good casi bwainess, which ean be increased, the owner's reason for selling being that having other business to wht be to devote his whole time cod aceation. ‘Terms made kngwn at sil se2d&dte RATCLIFFE, DART & CO. Ancts, DUNCANSUN BROS, Auctioneers. NALUABLE BUILDING STREET NEAR CORNER OF FIRS? STREET SOUTH WEST. By virtue of a decd of trust duly recorded tn Liber 1587, folio 4%, et one of the land records of the District of Columbia, we will sell in front of the renee, on WEDNESDAY, THE TWENTIETH DAY OF SEPTEMBER. A.D. 1808, AT HALF-PAST FIVE LOCK P. lowing described land and premises si te in city of ‘ashineton, District of Columbia, and designated as and being parts of lots numbered 17 and 18, B. Milbarn’s subdivisions of square dered (582, as per plat recorded im Mber N. folio 289, of the lawl records of the office of the surveyor of the District of Columbia, Sipolnt 20 feet weet trom the ‘norton ald tot 16, on. D street, and ‘ramnlng thence wrest 40 feet on said D street; thence south 115 feet; thence east 40 feet, and thence north 115 feet te — <- = beginning, together with all and sin- fuiat the Improvements, Waye, casementas wig, tioree_ ls appar ing or in naytoe a forma: One-third cash, balance in ome and twee years, "with wotes, to” bear 6 ‘per seat. ‘pee Xeum “interest, “pabable “semt-aangity. "eta Pet be sccured by a deed of on the property or” all “ensh, at the ‘option orth perchaser, “A toe 200 re. quired at time of sale. conveyancing and ing at ays '® cost. Terms of sale to be Sa pap iy otherwise as Fenefre to resell ‘the property at the risk Sod cost of defaulting purckabee eee ae tet advertisement of such resale in some newspaper published in Ws D.C. MMNETEBERT A. WILSON, a ‘B. LARNER, Trustees. GEO. W. STICKNEY, Auctioneer, Tino ai. INTERSECTION OF AND VERM a mt We = ONT AVENUE y virtue & cert: deed of trust recorded Liver, 1775, folle 503. et "seg oe of "the land records for the District of Columbia, and at the Fequest of the party secured thereby. ‘we will sell infront San r rt ae THE FIP. FIVE O'CLOCK PM... the fellowing Heats the city of W: ‘wit: All of lot 2 a lots im aguare ‘mumbere? three hundred and thirty-three (33h 1s recorded In Liver W. ¥., folio 135," folto 135, ‘records of the District of Colum tn rust fo secure the sum of $2,000 ‘Terme of naie’” Atl Cash at exeeas ot ‘tid dre of trust. $100 deposit at time of male, Terme te bo compited with in ten dave or’ the property wil chaser, 7 a ad GEO. TER! 2% Make ‘Trustees. seteod&as THOMAS DOWLING & 00., AUCTION 612 E it. uw, i. ‘CES WITH BAY WINDO' A 7 eee ‘oder Viet dated the 24th day of ‘Febreary 4 et net, one Sytdet tu Taber No. 1780. “tulle of the of the District of Cou And ‘by the dircevion tn ‘writing of the pass ee: cured thereby, the und trustees, will sell at public auction on THURSDAY, SEPTEMEER FOURTEENTH, 1893, AT FIVE O'CLOCK PM. 1p front of the "premises, the following -dearrited Property. viz: Lots 47, 48 and 49 in Barr cod San- her's subdivision of lots in block 13 tm Le Droit Park, improved by three three-story and basement brick residences ‘containing 10 rooms each, with pil medern nprovements and. bay ‘wimtows, "and ing premises Nos. 325, 837 and 829 Maple av oe EES Beaute ‘829 Maple ave. ‘otine wi Sold separately and subj to's decd of trust of thew thousumd dollars eae 000)—halance one-balf cash and notes of purchaser fayable in one and two