National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-02-04
FROM NEW YORK.
A HIGHLY INTERESTING LETTER.
The Weather--A Contrast 10 Guiteau-I Interview
with Condemned Man who Does Not Want
to BE Pardoned-ThcatricAl Mat.
ters-Mary Anderson.

WlNl blut-b0OW Oi SCOtCn-l lIlsn lOB ~ WIS Oit
Randolph of Roanoke who characterized Wash
ington as a city of hacks and boarding houses
he was more alliteratve but less polite than In
his characterization. This plaoes municipality
of mud, men, and noise, with beastly bad weather
shadowing the picture, and the dull, dead roar OF
a spent worlds riot serving as sort of many-in.
strumentod orchestra to the general outfit Of the
city's stage.
The atmospherical effect has been physically
depressing; 1.-THE weather l mean-has, how
ever, had one beneficial effect, inasmuch II has
turned the public attention from smallpox to
rheumatism aud umbrellas. would add over
shoes, but the sinuous ubiquty of street.cars and
elevated railroads here does away with the neces-
sity Of arctics. All the arctic wots Of In New
York Is lmmatcrially, but very emphatically, ex-
istent IN the atmosphere. The umbrellas are car
ried more for effect than for actual usage
A CONTRAST TO GufTEAU
To-day visited the Tombs--vounterily. The
Egyptian architecture was familiar, andthe dreary
density of the place proclaims the nature OF the
province. IT is sufficiently substantial in structure
to last as long rs the pyramids and has the dead
ness of appearance OF an inner sepulchre. II is
more difficult for q law.ablding citizen to gain
entrance thereto than to see the President, even
under the new rules
ave have only thirteen murderers inside at
present" said one of the officials. 1--WE generally
have more"
Don't apologize for the lack Of New York en-
terprse. Thirteen will be enough for one day
We are not hogs, besides there's luck In odd num-
bers."
Passing from the entrance lobby through the
courtyard, which found almost filed with doves,
which, oddly enough, flock about and live within
the grained, sinister, granite prison. house.
the first people that met were two Sisters of
Charity who had been within upon one of their
nj lo Of tl,ntr
trast of the chaste whiteness of their faces and
grimness of the surroundings was as striking
more so In fact-than the calm tameness of the
olivc-b bearing birds that huttered about as we
passed and entered
In cell No. 3, the cell which the murderer
Chastine Cox occupied previous to his obvlatlon
from existence, met one of the most interesting
criminals on record. He will not be in existence
long as he will test the fact Of future life on the
10th of next month.
"Will oh, Willie - Come out here. There's a
visitor here" called my companion, peering
through the iron granted door
The doors guarding the cells in the Tombs are of
broad iron bars and larger in size than the lid
Of a Saratoga trunk; behind them is an ordinary
sized passage way door.
The latter was opened, and William siudram
came through 1t and was introduced to me. As
| he Is to be hanged he was interesting. Leaving
Is a subject of interest
A mau quite young (he Is scarcely thirty. .ive),
| Of fine, keen presence an inventor a student and
of vastly more than usual moral habits, In hasty
| moment OF ill-conceived and ungenerous anger,
| he shot and killed--a woman. Not his mistress,
| for he had none (his only mistress was his study
and his mechanical aTt, but the propretress of the
| boarding house, on Charles street. where he re-
"Yes, queerly enough" said sndram to me-
"queerly enough, 1t was just.this very day a year
| ago that killed her. For no reason that / know
| she had opened u TRADE Of abuse upon me the day
| before. paid my bill and went TO move, or TO
have moved my trunk and traps p she started for for
! whole house could hear her violent abuse. l
pulled my revolver, shot twice, walked out, and
| surrendered myself to an officer"
| "And you will hang for It,"
"Yes," as calmly and with the quietude of a
man discussing some new novel. " Yes. III
| hang for IL on the 10th of next month. l don't
| think my lawyer worked the case properly. He
in the first place, put complete damper ON me by
saying, We'll, y9n know the very best that you
came squnrcly out and said and 'wT0te--and II
was published and | still maintain it-that
would much prefer 70 be put to death than TO SUI.
