Evening Star Newspaper, July 3, 1897, Page 13

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All _ transactions rantee accompanies every article ©99900000000080080000000 BUT FEW ARE STILL LIVING Veterans of the Mexican War Ate Rapidly Passing Away. Phe Survivors Will Hold a Convention in This City Next Week—May Be the Las' ashington being the principal conven- = of the -ountry, annvally enter- many distinguished guests who as- semble here to transact the business of- their organizations. Yet it is to be doubt- ed if a more venerable associ: ever assembled here than one which will be called to order, for pernaps the last time, next ard’s Hotel. It is ciation of the Veterans Mexican War, and if ths conventicn given a number starting with the onventio! r hell, it ts probable ld he about the for fiftieth arnual con on. Owing to the sad ravages death has made in the ranks of the Me a the imperfect cerdition of th it is impos- le to conventions marched the > of th were vy that this nportant the 1. The rea- y year. te a hero of ¢ with were a hero of Waterloo. One , and before gibl2 to mem- “The veterans ize this. » the last convention vetera was held, and shosea at tha affairs of the organization ried awav all but ene. Such station of their ranks caused the veterans than were responsible for. rans were Icth to to attempt reor- Elwarl Lander cf A e it upon thems: Judge street, th surviving officer, death of “tary Alex. M. Kenada: not been enjoyiug the best of he: late, and so has not taken the initiative in of reorganization. So for the ears the Na‘bnal Association of caas has done nothing but 3 laursls and draw pensions. May Re the Last. he convention has been called by the erpetiaze the organization. tendance will determtae and thous nder Si as of brave in Mexico. alarming rf&te, the Hence {t has been nt convention should let. It has been pro- suitable provision for per- ization, and seeing that not die, but {t ts im- national convention And each year, t grows small 2. who will be present will fn be only from New York, and the Virginias neral invitation has out to the 3,000 veterans, but it of their age few from a dis- It attend. They will, of course, te everything that may be dene. verage age of the Mexican veterans at least seventy years, and of the robable that 200 will be able many of them gov- 0, in spite of their ad- retain their positions partly tof the service rendered their alf @ century ago. local veterans have been mak- ngements for the reception and en- t of the visitors. In the ab- * officers of the former associa- tion an informal meeting has been held, and Gen. Horatio Gates Gibson, U.S.A! (retired), who saw service in Mexico fifty years ago, was chosen as president. The ether olficers selected were Col. W. F. Melbourne, secretary; Major Tennant, treasurer, and Samuel Hoyt, sergeant-at- «rms. These elections were conditional tpon ratification by the convention on July 10, but it is considered certain that the election will be approved, and that the present incumbents will be made officers for life, if they will accept the positions. But Few Survivors. Some of the prominent Washington vet- erans who are anxious to have a suc- cessful reunton once more are Col. Wm. R. Morrison, Gen. James Oakes, U. 8S. A. (retired), Gen. Gibson and Daniel Smith. Judge Edward Lander, who is the only surviving officer of those elected in '92, is at present out of the city on account of his health, and will net return until Oc- tober. A full list of those officers who have died stnce 1802 inciudes the names of Gen. I. W. Denver, president; Gen. Nan- son, vice president; Col. Klotz, vice presi- dent, and A. M. Kenaday, secretary. It seems difficult to realize that the few survivors who will gather here are prac- tically all that are left of the armies that conquered Mexico. Of the 50,000 men who pushed on after the wily Mexican general, Santa Anna, from the Rio Grande to the causeway of the City of Mexico, only a few hundred are left to tell the tale of hcw, at the batile of Buena Vista, Santa Anna had to flee so fast on a mule that he left his wooden leg behind him. The battles ef Palo Alito and Resaca de la Palma have been fought over and over again many times in friendly combat among these vet- erans at their annual encamoments, but there was never any dispute over the story of Santa Anna and his wooden leg. Santa Anna was a sreat general, even though tricky and sly, as many of the soldiers who fought him from the border to the testify. capital can years after t Mexicans retreated, laugh at the But even now, veterans often hurdle race the Mexican in- fantry had with Sanita Anna minus that vocden leg, to get away from the fire of nele Sam’s troops. — A Missouri Python. From the St. Louts Globe-Democrat. Farmers in the vicinity of Lock Springs, Mo., have been greatly