The New York herald., 1864-12-24
v6lt 0I Oantd OIduS 70 Inc
- = Herald Establishment.
soar Midnight Interview With This
Mysterious Parsonage. x
How 10 Looked, What 10 Wore, How Hc
Smoked, and What Hs Said.
sOpcning Of His Black Valiso
or Books, Toys and Games.
Tho Way He Displayed 'fAsm and
Talked About Them.
aNlS ANNUAL TAXES AND REVENUE.
>~~~>~~~~oo~>~~~~~~~
AKriss Kringle with All the Medsrn
Improvements.
-
Sermon Of st. Nicholas to the
Modern Knickerbockers.
Read Our Report and Follow
- His Advice,
aNIs ANNUAL TAXES AND REVENUE.
AKriss Kringle with All the Msdsrn
improvements.
Sermon Of 81 Nicholas to the
Modern Knickerbockers.
Read Our Report and Follow
.,& His Advice,
L. "a - III
IN TIE HERALD oFrIox.

~ a.. ~
Srnt
IN THE BERALD 0FYICE.
mo HsRALD Office, like all we'll established nssl
tusions hss IT. histories and ts mystere No uniuter
essiug narrative might be made, for example, OF the
visitors TO this establishment. Its editorial s .
pablo Exohanse-not Stock Exchange, . Flour Ex
rhAnge or Petroleum Exchange, but Exchange for
udeaa Those who freq tent II SEQ, every day men most
distinguished in arts the Sciences learned pro
fsasions, the Army, the Navy and the Government
Journalists, miiouarss, lawyers, lecturers, authors
Sosots, ssnsra admrals, orators, politicians
dors, senator's commodores, congressmsn nnanciers,
Colons, merchants nobemon DOCTORS diviuss singers
dplsaaas dandiss and men OF the world pass in and
out, eaoh nteat upon hts business. Tho curious
observer catches glimpsss sf the representative
mn ~ ainsss every nationality. In times past
such remarkable personasss Henry Clay and
President Comontors, Jenny Lind and General
Pssz. Hawthorne and Ursgs, the japanese prince
snd ~ su.s ef the Prince Wales have ostied each
chsr upon this Intellectual Caanss. while fs~ celebrated
tadtvdsas Of this eosntry Of Europs have visited
New York, wthin the past twenty years, without ap
psariag ~ the HERALD oce, either publicly incoO. It
may readily b imagined, therefore, that nos
oasiy astenishsd q any visit however unexpectsd and
yet We confess that somewhat amazed at per-
soaaoe who dropped In upou . night or two ago.
- sssf MYSTERIOUS VISITOR APPsARErH.
it was just after midnight The editorial writer's had
vng snos gons 70 dream Of fame the bosoms their
AnR rasrsportsrs had anisnsd thslr pictures Of che
slay ana night, and dispersed 70 their homes The
,sslssl md 1ramastc critics had written up sheir
ti&m Aseelnsd 70 make good actors vain and bad
Aaagsn wtnes. Only the manifold details Of great
nalh % b arranged Tor ss dexs day and then The
A11 lassW = shs ONCE woa,db Owe. rtrvs stories
ete ~ slshs editor Supervising shs lasss tsss
1ls,snd ~ eemposltors horrisdly clicking their
Hi. oas slsgy below, she NIGHT clerks boxing
tAevsrthsmsnb snd subscriptions. The dun thunder
o(truubiing presses their subterrsnsan oaverns
soreks che stInss OF the night Suddenly the outer
door the Editorial Department opeosd. The sleepy
onio>oy sprang up from his desk and was instantly
aestwhas pssssd between him and the visitor
ccudos catch; but In u momens the boy made his ap
aoce, irving look be had been asleep In
his i~nd briskly announced somebody wanted 10
see thusor. fne hour Iaw; but the HERALD ONCE
awA epsa and ready for Iadsed, late visitors
are rssr the rule than tho exception was with no
pecssaoi anything unusual, therefore, that we said,
"shcw gsatsmsn To- Upon the word, swift as .
nash, vsssrious stranger appeared before US.
uIs APPEAaANos ruzzLRrH Us.
Tho singer had queer, quaint and remarkable
aspect Aress fur cap the richest and darkest sable
covered bead. An immense greatcoat, trimmed with
che same dice far reached to his knees and covered
his body. ne fur collar Of tns ooat uptarned,
20 cover face. ing top boots. lined and trimmed with
vAlise. A.rst sight surm,sed that he might DO q
messenger rom the En- pcror Of Russia sent over By
Professor Hnlin, The Emperors former tutor, who had
takes coaaerabls interest In the HxRALD during his
sojeurn -. Bat, the othsr hand, his black
Nvfiss iecsd suspcou As Ne had founded
our RussA hypothesis upon The sable surs,
We | onos passed 70 the other or.
trsms and dsopsd . theory from the black vase.
Az the thoua masioary odor Of phosphorus filled
the room. khsps this Of the hotel burners.
Had his urged him to give full sssion,
% be pubisSd special 10 next issue, and forever
-sIeuos the hsudiary prsssf Or was this momber Of
the Devoted and stranger In New York, Who had
mistaken for that OF another paper, or possibly
maumoshotsIs In the old umss, when wicked
people hated u HuMp bitterly but tried
Other means rsvsnt exposures infsrpal machines
used 70 be tcus and the establishment and s pro
prlssos had ofsa ESCAPED destruction BY almost
miracle. Was thre an iuerpai machine In that black
valisss These cosSctures AXE some minutes 70 write
and nearly - many 70 read bu promps the ope
raticps the mind but second two bad elapsed
before had framed, weighd and dismissed them all,
and were oourtsousy askin The stranger 70 state bis
business
EH REvRALgiI HIS NAME.
aslr,v said the stranger % have often heard OF the
HnArs Since ss nrs. issuer read IL regularly"
,of course ws bowed. .Yor oftsn have heard Of
me, SIR" he continued; "inded you have mentioned my
IN your columns not unreq aenty and never unfA.
vorabiy." or COURSE bowed again "Now," re
sumeA the stranger, 'don that you don't know me,
because that would be absurdr Absurd - u Was,
onssty compelled to say u politely as possibs.
continued our mysterious visitor, In the oddcst
Hest and msrriest little voice. .svhy, you dont mean
goa can't mean ii-ips ali humsug ~ Humbug or
We did moan u, and so repeated Il more emphati-
lily. rhis seemed 70 take the stranger quite absck but
In a moment he recovered his scif. possession
and proceeded. "Dunder und b,ixsn,r said he
and ws give his exact words:-'Thats what 10 10 be
q historical persorsge You have heard Of me- all the
world heard Of me, and yet you done recognize
I oanr believe III won't believe ~ Look At men AZ
ne said this the stranger, with quaint gesture, pulled
or bis cap, threw down his valise (which did not
pode) opeuvd bis stepped inhc full glare Of the
Gasilght We did look at him. but were no wiser than
before. Ho seemed lutte old man, short aud stout.
with The oicst rod face with the carbupcss
OF generous living snowy white hair end tiny, bright.
swsklins eyes, uI Of bcpevolencs sod sc Bereah his
eateoaa old fashioned Jacket, which opened
the throat to ahccss equally old fashioned RUNE,
md was decorated At the nut'on hoe with sprig Of
christmas green and cluster Of bollies Took At me
Ean,v ead he; We looked again, while
" gssIlghs wipked II him In tbs most familiar