The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-03-31
A BASE CONSPIRACY.
How the Puzzle BLOCK Impedes the
Operations of Governments.
New York Times

How the Puzzle block Impedes the
Operations of Government.
New York Times
Who introduced the fifteen puzzle into
the White House no one knows, but in
all probability the guilty person was a
Southern brigadier of more than usual
villainy. He must, however, have been
in collusion with one of the servants, for
on last Friday night the puzzle was found
on the table Of the room in which cabi-
net consultations are held, and it had
evidently been PLACED there only few
moments before the 6abinet assembled.
Mr.. Key was the first who noticed it.
He picked it up, and was examining it
carefully, when Mr.. Evarts asked him
what it was. Mr.. Key explained the
nature of the thing to the Secretary Of
State, vino turned scornfully away, re-
marking that as puzzle it was ridicu-
lously simple when compared with the
civil-servlce-reform policy of the Ad-
ministration.
Tue President paid no attention to the
matter, and opened the meeting by
bringing before it the subject Of the
Panama Canal, Probably the puzzle
would have been forgotten, and the
fiendish purpose of the wicked brigadier
frustrated, had not Mr.. Seharz walked
toward the piano, remarking that he
would 'blay Something's"
Now, as is we'll known, Mrs. Hayes al
WAYS locks up the piano and takes away
the key before each meeting of the Cab
met, and with this knowledge the Cabi-
net, on this particular occasion, felt per-
fectly safe. What was their horror,
however, when Mr.. Schurz drew key
from his pocket, unlocked the piano,
and began to play one Of his own COM
positions. Mr.. Key, with great presence
of mind, bethought him Of the puzzle,
and called out: "Schurs, here is some
thing that you can't do" Mr.. Schurz,
piqued by this assertion; left the piano,
saying: "Ah, you haf plan for manag-
ing The Indians, don't yous" and tell
unsuspectingly into the Postmaster's
trap.
Then the President, anxious to know
what it was that had the power to draw
Mr.. Schurz from the piano, asked to see
the puzzle, and after looking at it for
moment, said that he thought he could
do 1t. ut looks easy" he remarked.
"There are fifteen numbers, and you have
to arrange them SO that there will be
eight in one row and seven in another. 1t
certainly seems to me as If had tried
that kind Of puzzle somewhere, though
I can't at this moment recOllect where it
was" Mr., Key corrected him, and ex-
planned that the great difficulty was to
arrange the numbers in order. Mr..
Sherman scofied at the puzzle, and ex-
claimed that, to a man who had to spend
his days and nights in shifting Southern
Custom-house officers 50 as to bring six
or seven Southern States intothe Chi
cago Convention prepared to vote for the
ablest living financier, the mere shifting
of lot Of wooden blocks would be
childs play.
Mr.. Hayes, after watching Mr.. Schurz
little longer, became so much inter-
ested that he sent out and bought an
other set Of blocks, and undertook to
solve the puzzle before Mr.. Schurz could
do it.
At 8 o'clock the next morning Mr..
Schurz was taken home in a carriage,
completely exhausted and leaving his
blocks in the position 13, 10, IA. Mr..
Hayes, who is less nervous man, went
to his breakfast without exhibiting any
signs of unusual trouble, and returned
to the puzzle Immediately afterward.
Since that time it is alleged that he
has not been seen except by Mr.. w. X.
Rogers, who reports that the President is
closely occupied with public business,
and can not see any visitors. Meanwhile
the Brigadiers are chuckling over the
success Of their infamous conspiracy, and
spend most Of the day sitting on the
fence in front of the White House, wait
ing for Mr.. Hayes to be removed to all
asylum.