The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-09-08

The Anxiety at Washington.
! The Washington correspondent of the Ne
York Tribune, furnishes the following graph
and Interesting statement of the anxiety abo1
| Washington on account Of the condition
the President and the manner of its manifest
4 ton. The letter is dated the Goth:
"There is little in the general appearance
Washington to suggest that it is the focus
q Nation anxiety and sorrow. Only the Ii
tie knots OF people standing before the bull'
tin boards, here and there, and the little blac
newsboys in their picturesque rags and wit
their mellow Southern voices, running her
and there with extras, show that the placi
current OF life here is at all disturbed, an
these might be seen in any city, In all othe
respects this big, struggling. sleepy town
the same as ever. The August sun pour
down on the broad, dusty streets and aspha
tum, the trees are Drowned here and Their
with dust and heat, the grass in the littl
] parks is baked dry, the negro cartmen jo
along the streets, whstling lazy and happ
whistle, the great dome of the Capitol CLEAN
a vivid white in the sunshine, and all tn
scenes far from oppressive as is the heat, ar
SO suggestive OF the parching heat of midsum
mer that one is glad to remember that scienc
has been able to provide the stricken Presi
dent with an atmosphere of his own, and that
chained heresasl he hAsabeen,l he has bccn sp6fes
the exhaustion and suffering of the summe
| heat.
| About the White House itself, in these day.
when every one fears the worst, and the mar
who still hopes does SO out of a sort of chiv
alric feeling that he will stand by the wounded
man to the end, there is little to indicate
orso hoIr 1of Of ocsyr Ii i1ar
| man is seen at the gate in Pennsylvania-ave
He stands immovably, in erect military atti
tude, with his sabre drawn, and this is all the
military force guarding the way to where the
COMMANDMENTS Chief OF the Army lies. Inside
the gate is policeman who shows civic ease
He swings his club playfully about, chats with
the bystanders and has a polite answer for
every one of the hundred questions put to him
every half hour by the anxious people. This
patient crowd at the White House gate is a
curiosity. These people stand there by the
hour, their numbers continually changing,
but many remaining long time. They are
quiet and patient and talk little with each
other, but simply wait and wait. If they do
not know for what, they are at least near the
house where the President is, and that seems
to satisfy them. When anyone comes down
the semi-circular walk from the White House
to the gate, a few of them press forward and
ask If there is any news. Usually the answer
given sadly is, None" and the people fall
back only to ask the same question moment
after of the next conner. But the mass of the
crowd seem to have learned the answer by
heart, or are wise enough to know that they
can learn little beyond what they see in the
official bulletins. They ask no questions and
learn nothing, but seem to find a vague and
forlorn comfort in being there hour after hour.
Most of them are negroes. The stone coping
of the high iron fence is lined with them.
The gray old uncle" sits there his hat on his
face. The buxom colored woman is there,
with her sleepy babys head in her lap. The
ragged black boy is there, too. There were
never such rags us these little fellows wear;
they look as if they could only have been col
lected, with great labor, by some rag aesthetic.
The colorei exquistes are there. The gath
ering represents all classes and conditions of
life. Now and then lady dressed in mourn
ing will step through to the policeman on
guard and ask if there is any news. The bull
letins of the day, neatly printed, are tackled to
the trunks OF the large trees growing through
the sidewalk, and are surrounded by group
of people who read them again and again.
These printed bulletins are to be seen in al
most every shop window throughout the city,
in very short time after the manuscript is
issued from the White House. A carriage is
seen coming from the White House, and the
crowd begin to stretch their necks to see who
is in it. 1t is Secretary Blaine, and the crowd
scan his face curlously one of them saying, as
the carriage rolls away, "He looks downheart-
ed, don't hep"
Then carriage comes the other way, but
the crowd may scan the occupants face in
vain for news. 1t is DIR. Hamilton going in to
the o'clock consultation, his gray bearded
la vic
pondents come out in bunch and are instant
ly surrounded by eager questioners And SO
the scene goes on hour after hour.
About the White House itself there is ali
ominous silence Bars have been placed at
the ends OF the pOrtico to keep the carriages
of the stone pavement. Newspaper cores
pondents stand about in groups on the steps
discussing the case in low tones and wonder
ing how long the President can live, rather
than whether he can survive. As the hour
for issuing the evening bulletin approaches
the crowd OF correspondents, messengers from
the departments, ETC., grows thicker. Most of
them prefer to wait outside in the air; few
sit in the great dark vestibule where full
length portrait of Lincoln, with the associa-
tons it brings with it at this time, seems to
deepen the gloom. There is a knot waiting
at the foot OF the staircase leading up to the
executive offices, while the long east room, ~
ing beyond, SO often the scene of brilliant |
gatherings, is empty and almost dark. The |
windows in it toward the Potomac are open
and, looking, one sees the river growing
vague in the distance, and nearer at hand the
trinity shaven lawns of the White House
grounds, with circles of bright flowers here
and there, and in the middle fountain play
ing, the sound Of which, gentle as it is may
easily reach the ear of the suffering man who |
lies in room at the back of the house.
To one who remembers the scene as it was |
on day less than six months ago, the con-
trast is deeply painful Then all Washington,
was astir with the pomp of the greatest in
augural display ever seen here. There, out in !,
front where the crowd now waits meekly, |
hour after hour, for news of the Presidents |
condition, the Pres ident himself stood on the |
Fourth of March reviewing the troops, erect |
and vigorous, in the prime Of a splendid man
hood. Down there at the gate leading through |
the Treasury grounds to the White House was |
where the President that day gave his parting |
salute to the throng in Pennsylvania ave.
rising to his feet firmly and gracefully, though |
his carriage was going at full speed, and lift
ing his hat with broad sweep from his head |
1t was an action so characteristic of the man,
in its courtesy, in its manly selfconfidence |
and Its expression of physical selfcommand,
that those who saw the incident will never for
get IL, TiViaI as IL was. ana now tbe centre |
of all the reclamation and glory Of that day
lies few feet away, his vigorous frame |
wreck, his mind under clouds and life only |
chance.
But the evening bulletin is out The boys
come rushing down the stairs, carrying pack |
ages of copies made by the hektograph for |
distribution. There is an amicabe struggle |
over them, and by the time the boys have |
made their way to the outside door the bulle-
tins are all gone, fairly snatched out of their
hands, and everyone lucky enough to secure a
expression of relief upon finding that the
President is no worse. and the corps of cor
respondents disperse, to gather again at night,
when the same scenes and the anxious crowds |
and the eager questioning of all those having !
access to the White House repeat themselves.
Jennie June knows all ahout If Tn a Paris |