The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-09-26
Captain Bassstt's Great Secret.
The JEALOUS CARR WITH WHICH HE Guar
DANIEL. wEBSTER's CHAIR


DANIEL wEBSTER's CHAIR.
from Washington correspondent
Daniel Webster resigned his seat in the
United States Senate, July 90, 1850. His
desk IS still in the Senate chamber, but which
one' where it sits, and who is the lucky
senator that has II, are secrets 10 all the
world except Captain BaSsett, whom Mr..
w ebster brought here when Il mere bOv,
ana put him in position aS page eighteen
Yeas before he resigned. Captain Bassett
has held a place in the Senate from that
day until the present, being Acting Assist
ant Sergeant-at-Ar1ns now. But 10 the
story Of the desk: As above stated. the
posseSsor Of it or itS number Is as profound
secret 10 the senator who sits in il As il /.
TO IN Egyptian mummy. Captain Ba,sett's
reason for keeping all knowledge Of the
numbers OF Mr. Web>ter's, Mr.. Claws. Mr..
CalhOun's seats secret is that. knowing
and understanding the desire Of the average
American citizen, both male, and female.
for relies, he fears to give the secret away
lest the desk would be Clipped away by
piccemeal 10y the curious who throng the
Capitol every day. There has been no
change in these desks from the day they
were brought into the Capitol until now,
other than the annual coat OF yarnish
Captain Bassett has a memorandum record
OF their numbers and places which he
keeps under lock and key, and will. when
be comes TO shuttle of this mortal coil
furnish 70 the proper person all the infor-
nation relative TO these desks, in order
that their history may be carefully pre-
served, and handed down 10 future gene
rationS as mementOS OF Webster and his
associates in the Senate. There are three
other desks in the senate chamber which
curiOSity-hunierS would like to be able TO
see and know that they were the right
ones. These are the desks Of jefferson
Davis, OF Mississippi; stephen \. Douglas,
OF Illinois. and Charles Sumner, Of Mas
sachu,ett>. Mr.. Dayi,'s desk occupied the
same position in the chamber that Mr..
Becks does now, but it i, not known to
anv one except Captain BaSSctt whether or
not il i the same one. Nr. Douglas was
in the same place ~ that occupied by Mr..
PendletOn. and Mr.. sumner WA, in the
place now occupied by Mr.. Dawes. In
S62. when the New York ZOuyas were in
the city, about twenty Of them went into
the senate chamber early in the morning 10
DESTROY the chair and desk that had been
occupied 10y Mr.. jefferson Davis. Just as
they were in the act Captain Ba>.ett put III
his appearance, and asked them what they
were about. They quickly told him that
they were going to destroy the seat and
desk because they were the one used by
Jefferson Davis. Captain Bassett suggested
to them that their mission in Washington
was to protect public property, and not de-
stroy it. They saw the point, and Captain
Bassett proceeded so to change the mum,
bers Of the desks as to be able to say to all
who might inquire that the desks that
were used by the senators were not now
in the same places, as they had been
changed around for the express purpose OF
preventing them from being mutilated by
relic and curiosity-hunters.