harassed for sev- eral weeks through depredations on their chickens and pigs, and the mystery was not solved until today, when Newton Mc- Crary started on the trail of what ap- reared to be a monster snake. He traveled a distance of two miles, when he came to the banks of the Grand river, where it ap- peared the reptile entered the water. A search of the vicinity later on rewarded McCrary for his persistence. Apparently asleep, after having dispatched several full grown chickens, lay a reptile of such monstrous proportions that the man was transfixed with fear. His courage return- ing, McCrary sent a charge of buckshot into the head of the reptile and precipitate- ly fled. The contortions of the snake as it lashed its tail and body against the ground and trees added to the fears of the now thoroughly terrified man. Summoning the assistance of neighbors, McCrary cau- tiously led back an armed party, when, to his satisfaction, the life of the reptile was found to be extinct. It measured sixteen feet and the body was as large as an or- dinary stove pipe. The species of the rep- tile is not known, although it looks very much like a python. Early in the spring it was seen several miles further up the Grand river, but reports of the terrified spectators were not generally credited. ——_+e+____ Apaches and Their Hair. From the Outlook. As with Samson of old, the Indians’ wildness lay in their long hair, which the returned educated Indians wore because, as they boasted, “it made them wild.” All energies were bent to compel the adult males to cut their hair and adopt civilized attire in vain. Even the police would not wear their uniforms. A proposition to cut their hair, from a former agent, resulted in a mutiny. The duties of the police are to arrest offenders and to herd the beef cattle purchased for their own consumption. Ra- ticns were considerably increased to the po- lice to make it worth their while to think twice before leaving the force, and they were informed that when there were no po- lice to herd the beeves the tribe would go without. That was a different proposition. Two members who had been to school were discharged for wearing long hair. One old fellow, as a special favor, cut his hair, but is cost me $%. His wife made his life a burden, and he in turn appealed to me to basten with the rest. By using rations and other supplies as a lever, I induced a few more to cut, and then I directed the police to cut theirs or leave the force. They reluctantly complied, but once accomplished they were only too eager to compel the rest, and they cheer- fully, under orders, arrested and brought to me every educated Indian on the reser- vation. There were twenty of these, gor- seous in paint, feathers, long hair, breec’ clouts and blankets, educated at an ex- pense of thousands of dollars, living in their brush ehelters wilder than any un- educated Indian on the reservation, and fully as lazy and ambitionless. The “leav- en” had failed to work. The mass absorbed them and compelicd them to backslide. They soon had a hatr-cut and a suit of clothes put on them. The Indian office, at ray request, issued a peremptory order for all to cut their hair and adopt civilized at- tire; and in six weeks from the start every male Indian had been changed into the semblance of a decent man, with the warn- ing tha* confinement at hard labor awaited any backsliders. There has been none, and the task of ——— ss bowen percept easier from time clipped Son their wildness, LAM ERICAK iNDEPEN DENCE BY THOMAS B, REED. SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTA- TIVES. (Copyright, 1897, by the New York Times Company.) Written for The Evening Star. The half dozen pages which begin the first volume of the Journal of the Conti- nental Congress show beyond a peradven- ture that the colonists, assailed in their @earest rights and privileges, had no wish to separate themselves from the mother country. Their abiding hope was that a peaceful solution of their difficulties might be found in some manner compatible with the high notions of liberty which they had derive from the very people to whom they were addressing their remonstrances— high notions of ltberty which had been in- creased {1 intensity by the free life of pioneers who had redeemed a wilderness from savage foes and who at no period of their ‘history either before or after the Thomas B. Reed. revolution could ever release themselves from that instinctive certainty of future greatness which carried them through all disaster to the triumphant conquest of 4,000,000 square miles and a prosperity which, tho. gh temporarily overclouded, will soon agatn open to a sunlight worthy of all of all our hopes. That they were mistaken in their antici- pations is history so well known that we forget how many weary and anxious months passed away