National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-06-07
A STRANGER IN THE MUD.
How a Visitor FIoundered Around on a
Dark Night,

want to make a complaint" said a
tall, gentlemanly- looking man, as he entered the
office of The REPUBLICAN yesterday afternoon.
what is your complaint, or who or what do
you wish to complain OFF" asked the mild young
man who was the sole occupant of the office at
that time
care you the editor?" asked the man with a
grievance.
The young man took an inventory of his inter-
rogator, remembered that the bald-headed man
aging editor had just been carried home by his
wife to prevent his getting into mischief that the
political editor was wonderfully and fearfully ex
cited in the next room laboring leader, with
his pen dipped in the imaginary gore of the ad-
ministration; that the city editor was trying to
make cross-eyed man understand his cross eyed
method of talking, you understand; and he came
to the conclusion that he might as well be an
editor for the time being poor devil of local,
SO he said, with all the gruffnesS of the fighting
editor, who keeps two l-dogs under his desk:
YES, am the editor. What can do for you?"
well, as 1 said before" pursued the stranger,
Il want to make complaint lam stranger here.
come into the city from Boston, arriving at two
O'Clock this morning I had been in town some
three months ago, and had boarded at a house on
Fifth street, so thought would go there again.
instead of stopping at a hotel I thought could
find the way from the Baltimore and Ohio depot
and started up Louisiana avenue. twas dark
great Cesar, how dark it was didn't know any
thing about the improvements that had been
started in front of the City Hall, but when got up
to Fourth street was introduced to them. Yes,
literally introduced. slid down a bank of mud,
tore my pantaloons, barked my shins, and twisted
my ankle"
well, you were in a bad FIX said the editor
pro TEN.
a. should say So" returned the discouraged
Bostonian. L fortunately had match in my
pocket, which 1 succeeded in lighting, and then
discovered that 1 was right upon the edge of a
hole that seemed to be about fifteen feet deep.
crawled on my hands and knees up the muddy
bank until 1 reached the sidewalk, and finally
found my boarding house, but in pitiable plight
l can assure you. Now sir, what l wish to say is
that it is an outrage that in the Capital of the
United States no street-lamp was TO be found
lighted on such a night as last night. Further
that it was the duty of the city authorities to see
that the approaches to the excavations were prop
erly lighted to prevent accidents. consider that
have been damaged, in injury to clothing and
delay to-day in transacting my business, ar least
$l0O"
Fully agreeing with the gentleman that the Dis
trict authorities were derelict in not having suf
fcient number of lights to show the torn-up con-
dition of the street, and that it was an outrage
that the street lamps generally were not lighted,
the embryo editor bowed his visitor out, first tax
ing his card that if any District official desires
to confer with him. and be satisfied as to his evil
dent credulity, he can learn his name and address
by applying at this Office.