yoare—6 per cent from Ay of sale, secured on property sald, or all ensh, at option of purchaser. A deposit of $100. will be required on each house at the time of sale. Ail conserancing and recording at the purchaser's cost. Settlement must be made within ten days from sale oF ¥ Will be advertised and resold at cost and risk of defaulting purchaser, after five days’ public advertisement. H. BRADLEY DAVIDSON, Trustee, st. mw. GRORGE E. FLEMING, Trusts, 470 'La. ave. ww. ee2-dhds LAND IN CEORGETOWS: ADJOINING. Hock CREEK, JUST SOUTH Thin Two S20 oxeied ost gS By virtue of « certain deed of trust dated the thirtieth of 4. D. 1890, amd record- fl'niwong’ the land records Gt tie Dinttet ot Gos Kiuabia ts Liber No. ‘1800 tolfo the request of the holder of the note secured there by, we will ufer at public auction upon the premi- es on FRIDAY, the TWENTY-ShOUND DAY OP SEPTEMBER, 4. D. 188, at FIVE O'CLOCK P. x. a folowing described ‘seal estate, situate ib Wit: All those certain pieces or parcels of land ai Premises Kuown as aud being the Canal And “Oertly”’ tracts, which aid laud is more ful set forth and described in a certain deed from W. KR, Woodward, trustee. et al. to Bartholomew Wy et al., duly recorded im Liber J. A. 8. No. follo 546 at Of, the Innd records of) the jumbia: for the fame at « t in the augie of West street extended. in wait aaereatent (A, the, end of Hine Grate wouth 44g ™. een) four-tenthy (3.4) perch from Rock’ creek, where it is crossed by. a bridge (known as the “P"“street bridge), and running thence south 35% degrees w.. eleven and two-tenths (21.2) perches to Rock «creck at a point Spon vbepiat snnexed i said . folio S49 et seq.) thence with’ the windings of South 37% degrees. 2 et seq., and at § ‘a creek as fullow: six and three-temtbe (6.3) ix (©) porches! north 41% nore c. sik (©) perches; north 19% degrees et Perches: worth 21% degrees w. eleven (i) perches: : a . elev i: Tothce leaving salt ‘sch tresa south Gat, anonees % ,ihirtepn aod cour-teuthe (3.4) perches tothe Inning: containing two and ove-fourth ERO acres, Rogetice with the improvements teers ‘Terms of sale: One-third of to be paid in cash sud the balance three equal installments, respectively rust upon te at the rate of six (® feuarorall Searac tie Ses Pee Conveyancing at cost of purchawer, A dewalt of Will be sequired at the time of aale. Sale to closed 10 fifteen days from day of saleotherwixe the property will be resold at the risk aid cost of Sefuulting purchaser, after five days: advertiseinent 1m some ewspaper published io Washington, D. ¢- LOUD. Wixe, ‘Trostecs, G16 F st. uw. THOMAS DOWLING & ©O., Auctioneers, ‘we. wold, with iaterest payable cent per irehaser, Be6-dkds, Scrited | real eatate and preiaiies, estate im the District of Columbia, to wit: tract of land kuown as “Girls’ Portion,” ing eight (S) acres. more Perches, iping south of Thoctes Pitaat s ning soutiwest from the 7th street ‘raging Brightwood “and ite the cemetery. “known as Bat southwest west by Fitnam’s tract, on J. Warren's tract, with right from Fituam's to ‘7th street avenue. the sane "among the, Veal, folio No, 385 et from et ux to Obaries HI. Ci and William McK. Osborne, trostecs. also being inde to a plat ‘of waid ground after true surrey of B.D. Gatpenter, Octsver 1838, 8 of which is anpexed to and made part of said recorded in Liber No. 1681, follo S55 ot seq. ‘Toe said Will be