Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-04-01
CAPITAL CLAIMANTS.
SEINE of the Odd Characters Found I'm
Washington.

of the front seat of the left hand Senate
gallery. lie IL known as the prayer
fiend." In rain or shine he is punctu-
ally on hand. AT ten minutes before
twelve o'clock he shamblcs 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. Th"n
he resumes his seat and generally re-
mains until the session closes, particu-
larly If there is IA debate. In appear
ance this character is striking. He is
tall and thin; more than six feet high.
His frame IL 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 n cloak and carries n
cane. His eyes protrude we'll out Of
their sockets and have a restless look.
ii 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 rs the
one who keeps most Jealous vigil over
their proceedings. The name of this
odd character is Powell Cuthbcrt. n
Virginian by birth. OF late years he
seems to have gone n " little or on re-
ligion. lie hes 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 fisct 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 1t is looming on"
This claim is for services alleged to have
been rendered ms a hospital nurse. AL
mira has temper of her own, and woe
be il 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. y
The latter shuns her because, as she al
leges, she Is crazy. II 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 a response. Then
Almira will get mad and take hold oi
| him with both hands, turn him round
so rs to face her, wnereat the old man,
powerless TO resent her muscular force,
will deign to make reply. resume his
position in which he has been disturbed
and feigm sleep to dodge her attentions.
Almira knows every member Of Con-
gress; can give good outline of their
Hua s.nt0fu and anr1nn4 iraoa f,r.nvna ron III d
an advantage in the gallery. If she
happens TO be near any one who is will
ing to listen 10 her she will point out
the leading members, either praise
them or abuse them rs she sees fit, and
recount many interesting episodes oi
Congressional debates. She has an es-
pecial liking for Ferris Finch, the file
clerk Of the House, because, forsooth. he
consizns her claim TO the catacomb OF
the files with each recurring Congress
The appearance of this character Is
striking. She Is n tall. well-preserved
old lady, of about sixty. straight as an
arrow and as proud ne Lucifer. Her
eye is coal black, 1ashing and express
sive. Her hair Is gray, worn in n 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
vet possesses more than ordinary good
looks. She wears a faded gray dress
and an old shawl. On her head she
wears n modest and matronly white cap.
Nobody seems to know where she lives
or how she Is supported, but from her
appeals for aid her livelihood is sup
posed to he precarious.
Another character who, up TO n few
months ago, was daily visitor TO the
capitol, Is Col. Maurice Pinchover. This
man has q 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, a tin case
about two feet long and six inches in
diameter, In which Is adrawing of some
kind. Originally It might have been a
tracing ofa plat of ground and the cross
sections. but whatever IL was in its
primitive state IL 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, Pinchover
~
saturated in blood. and which he de-
clared was the shirt worn by him when
he was assaulted by Tom Scott on the
plains of Colorado. Pinchover also has
a claim. All that he has ever yet sue
ceeded in explaining Is that IL is for
81 .0O0. 900, and is connected with mine
of some kind, which Scott robbed him
of. Since the present session begun he
has not put in an appearance, and IL Is
believed that he is over to the Eastern
branch. At times he Is dangerous.
Journal Clerk Smi b on one occasion
filed the tin case he carries with mucil-
age. When Pincbover discovered it he
became ungovernable and would have
done Smith bodily injury had he not
fled incontinentIy out nlange.
Another persistent claimant who
comes to Congress every year Is John O..
Mcdonnell. His claim Is for Sl7, geo.
and has made its appearance In every
Congress for years. 1t has for basis