before the truth so painful to them and so glorious to us forced iiself upon their understandings— the truth “that these United Colonies are and of right ought to be free and inde- pendent States.” When, on the 15th of June, 1775, the Congress appointed George Washington commander-in-chief of the armies raised and to be raised, and when, on the next day, he accepted the high duty imposed upon him in the modest language which so well befitted his lofty character and which was of itself the guarantee of his great career, a state of war existed which could have but one ending, little as the famous actors realized the great deeds and the great future upon which they were just entering. Most of them lived to see the inspiring result, though here and there in the musty old records, seldom handled by this generation, can be seen the falling by the wayside of aged men who were ready to offer their declining years with the same joyous pride as the younger men offered the years In which flowed the pulsations of a swifter current. The blood of America was good, whether {t passed through youth’s responsive ar- teries or those which already felt the stiff- ness of age. Evea when Washington was made com- msnder-in-chief, ard the major generals and brigadiers were chosen and the articles of war were discussed and perfected, and all the details of the raising of troops, the Cengress still entertained hopes of such a readjustment of their relations with the mcther country as characterized their earlier dreams before blood had been shed and battles fought. On the 6th day of July, 1775, a year lacking two days before the Declaration of Independence—back of which we seldom go, deeming, and right- fully, too, that that was the charter of our Uberties—the Congress perfected and pub- lished an address to the world: “A dec- laration by the representatives of . the United Colonies of North America, now met in Congress at Philadelphia, setting ferth the causes and necessities of their taking up arms.” This declaration, for its dignity, its moderation, its appropriateness and power of diction, its calmness, can- dor and force, is worthy a high place in history. “Lest this declaration,” they say, “should disquiet the minds of our friends and fellow subjects in any part of the em- pire, we assure them that we mean not to dissolve that union which has so long and so happily subsisted between us and which we sincerely wish to see restored. “In our own native land, in the defense of the freedom which 1s our birthright, and which we ever enjoyed until the late violation of it—for the protection of our property, acquired solely by the honest in- dustry of our forefathers and ourselves, against violence actually offered—we have taken up arms. We shall lay them down when hostilities shall cease on the part of the aggressors and all danger of their be- ing renewed shall be removed, and not be- fore.” In like manner and to the same purport they addressed “the king’s most excellent majesty,” reminding him of their devotion in times but recently passed and assuring him that “our breasts retain too tender a regard for the kingdom from which we de- rive cur origin to request such a reconcil- lation as might be in any manner incon- sistent with her dignity or her welfare.” They appealed also to the inhabitants of Great Britain and to the people of Ireland and to their fellow colonists, asking only a redress of grievances and making clear their unwillingness to divide the empire. But in five months patience had evidently ceased to be a virtue, and when the king issued a proclamation declaring that the colonists were forgetting the allegiance which they owed to the power “which had Protected and sustained them” and had “proceeded to an open and avowed rebel- lon,” the Congress,'on December 6, did not refrain from a very tart and defiant reply. As time passed on and human pas- sions had their sway it became more and more evident that Bunker Hill and Lex- ington, Concord and Ticonderoga, Quebec and White Bridge, had raised a barrier be- tween the colonists and their enemies which no words, however upright and manly, no grievance, however clear and apparent, no rights, however just, no love, however strong of that freedom so hon- ored by both sides, could overleap. Then it was that our forefathers declared our country free and independent, and with un- faltering hand took the measures which made that declaration an epoch in the his- eye. ons QV QUE RY TST YOUR EYESIGHT. =who is in charge of our Optical Department. e has no superior and very few equals in the science of eye treatment. REE, WHETHER YOU NEED GLASSES OR NOT. SPECTACLES AND EYEGLASSES AT CUT PRICES. ! 103 Pa. Ave.