National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-10-15
PECULIAR PEOPLE
IN THE CITY OF WASHINGTON.
AZ the Boarding. Houses and in the Hotels-The
Claimant, the Clerk, the Crank, the nem-
Der, the widow, and 0thers-Henry
Digs and Jonathan Tnbbs.

There is no town or city in the Union
where so many peculiar people may be found, and
where human nature can be viewed in its various
phases as in our great Federal Metropolis Ever
since the days when Beau Hickman stood like
sign post In front OF the National and the ohival
rous Count schonberg eat pale de tof ords at Will
ards and was supremacy forgetful OF his board
BILL Washington has been renowned for its famous
characters and Its peculiar people. No wonder;
everybody throngS to Washington, and while ad-
venturers and Office seekers do not absolutely
flourish, they make up, IN part, the debris Of soci
city, and become in time a recognized peculiar
feature ofmetropolitanlfe The boarding houses OF
Washington are
FULL OF PECULIAR PEOPLE.
and are peculiRrities ofthemselves. He who lives
al Riggs or the Arlington, and regales snmptu-
ously every day on French extras and dainty
viands, little dreams of the fare set before the
hungry eyes ofless.favorcd mortNls, and the unin-
wiling repasts with whith medlocrity satisfies its
democratic appetite AZ the table Of your modern
Washington boarding house pecullaritieS abound
that would have drawn smile from Thackeray
or humorous apothegm from n Charles Lamb.
Here are wrinkled old hirts Of SEVENTY dressed
still In the fading fnery OF by-gone days, aping
youth and aspiring to gentility Here also can be
found knotty faces OF care.worn olioc-seekers,
who have grown SO prcmaturely old, with gray
serverthey would appear like amen well stricken in
years, when perhaps but forty summers had passed
over their heads.
THERE ARE LEAN AND WHITEHEAD
spinstcrs, dabbers in literature and politics. who
aspire to be journalists aud fill the weekly papers
with gratuitous contributions Astounding IN full
some laudations of Mr.. Secretary THIS and Senator
That, and who are constantly thrusting themselves
unasked and uusought for on the patience of the
mi. so -
with long hair and cadaverous pronlcs, who worry
constantly the more prominent Congressman in
order that their remarkable inventions may be in
troduoed TO the world, which cannot fail, rs they
assert, TO prove of the highest value TO mankind
Here, too, can be found
THE INEVITABLE CLAIMANT,
who has haunted Washington for Il decade oil
years and grows gloomy and morose with adyan-
cling time. Such characters as these flourish Of
dinncrhou when a boarding house table becomes
the headquarters OF small-fry politicians md
| Office. holders, the dispensers of congressional
news and senatorial gossip. The affairs of the Ma
ton IRE gravely discussed by long bearded solons
VINO give their opinions with weighiy solcmnity.
and who, In the interval between hash and bread
pudding, utter learned and remarkable predlc.
tons on state matters and speak socially OF thc
| Honorable DAM 'em.ail MS their confidential nd
visor aud Senator Bang slang rs their most init
mate and trusted friend.
| Young pRY GOODS CLERKS
| OF small incomes and large expectations are div
| ing into variety pies and gloomily investigator.
the contents of their ueishbors plates on the bar
suspicion that layoritisn has cheated them out o
| the breast Of the chicken and left barren necl
as n solacc. Female Department clerks OF an un
certain uge are daintily using their Gcrmnn.silv
forks for Spoons aud elevating their Puritan eye
brows at the vulgarly OF yonder long-h haired in
| yenlor. who puls his knife In his month and uti
Lies his fork as n convenient toolhpjck, Even tn
landady, who is "fair, fat, and forty" is a stud
for your modern aesthetic. Too short to presid
with grace she eloyatcs her diminutlye figure b
placing the family Bible in her chair and listen
| apathcticnlly 10 the destinations free-tbinkin,
GENT who ptai.es " goyal Rob" and laughs nj ID,
TaIn,adgc as burlcsouc rather than q realization
| of n great preacher of modern times, There
always at such daily gatherings n peculiar -lookin
man.
WITH cLosE.cRoPPED HAIR,
and very lurgc mouth, who Gamma speake,
Anglice,7 who has Il mournrul air like disguste
spaniel rs his gaze meets the assembled boardei
earnestly babbling away on politics and religion
quite unconscious OF the presence or the merits Q
the distinguished foreign professor Of music, VIII
advertiseS in our afternoon papers his obligin
desire TO teach the whole of Washington in til
elegant accomplishment of pounding piano an
Dervish. But II our modern boarding house SUI
niles its quota of pccullor peop,c. what shall b
said of our public thoruughfares and avenue
where one meets every day characters whic
would have furnished the inimitable Charl,
Dickens with an inexhaustible fund OF materi,
for humorous dclneatlon? observe that old fe
low, crinning to himself in the most incompr
hensible fashion as he marches down The Avent
He is fat and healthy, his face is round as an ~
|
| he was born quite MS obliylous of things aroul
! him as now; but though Charley never had me
sense or reason than "A LAM post he came into
: world with a golden spoon in his mouth aud is 1
| owner of large possessions.
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS Rack
his father died and left the whole of his ann
, fortune to his imbecile boy. Take care of DC
n Charley" was the affection ate Language OF [
/ parent to his legal guardians Don't let any o
persecutc, him ana see that he has everything
3 make him comfortable" So Charley lives on su
ported by The interest of his fathers.cstate unco
, scious as he catches the beams of each rising 50
!, that life is to the vast majority of those arou
9 him a weary treatmill. whose responsil,iitie, d
cares increase with each passing hour; but Churl
Q has no care nor is he troubled with ambitious
: pirations Smiling and comtonted he gidcs aiol
y while better men than he struggle on the billo,
crest of lilcs tth storm 10 sink and rise no mo
o Every one who lives in the northwest section
Capitol Hill
5 HAS HEARD OF "cHuBBINs,'
He is an old man of sixty, aud is usually led ao
. by n stout mulatto, who is dcputel to take care
s him, for Chubbins is as child, and has been
9 this condition for many years. Chubbns Is VI
4 rich, but his wealth is OF little value to him.
day unfortunately for his peace OF mind, hc v
: lured Into specializing, and lost, ut one ventu
n $4,000. 1t was only drop In the bucket Of
!, princely fortune, but the ignoblc mind of
miser brooded over Ills loss until he became era
Most every day You can see him, accompani