sold to a dord for of trust for $4,000, dated June 1, 11 years, with interest at 7 terly. trust upon the cent or all cash osit of $100 will sale. If the terme of sf 4 DUROVED B BRICK _D' XGS, ON FLOR NORTE Wi sitats inthe city ot Wasuinstos” a Columbia. apd desienated fifteen (15) apd sixteen (1 inser. =" JOHN B. LARNER, ‘Trustee, 1338 F st. aw, W. E EDMONSTON, Trustee, au30-dieds S00 bth st. ‘THOS. DOWLING & CO. Auctioneers, Gi2 E st. nw. TRUSTEES’ SALE OF HOUSE AND LOT aT LE DROIT PARK, BEING HOUSE NO. 1902 HAREWOOD AVENUE. By virtue of a deed of trast dat § Liber 1511, follo the land records of the Distr ‘NINETEENTH Dat GP CLOCK % . ot or P.M. that parcel’ of sitasted fn the county of Wasiington and District of Col Known a8 lot No. 12, tm block eta eae x08, 5 wen, 3034, 1016 AND EAST. Ime of sale. easy and made known at sale. H. RRADLEY DAVISON. GEORGE Y. WORTHINGTON, TRUSTEES SALE OF VALUARLE IMPROVED PROPERTY. REING THE TWO-STORY RICK FRONT WITH FRAME RACK RITLD ING. DWELLING No, 631 1 STREET NORTHWEST, Ai . By virtue of a decree of the Supreme Conrt of the District of Columbia, passed on the 3d day of July, A. D. 1998, to ‘equity cause No, 14805, wherein William Hurley etal. are complainants and Einily M. Hurley et al. are defendants. the for eale by public undersigned trustees will offer pail | auction in fromt of the premises. “on TUE ELEVENTH DAY oF ATRER, A. 1883, AT HALF-PAST FOUR O'CLOCK P.M... the following described real estate Iring and being in the city of Washington tn the District of Oo and known and described as and belng lot bered “Kin Kothwell's subdivision tn equare Bumbered four hundred and Oftr-two (452. Terms of sale: One-third of the purchase money to be im cash, the residve in tw equal installments at one and two years from the day of sale, the deterred payments to be secured by deed of trust Upon the ‘premises sold and the notes to bear. in- terest at the rate of six per cent per annum from the day of sale, parable semi-annually. or ail SESB. SE URS option of the purchaser. A Aepaatt of $200' will be required at the time of sale. Terms te be complied with in fifteen days trom the das of wale, otherwise the trustees reserve the right to resell the property at the risk and cost of the defaulting purchaser. All conveyancing, &c., at the cost of the ser. SOUN CRUIKSHANK, Goeton hailding, D. & MACKALL, 416 Sth st. uw. nuts, iron cash. of CHAS Bincers, U. 82,9, 16823-4¢ | TATE x Ses ease? | SHOOND. BAND C STRERTS pat, Avorn has EN a ay ae a | | Liber No. 1728, ‘folio 111, % recmrt tor ine Diatrict "of Gah Sad at the reaueat of the marty secured thereby. fhe wer ‘offer for wale SEPTEMRER, A. EF ue Ag! i i “uorubered } tegincing: for te Rx ey 4S, ae ee ae 22 and 23 tp said manne Sue See aed | Eoeianate, “together sith toe’ ieapte ‘ee. |, Terms” ‘of male: One-third 3 the Secursd by deed of ‘trast ‘ow jal of the i ur f | Usement of such Fesle to i i i i i iff iH i i if i ir i, af “Yank tve. Rie teak al eee anes, NE Cine: ‘Ro charge for first treatment sotto. Pay: refers to patients cured. 4 te ESBITT HOUSE, ‘WASHINGTOX. D. G BICYCLES. WORDS ARE SILVER DOLLARS AT GROGAN'S, ‘When they take the shape of promises to i isi ' i i ; Hf Hl i Th ae td | $1.75. Forty-pound never guess that we kept Stoves—bat sizes, We are complete house furnishors On Credit. GROGAN’S MAMMOTH CREDIT HOUSE, O18, S21, 823 TTH ST. N. w., BEL, BANDA BTS