= SSA ARANUTUTIRU = EES ENE NPELEPATES ~ Test your eyes by the diagram above and see if you can detect any trouble eye at a time at a distance of six feet. Tlie radiating lines should all appear equally distinct to the normal Those to whom they do not appear plain have a malformation of the eye ball called astigmatism, which should be corrected at once. Consult Our Dr. F. Proctor Donahay, (The Celebrated New York Specialist and Graduated Scientific Optician) He guarantees you the BEST SERVICE Woe EDAD we ATS: E PRESCRIPTIONS FILLED AT HALF PRICE. Take your prescription to any optician in town and get his price for filling it, then come to us and we'll cut his charge for the same glasses EXACTLY IN HALF. WE GIVE YOU CREDIT IF YOU WANT IT. Any bill for Glasses which you may contract here can be paid on the same terms with which we sell Diamonds, Watches and Jewelry—a little down and a little each week. CASTELBERG'S National Jewelry Co., =N ext = Oiflice. ; Balto. P j ESCSESCTEVNOICICNC IIE ESET COC IEC CF with them. AMINATIONS MADE Established 1846. 4 Ke 06+ Look with one ON_ EARTH. Store, 108 N. Eutaw St. tory of the world. Therefore it is that we celebrate on the annual occurrence of the great day not only the birth of a new nation, but the uplifting of human liberty everywhere. Our freedom and our strug- gles were the torches which lighted the way to the independencé of all those of our whole hemisphere whose adventurous spirits had led them across an unknown ocean to inhospitable shores, whose enter- prise had made fields and homes where stood the dark forests, and sunny gardens where the deserts were. We emancipated not only the blue-eyed Saxons, the people of our blood and lineage; but the darker races which owed their orlgin to a brighter sun and their desire for, empire to the memories of imperial Rome. No more striking proof that this great action was broader than our nation and conferred benefits even on our enemies, even.upon those who refused to fight by our side although our eause was common, can be found than have displayed them- selves in the scenes which accompany the celebration of the sixty-year jubilee of the granddaughter of the sovereign whose might we defied and from whose rule we revolted a hundred and twenty years ago. We won liberty, not for ourselves alone, but for all the colonlés of the empire of Britain and Ireland. parte the jubilee ceremontes, in the very presence of the heir ie the throne, while professing as did our fathers before the Fourth of July, 1776,? meaning it as they did, the utmost devotion to the Brit- ish crown, Wilfred Laurier, premier of the dominion north of us, which has an area greater than our own, deglared in so many words: “Canada is a mation; Canada is free, and frecdom is its nationality. Though Canada ucknowledges the suzerainty of the sovereign, I am here to say that indepen- dence would give the Canadians no more rights than thev alreadg ‘have. This is but plain prose for lnes: “Daughter am I in my mother’s house, But mistress in my own; The gates are mine to.open, ‘As the gates are mine to, close.” How different is this- triumphant lan- guage of the premier afid of Our Lady of the Snows from the sofmber “words which our forefathers, in Congress assembled, were forced to use to the'subjests of George IIL: “We most sclemnly, before God and the world, declare that, exefting the ut- most energy of these powef® which our beneficent Creator hath gfaciously be- stowed upen us, the arms we have been compelled by our enemifes to: assume, we will, in defiance of every hazard, with un- abating firmness and petsevef™nce, employ for the preservation of @ur liberties; being with one mind resolved to die freemen rather than live elaves,’*+ E What Laurier sald amd Kipling sang could be said in Britisl colomies over the entire circuit of the sw, net only with their own approval, but?with the approval of the empire to which they fondly belong. What, therefore, our fathers did they did not only for themselves, but for all who speak the English tongue. The lessons taught by our struggle ‘and vietory ere as lasting as our race and broader than even the vast territory we cover today. When, therefore, we celebrate the Declaration of Independence, we celebrate not only the courage and conduct of ancestors whose descendants we aré,: ypt the brave and farsighted deed of of mankind who not only Kipling’s VERDIs WORK. Undying Popularity of His Leading Operatic Creations. Frem the Chiesgo Times-Herald. It is a singular fact that the three prin- cipal operas, aside from “Aida,” upon which his fame rests—‘‘Rigoletto,” ‘“Trova- tore” produced consecutively within the two years ending March, 1833. Verdi's inspira- tion worked without interruption during that time, and he gained a position of mu- sical authority such as but few men have ever attained. Thus for more than fo years he has lived in the enjoyment of ex- traordinary honors. Other great composers have died