Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-05-28

Inc Ch"fitscn Histories Of Depart McMi
!mptOyc*.-i1Ow snttIc-Hrnrrrsl Veterans
Earn Pittancc-llcrOic Women TOilius
for lSrend.
special Correspondence of the Intcr-Cc
WASHINGTON, MAY 1, 1874.
CIVIL SERVICE IN THE DEPARTMENTS,
Since the much discussed civil ser
vice rules have governed admission to
the departments, the pressure for posi-
tions OF minor Importance available
without the ordeal of competitive ex-
animation has been immense. Women
OF good social standing apply for mes
sengers places; men Of equal respccta-
bllity ask to be watchmen, and conse-
quently the incumbents Of those dcsir-
able Of situations feel that they hold
them by Il somewhat prccarious tenure.
Especially solicited by men who arc tho
doorkeepers' or, as they are called,
watchncns' places. The salaries range
from 900 to 1.500, and the duties cnioin
q surveillance OF the several doors, day
and night, and men alternately relicv-
ing each other. In the daytime their
principal work is to exclude visitors
before and after office hours, direct
strangers to any part of the building,
and open and shut the heavy doors
that swing to and fro hundreds of times
every day. Accordingly, to silence the
clamor Of applicants who fancy them
selves entitled to these places, the SEQ
rotary OF the Treasury has caused each
Of the tifty-eight watcllmcn in his de-
partment to write little sketch of the
circumstances that led to his appoint
ment, and no stranger shall turn out IN
old servant unless he can show a better
record. Poor fellows, most Of them
have earned government patronage
dearly! Easy their place may DO now,
though even to healthy people, such
hours of constant politeness and vigil
lance would be trying. They have reach
cd them shattered in health, and dist
bled by the cruel accidents of war from
any moro laborious pcrs,lits.
BATTLE-sCARRED VETERANS.
Forty-three of tho fifty-eight men
under Secretary Richardson served
bravcly i'll the war and bear marks of
hard service. Eleven have lost one
arm four have lost one leg one has lost
his right arm and part of his left :;
another lost both hands; while those
without right hands have learned to
write with the left, one has done still
more, lie has learned to write with 4
pen screwed into plate fastened
around his wrist. Another was shot in
the arm ut GcttySburg, and tainted
from loss Of blood. The first Object
that met his eyes when he opened them
was II rebel six foot distant aiming de-
libcr.tcly at him. Too weak to defend
himself, and not caring much whether
his enemy hit or missed, he shut his
eyes again. Two balls struck him, one
Ill the throat, and the other in the eye;
neither killed him, and he lives to-day,
Il poor wreck Of a strong, hearty man.
One whose s,ltfcrings is extreme and
inccssant, was horribly manglcd in the
wilderness, and allothcr victim of these
ghastIy days has lost his right leg AMI
arm. Ilc is one Of the twelve instances
that occurred during the whole war,
where both those limbs were successful
ly amputatcd. One man minus arms,
is II special protcgc Of the President.
General Grant was quite close to him
when he was wounded, and had taken q
great interest in him ever since. and
his appointment is one of the very few
appointments requested by the Prcsi-
dent.
One touching case is that of an old
soldier totally blind from wounds, whom
his little tcn-year old boy guides and
helps. The child is very bright and at.
tends the door promptly. His fathers
account o1 himself is in Il stiff, childish
hand, with juvenile spelling and strange
Expressions. At the end is, "Writtc,
by Willie" Among these men is
ONE QUITE REMARKABLE CHARACTER.
lie entered the service in 1871, very
young, necessarily, as he is in the primo
Of fife now, and he has had II finger in
every w:rlike pic that has been baked
since. Lis memory is perfectly won.
lcrinl. lie can begin with the day lie
enlisted and tell you every thing that
happened to the day he was discharged,
the names Of battles, tho numbers en-.
gagged, the roads they marched by, the
officers who led them, tho details OF
each com bat-cvcrything seems t." be
impressed on his mind with astonishing
v'vl'nH's and minutcucSs. II. would
DC invaluable to II historian. \ it'll,
narrative that he has written, rartl,
for his own amusement, partly ut tn,
request OF others, brings in man,
names that haze sine; grown from com
raratiyc o''sc,rity t" everlasting fame
Franklin Pierce and Winfield Scott
were Generals fighting side by side