Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1880-03-05
CAPITAL CLAIMANTS.
Some of the Odd Characters Found In
Washington.


Frequent visitors at the capitol cannot
have failed to notice the daily occupant
of the front seat of the left hand Senate
gallery. He is known as the prayer
fiend." In rain or shine he is punctu-
ally on hand. At ten minutes before
twelve O'Clock he shambles in, takes his
seat and quietly awaits until the chap
lain begins his prayer. Then he rises,
throws his body back to an angle which
may some day lose him his balance,
poises his head even to a more extreme
backward angle than his body, and
rocks on toe and heel until the amen is
uttered, to which he responds. Then
he resumes his seat and generally re-
mains until the session closes, particu-
larly if there is a debate. In appear
ance this character is striking. He is
tall and thin; more than six feet high
His frame is angular; face spare and
shrunken. He has little tufts of gray
side whiskers, otherwise his face is al
ways cleanly shaven. He dresses in
plain black, wears cloak and carries a
cane. His eyes protrude we'll out of
their sockets and have restless look.
If he happens to come in late, no matter
who may be in his seat, or how much
difficulty he may encounter to reach it,
he will crowd his way to the place and
oust any one who may be in it. He is
well known to all Congressman as the
one who keeps most jealous vigil over
their proceedings. The name of this
odd character is Powell Cuthbert, a
Virginian by birth. Of late years he
/ seems to have gone q " little off, on re-
ligion. He he's an income which cannot
be alienated from him in his lifetime
barely sufficient to keep him, and finds
peace in his latter days in the Congress
sional gallery.
Another conspicuous character is an
old lady named Almira Thompson. She
has claim. In fact she has presented
claim to every Congress since the
forty third, and is daily in attendance
both in the gallery and the committee
room to see how it is looming on"
This claim is for services alleged to have
been rendered as a hospital nurse. AL
mira has a temper of her own, and woe
be it to the Congressional solon who re-
fuses to treat her with consideration.
When the House is in session she goes
to the gallery, and frequently manages
to get seat next to the prayer fiend"
The latter shuns her because, as she al
leges, she is crazy. 1t is amusing to see
the old man try to ''cut - Almira dead.
She will sometimes sit by him and talk
at him fifteen or twenty minutes with
out being able to elicit response. Then
Almira will get mad and take hold of
him with both hands, turn him round
SO as to face her, whereat the old man.
powerless to resent her muscular fcrce,
will deign to make a reply, resume his
position in which he has been disturbed
and feign sleep to dodge her attentions.
Almira knows every member of Con-
gress; can give good outline of their
fine points and sometimes proves really
an advantage in the gallery. If she
| happens TO be near any one who is will
ing to listen to her she will point out
the leading members, either praise
them or abuse them as she sees fit, and
recount many interesting episodes of
Congressional debates. She has an es
pecial liking for Ferris Finch, the file
clerk of the House, because, forsooth, he
consigns her claim to the catacomb of
the files with each recurring Congress
| The appearance of this character is
striking. She is tall. well-preserved
old lady, of about sixty, straight as an
arrow and as proud as Lucifer Her
eye is coal black, hashing and express
sive. Her hair is gray, worn in a pro-
fusion of curls, which hang over her
forehead. She bears evidence that in
her youthful days she must have laid
claims to superior beauty, for she even
yet possesses more than ordinary good
looks. She wears faded gray dress
and an old shawl. Ol her head she
wears modest and matronly white cap.
Nobody seems to know where she lives
or how she is supported, but from her
appeals for mid her livelihood is sup
posed to he precarious.
Another character who, up to few
months ago, was daily visitor to the
capitol, is Col Maurice Pinchover. This
man has grievance. He seems to be
haunted with the phantom of Col. Tom
Scott, the railroad king. He declares
that Col. Tom Scott years ago robbed
him in railroad transaction, stole his
money, and reduced him to penury He
carries with him, usually, tin case
about two feet long and six inches in
diameter, in which is drawing of some
kind. Originally it might have been a
tracing ofa plat of ground and the cross
sections, but whatever it was in its
primitive state it is unintelligible now,
by reason of all manner of additions
which have been added to the tracings
by the mischievous One day last sum-
mer, when the House was engaged in
an exciting political debate, PinchoveI
came to the capitol with q wooden shirt,
saturated in blood, and which he de-
clared was the shirt worn by him wher
: he was assaulted by Tom Scott on the
plains of Colorado. Pinchover also has
claim. All that he has ever yet sue
+ ceeded in explaining is that it is fol
81, 900, 900, and is connected with mine
5 of some kind, which Scott robbed him
l of. Since the present session begun ht
has not put in an appearance, and it il
I believed that he is over to the Easter
I branch. At times he is dangerous
g Journal Clerk Smi h on one occasion
!, filled the tin case he carries with mucil
age. When Pinchover discovered it h
became ungovernable and would hav
done Smith bodily injury had he no
fled incontinently out of range.
-, Another persistent claimant VIII
= !, comes to Congress every year is John c
, Mcdonnell. His claim is for $l7, ,26(
~ and has made its appearance in ever
:, Congress for years. 1t has for n basi
y the alleged fact that the claimant ren
. dered service to the United States in rt
\ cruiting 300 men in Maryland for
u y Massachusetts, regiment. Last summe
Il General Bragg, chairman of the wa
~ ~ claims committee, in reporting adversel
ae e upon it said: "This claim has been II
- - iected at the war department and til
10 10 treasury department when all the pa
~ ~ ties who knew OF the transaction wei
r. living and the vouchers now alleged
~ have been lost were in existence.
y has since been rejected by the commits
~ - on war claims, and now presents itse
g, to this committee having only one mer
y /; in its favor-unblushing persistence.
a0 ao is time this raid on the treasury shou