without realizing that fame which an unkind fate did not permit to reach fruition until the turf had grown thick on their graves. Verdi gained re- hown with his three great operas, and then | practically rested on his oars for almost twenty years, when he electrified the world with “Aida,” the opera which is likely to outlive all his other works. “Un Ballo” was not without merit, but it did not strike fire, and it thus remained for “Aida” to demonstrate that the flame of genius still burned brightly in the composer's bosom. Another long period—sixteen years—elapsed and “Othello” was given out. Although a remarkab!e work for a man of such ad- venced age, this opera lacks the inspiration of either the “Trovatore” or “Aida” per- icds, and with ‘Falstaff,’ which came a few years later, must be regarded with es- teem chiefly in consequence of the circum- stances incident to its composition. Had Verdi undertakén to set Shakespear@s great tragic story to music in the heat and passion of his younger days, it might have ranked as his masterpiece. But the fires had burned low before he attempted “Othello” or “Falstaff,” and these won- derful creations were too much for a genius | eae had fallen into the sere and yellow leaf. If popularity were a sure test of merit, Goeve is of the opinion that Verdi would indisputably be regarded as the greatest operatic composer of the second half of this century. In 1850 the great Italian com- posers had all passed away. Bellini and Donizetti were gone. Rossini, though still living in Paris, was dead to music. Of the old school there were in Italy only Mer- cadante, Petrella and Parisini. Out of Italy were Meyerbeer, Auber, Gounod and Wag- ner, though Meyerbeer and Auber are to be reckoned among the composers of the first half of the century. Since 1850 Italy has produced Boito Ponchielli, Marchetti and Mascagni; France, Massenet and Bizet; Germany, Goetz and Goldmark. Among the entire number Verdi, Wagner and Gou- nod must be designated as the greatest composers of their respective nations, and it is ITkely that in general popularity among all classes Verdi ranks at the head of the lst. “Trovatore,” “Traviata,” “Rigoletto” and “Aida” have probably been rendered more frequently than any other four operas in the standard repertory, and thus Verdi occupies a position quite unique. Recently there has been a manifest dis- position among those who delight in being considered “advanced” to ridicule the me- lodic sweetness and the involved ornamen- tation of the Verdi operas. An attempt is made to discredit both their dramatic and musical value, and that not without some success. But so long as the world loves the bel canto, the bravura singer, the prima donna who revels in vocal pyrotechnics, such operas as Verdi wrote can never lose their place in the repertory. They must The and “Traviata’—were written and, | the town of | its boldness, and a laugh arose. submit to a divided interest now that the intensely dramatic school of operatic music has made its way into such prominence. But Verdi will survive in “‘Aida,” if not in viata," and it will be long after the the present century, if at all, be- fore lovers of music will be willing to fore- go the ee. mrss melodic beauties of Trove- tore” and “Rigoletto. e ae) which the at fame work. <n so sig is made up. Verdi, ting upon e confines: al world, can lock back over y career, filled with triumph. Living for years upon his fine estate of Sant Agata at Le Roncele in the summer time and in his handsome Genoa mansion during the winter months, the current of life has tlowed on for him al- most unruffied. The struggles and sorrow of his youthful.years were long ago forg: ten, and the gr composer be gath- ered to his fathers in the ripe enjoyment of such honors as few men attain. Seo AN ANECDOTE OF LINCOLN. He Measured Height With a Miner in a Pennsylvania T In the cotrse of an article In the July | St. Nicholas, Mary Lillian Herr relates the fellowing characteristic anecdete to Lin- coin: Once while on his way to Washington as President, the train stopped a little time in Allegheny, Pa. Around the station a great crowd gathered, eager to see the new President. cheered until Lincoln had to appear on the rear platform of his car. He bowed and smiled; but the crowd was so noisy he did not try to speak to them. . Very near to the platform stood a miner, wearirg a red shirt and biue overalls, and carrying u dinner pail. Like the rest he had stopped hoping to see Mr. Lincoln. ‘The workman was almost a giant in size, and towered head and shoulders above the crowd. No doub: he had heard that Lincoin aiso was very tall, and, encouraged by the friendly face, the workman suddenly waved his bar> arm above his bead, and called cut: “Hi, there, Abe Linc you—yes, a sight talle: This loud speech silenced the crowd