The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1880-03-04
CAPITAL CLAIMANTS.
some OF the Odd Characters Found I'm
Washington.

WasnthRtOhs
Freauent 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 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, partieu-
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 a cloak and carries a
cane. His eyes -protrude well out of
their sockets and have 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 as the
their proceedings. The name of this
odd character is Powell Cuthbert, u
Virginian by birth. Of late years he
seems to have gone little Off on re-
ligion. He 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 fact she has presented
a 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 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 goe:
to the gallery, and frequently manages
to get a 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 "cutn Almira dead
She will sometimes sit by him and tall
at him fifteen OF twenty minutes with
out being able to eli cit response. Ther
Almira will get mad and take hold o
him with both hands, turn him rount
so as to face her, whereat the old man
powerless to resent her muscular force
will deign to make 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 thei
| fine points and som etimes proves reall,
an advantage in the gallery. If sh
happens to be near any one who is will
ing to listen to her she will point ou
the leading members. either prais
them or abuse them as she sees fit, ant
recount many interesting episodes o
| Congressional debates. She has IN cs
pecial liking for Ferris Finch, the til
clerk of the House, because, forsooth, h,
consigns her claim to the catacomb O
the files with each recurring Congress
The appearance of this character i
striking. She is tall. well-preservet
old lady, of about sixty, straight rs III
arrow and as proud as Lucifer. He
eye is coal black, 1ashing and expires
sive. Her hair is gray, worn in pro
fusion of curls, which hang over he
forehead. She bears evidence that i
her youthful days she must have lai
claims to superior beauty, for she eve
yet possesses more than ordinary goo
looks. She wears faded gray dreS
and an old shawl. On her head sll
wears modest and matronly white cal
Nobody seems to know where she live
| a,. how Cl,n ic SrtnnnrtnH ht,t f,.p,,, lac
appeals for aid her livelihood is SUI
posed to he precarious.
Another character who, I'D to fe
months ago, was daily visitor to IL
capitol, is Col. Maurice Pinchover. Th
man has II grievance. He seems to |
haunted with the phantom of Col. Tol
Scott. the railroad king. He declare
that Col. Tom Scott years ago robbie
him in railroad transaction, stole b
money, and reduced him to penury. Il
carries with him, usually, tin ca
about two feet long and six inches
diameter, in,which is drawing of son
kind. Originally it might have been
tracing ofa plat of ground and the Gro
sections, but whatever it was in i
primitive state it is unintelligible no,
by reason of all manner of addition
which have been added to the tracin
by the mischievous. One day last sur
mer, when the House was engaged
an exciting political debate, Pinchov
came to the capitol with wooden shin
saturated in blood, and which he d
clared was the shirt worn by him VIII
he was assaulted by Tom Scott on t
plains of Colorado. Pinchover also h
8 a claim. All that he has ever yet su
ceeded in explaining is that it is
= 81 900, 900, and is connected with mi
3 of some kind, which Scott robbed hi
l of. Since the present session begun
: has not put in an appearance, and it
I believed that he is over to the Easte
I branch. At times he is dangerol
e journal Clerk Smi h on one occasi
!, filled the tin case he carries with muC
age. When Pinchover discovered it
became ungovernable and would ha
done Smith bodily injury had he L
fled incontinently out of range.
!, Another persistent claimant W
u !, comes to Congress every year is John
y Mcdonnell. His claim is for Sl7,2
- and has made its appearance in evC
:, Congress for years. 1t has for ba
y the alleged fact that the claimant +,
% dered service to the United States in
\ cruiting 300 men in Maryland fol
y Massachusetts regiment. Last sunni
IL General Bragg, chairman of the v
"a claims committee, in reporting advers
&c upon it said: "This claim has been
- jected at the war department and
10 treasury department when all the P
"a ties who knew OF the transaction W
r. living and the vouchers now alleged
~ have been lost were in existence.
y has since been rejected nv the commit
~ on war claims, and now presents it
e, to this committee having only one M
i in its fayor-unblushing persistence