The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-07-22
A Remarkable Memory.

by any man in the United States, perhaps,
is that of Alfred Ducling, an humble col
ored man employed as hat-rack waiter at
the Metropolitan Hotel in this city. AL
fred is apparently about thirty-five years of
age and is bright and intelligent in appear
ance. He has the faculty of remembering
faces, names, facts, etc., that is very Won
derful indeed. If fifty men are in a room
and all are strangers to him he can walk
around and inquire the name Of each and
then 90 around again and call every man
by his proper name. Read a page of a
book to this remarkable person and he
will repeat the whole afterward from men,
Dry. He can keep the accounts of the
steward of the hotel in his head week or
a month at a time, with items, expcndi-
lures, ETC., correctly, thus constituting him
self mental daybook and ledger.
The most curious illustration of Alfred's
powers is in his remembering hats. 1t is
his particular business: at the hotel to
stand in the ante-room leading to the din
ing-hall to receive the hats of guests as
they pass in. Alfred takes the hats and
places them on rack and when each
guest comes out of the dining room that
particular guest is handed his hat. 1t has
been said that this colored man can re-
member 400 hats and the faces of the per-
sons to whom they belonged, as he did on
one occasion when there was large fash
ionable ball at the Academy of Music
He told the Mercury reporter, however,
that 400 was too high a figure and an ex-
aggeration circulated by some of his san
guine and enthusiastic friends, but, said
he, Il can remember 800 without any
difficulty at all I have handled during
the past fourteen years that have been in
this business the hats of the most distin-
guishcd men in the land.
"There's poor old Uncle Horace Gree
ley-bless his heart!-I''ye put his famous
white hat, and his black hats, too, on the
rack scores of times.'' His head was a
twenty -four incher, and was as wide in
front as it was at the back. In thisre-.
spect Uncle Horace was different from
most persons. Nineteen men out of
twenty have hats the fnaide qfa which fit
ting their heads resembles pear, the
forehead being narrow and the back wide.
The founder Of the Tribune seldom took
lis hat from Alfred without bestowing a
quarter OF a half dollar for the taking care
ofshis tile. Hewas very liberal in this re-
spcct... Alfred always watched Horace to
seetlat tire latter did not in fit of alb
-n1indedness put his hat on hind side
'' One time tdhi die great editor had his hat
full of scraps cut from newspapers, and
when He took it off his. head the, scraps
,Hew all over the floor, and some of them
blew out Of an open window. Somewhat
angry at the occufrfe renee Mr.. Greeley ex-
claimed ; =. There, inoWLr See, there they
goal nzthesr material for to morrow's edi-
.toFials!" Several walters who were
standing near hastily gathered up all the
Gathering pieces of paper that could be
fouhds and returned them to the editor.
The famous journalist looked them over
and said: ."WclE,, all that I care about
are here, except one about Chinese Coolie
Labor. I'll give anyone five dollars who
will lind that for me-" The prospect of
gaining this reward induced the walters
and bell-boys to make vigorous search,
which was prosecuted for some time in
yain,. and Horace departed. Three
or four: hours afterward.1 when it was
eleven or twelve o'clock at night, a bell
boy, who had been more persevering than
the others in his search, found4he missing
article on Chinese Coolie Labor half
buried in the mud in the area Of the hotter,
The little fellow ruslef breathless TO the
fAssu,< Office, anaup Il theroom On the
second story where Mr.. Greeley was busy
writing. !. There's your newspaper scrap
exclaimed the little 1tslow, handing the
mud bedaubed slip to the editor. Mr..
Greeley took the slip, smiled benignly on
the boy, and gave him a: five-dollar note.
The next morning the article appeared in
Jlfe Tribune Il TfsEzs
The most dnapidated hat ever placed on
the rack leading to the Metrepolitan din
ing-room was the tile OF Long John Went
worth, of Chicago This Identical hat
was worn by the noted Illinois politician
ten years, and then was taken to the. hat
ter's and furnished with new band and
lining, and is probably still doing good
service. On one occasion Long iohn, ,
who stands six feet eight in his stocking
feet, came to Che dining room door and
asked the swaiterstot remove his hat for
him.. i" But I can't reach your hat" said
the waiter. Mr.. Wentworth replied:
"Get chair lind stahd on it, and then
you can" Tke-waiter did Us requested,
and, removing thb tile from the head aof
the tallest man in Chicago, deposited it on,
the rack. Long John ste his dinner, and,
when he had finished zone Of the BEL boys
got upon a chair. md replaced the tile.
The smallest man who ever gave his hat
into Alfred's keeping was 9 Little Mac"
the minstrel
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