fer the death in life which penitentiary affords
1h.nhe tined Oh this same sort oftechniCal med
GGl iinGss that L see GulCau's lawyers essayed
In l,s deiense-this impusivo insanity transitOry
| mania, and all that sort OF trash. Upon my word
don't know what the deyil Il means neither do
| | believe that anybody else does If l were moi
Insane before and after the commission of the
&C, don't see how could have been so at the
very time, aud only then"
Would you rot be glad to have your sentence
COmmuted from death to incarceration for life p
mo" quietly answered Slndram. "By nC
means. hear them talking about respite. Now
what in the world do want respite for2 All o
my affairs are settled up have made out all the
papers pertaining to my personality and my per
ters,and would Allei--lndeedI would prefer-to be
hanged to-mOrpw rather than to walt until the
day fixed for the\execntion. don't want you Il
suppose that wish TO die. am by no means tired
ofliie. would vastly prefer 10 live; but the thing
: settied-and legally settlcd-thGt must die
and there's an end to T. | might quote YOU
turning 70 the gentleman with whom ! was, I
well-known playwright but wont bore yor
With one who Is so familiar TO YOU"
Throughout his entire conversation he was calm
philosophical, and refined. There was not tain
Of "gameness" or braggadocio; he was decided,
Your mother comes to see you, does she notP'
asked my companion.
A shadow Of pain fell across the condemned
mau's face as he answered mournfully, "Yes
mother comes once every week"
1t goes rough with her, don't it2' was the sup
placid business manner which only New Yorke
"It Is hard and sad, )" said sindrnm in a subduet
and hal f'sighlng voice. Then quickly but not i'm
petuOusly, "Tll be glad when II Is all over. ThI
death, they tell me, Is rather easy unless 1t 4
S9nEl%sd' SoTfE% That doesn't occur often here in New
Have you any religious consolationT
| "Well, no; hardly any. l am visited by th
| cnhplhln mere ana Dy some ana JnthOlt
ministers. Am a sort Of Protestant, but reall
considerably of u free thinker lwtll take chance
on the next world. do not believe that will &
t to hell-if there be hell. Really, have beel
throughout my life fairly good man. Thi
wretched act Tor which die Is the only positlYc
/ wrongful deed ever committed. have suffered
much throughout life expiate 1t in nn ignomin
ious death. God surely viii take all that into ac
, count. Why, you know that was anxious, IN or
der to save expense 10 the STATE to have the dealt
sentence 1pAsssd-ifI had 10 die-without the tcdi
Gus aud costly delay Of trial.
"p3 you pray with any Of these minsteTs I
as q transient smile went over his fine fhct
No, don't believe that God would give ne b
; Of credit u did Us 80 many nurderers do whe
/. tfey ilud that they must die kueel aud sing Sn
|! pray and all uiat sort Of thing. DO you suppOs
: that would do MS Chnstine Cox, who occupie
this IN and was hanged outside there whore
viii Dc hangod-pIay aud sling ana work myseI
up into sort of delirious enthusiasm the uigl
t hsCore the execution No; | will do nothing {
1 die prefer 10 go 10 my death reasonably, an
whatever comes after Y Is ia the hands Of Cos
WGll, you are going3 Good-bye We win not b
. apt 10 see each other again."
) And shaking hands we len him slndrsm, 9
much as be says that he does moi TO die, reall
does not wish 10 live. He Is man vino, thoug
, quite young, hns lived much aud been vastly n
posed upon throughout his lie. mechanic
= he essayed In the Held Of inyenting, The resu
= was as usual with poor mhn-hs had his lin
y four Inventions stolen from him by wealthy mel
y aud he was too poor 10 fight his case throughOl
= In the courts. Ills love Tor the art of neohanis
y lie evidenced to-day. During our chat no "a
pressed himself exceedingly regretful of the Iuu
/ der for one especial and specific reason. lie DIRE
letter from hi pocket duted January ~, 1881.
!, was from X. Hoe, the priniusp press nanufscture
10 whom Sindrain had submitted plan Of In
pTOvement and fertilization of press work, an
which invited him to call and conior in respect
his idea. You sec this wretched affair" said h
rs | passed him back his letter, " his wreichC
affair occurring but week amer broke II all u
am so sorry" lie seemed to be more anu0yt
over the fact that his new idea had been lost thS
that his neck will test the tension OF hemp With
two weeks.
THINGS THEATRICAL
The season here has so far been very favorab
TO the theatres. Although the weather has bee