by But Mr. Lincoln, leaning forward with a good- humored smile, said quietly: “My man, I doubt it; in fact, I'm sure 1 am the telier. However, come up, and let's measure.” The crowd made way; ! I'm taller than the workman 1 Climbed to the platform, and stood back to back with the President-elect. ach put up a hand to see whose head overtopped. Evidently Mr. Lincoln was the victor; for with a smile of satisfaction, he turned and offered his hand to his beaten rival, say- ing cordially: “I thought you were mistaken and I was right; but I wished to be sure and to have you satisfied. However, we are fyiends any- Way, aren't we?” Grasping the outstretched hand in a vig- orous grip, the workman replied: oe “Yes, Abe Lincoln; as long as I live! —— ree = At the Raines Club. Frem Puck. “It strikes me,” said the severe-looking stranger, “that this club was organized simply to sell beer to the members.” “Not at all,” said the cheerful waiter, who was handing around the foaming schooners. “One of the rules forbids mem- bers to drink beer on the premises, and every time a man breaks that rule we fine him five cents.” = ———— Theater Fires. Since 1797 there have been 1,100 theater fires with 10,000 fatalities, according to Mr. Sachs’ “Fires and Public Entertainments, just published. Of these 462 took place in the United States, 139 in Great Britain, and 101 in Germany, France having nearly the same number. London has had thirty-five fires and Paris twenty-eight. Out of 343 theaters destroyed by fire, one-half were burned within ten years after they were constructed, forty of them within the ‘irst year. ——___-+0+____—_ He Pleads. Frem_ Puck. Justice—“You edmit taking the wheel?” Prisoner—“Yes, your honor—but—but—it was the same make your honor rides.” Justice—“What has that to do with the case?” ie a Prisoner—“‘Your honor will understand what a temptation it was to a man who knows that it is the best make in the mar- | subjected to the ket.” tire ‘They shouted and | Whisperings of Impen: ing Disaster to Europeans Heard reviously, The assassins of Licutenant Ayerst ol the commissariat corps, who was shot and killed by concealed natives whi! the governor's reception at Gane the evening of June 22, jubilee day, Commissiorer Rand being dangerously wounded at the same time, are still at large. The aggressive attitude of the na- | tives prior to the shootings was marked. There were whisperings of impending @ | aster to Europ and it is thought | the whole nati , cing to happen. yed anonymous | oner Rand's bun; You will die toda die two days after. “Many cthers will die also and the sol- diers will follow.” INCREASE IN PACKING BUSINESS. ne > queen will Prosperity Seems to Have Reached One Great Productive Interest. Kansas City packers broke all records during the first half of 1897. This is the record for the six months ending sane 30: Hogs killed, ; cattle killed, sheep killed, es indl- cate an increased slaughter of 357,000 hogs, %) cattle and 106,000 sheep over the first half of 1896. This enlargement of the packing business is said by packers and live stock men to | be the result of an increased supply of live stock in the Kansas City territory and ex- tensions of trade. Receipts of stock yards during the month of June were record breakers ali for around. Cattle receipts at this place the first six months of 1897 aggregate 7: ”, a gain of 105,159 compared with the fame time in 189 Compared with a year ago, the resetpts of cattle, hogs and sheep were as follows: June (1897), cattle, 000; hogs, sheep, 102,000. June, 1896, cattle, 107,000; hogs, 267,000; sheep, 000. Test Which Proved Too Severe for a Britixh Officer. From Hoerper's Round Table. Shortly before the revolution, when the air was heavily charged with forebodings of the approaching struggle, old Maj. Putnam happened to be in Boston. The major dis- Uked the redcoats, and sometimes inveighed against thelr arroggnt superciliousness in no gentle terms. One day an officer of his majesty's regulars overheard Putnam as- sert that the provincial army, untutored In arms as they were, would fight with the courage of trained soldiers. The officer re- sented the assertion, and after some hot words challenged the major to a duel, pro- vided he dared to fight. “Dare!” shouted Putnam. moment; but I choose the weapon “Name them,” haughtily replied the off- cer. “Two kegs of gunpowder; the time, to- morrow; the distance, ten paces; the fight to be as follows: You to sit on one keg, I on the other, a slow fuse to be attached to each and lighted, and the one who holds out the longest shall be declared the win- ner.” There was nothing for the officer to do va accept the unusual weapons, and on the following day, at the appointed time and place, the combatants took their seats upon the kegs of gunpowder. The fuses were the matter came to ent