Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1883-04-27
WASHINGTON LETTER..
tFrom Our Regular Correspondent. J

Monday was the anniversary OF Lin.
coln's emancipation proclamation and the
negroes Of Washington had n celebration
a procession and big time generally.
Fred Douglass made speech in the even.
ing worthy OF the occasion. This white.
haired old patriarch, they say, is soon to
marry very accomplished aud very
handsome woman, almost white, and many,
many years his junior. Mr.. Douglass
vile died year or two ago, and, although
he IL about sixty six years old, he has n
perfect right to marry, providing the girl
IL willing. There il much that is interest.
ing in the life OF Fred Douglass. Born
aud reared in slavery lie has made himself
one OF the first orators of the world and
secured for himself position that any ed
ucated white man may lie proud of He
stole the time in which to learn to read
and write, and when he ran away from
bondage the event created almost as much
excitement as the rebellion OF John Brown.
He fed from Baltimore to Philadelphia,
thence TO Massachusetts,, being pursued
like thief as lie was, for lie stole
himself, but the excitement became 30
great that he had to go 10 Europe. In
| England lie was the guest of John Bright,
and his lectures were an event that was
commented upon all over the Britisl, king.
dom. Douglass fortunes have come and
gone. He has been lucky and unlucky.
But in his old nge he ia independent. He
owns an eighteen room house near Wasli-
ington and il worth not far from hun
dred thousand dollars. Mr.. Douglass came
to Washington many years ago, and has
not lost anything. He was the secretary
Of the Sanio Domingo Commissioners in
1871. He is good deal OF the demagogue
and hypocrite, but he is eloquent, persna.
sive and convincing no better than
other people. though he will try to make
you believe he is. Mr.. Hayes made hin,
United States Marshal Of lhe District o
Columbia, and never recognized him al the
white house. The judges Of the courts did
not like him and he was unpopular among
the lawyers. Garfield removed him II
order to appoint his dear friend. Captain
Henry, but lie gave Douglass better rffice
by appointing him Recorder Of. deeds
Douglass now gets big fees and does no
work. He has nearly all his relatives IN
Office. He plays the color dodge for all il
is worth. i sometimes wisl, was a smart
cOlored man or u smart old soldier. They
get along 70 we'll.
The reports which have reached Wash
ington concerning the Presidential excur
sion party since their heads were turned
homewards are not 80 rosy IA some that
came earlier. 1t is evident that there has
been some disappointment concerning the
trip. Besides Secretary Chandler's fall
from the wagon there have been other M
pleasant experiences. Private advices in
dicate that the cause of Mr.. Chambers fall
was as follows: 1t ia well known in Wash.
ington, although we have striven TO keep
the dark secret to ourselves, that the
President is frightful snorer. When he
begins snoring in good earnest it sounds
like Jumbo trumpeting amid herd OF
elephants. II seems that the Presidential
party in Florida were taking night jour
ney, when the Secretary OF the navy and
the President each dropped off into cat
nap. When the President began to wake
the echoes of the forest with his snorts, Mr.
Chandler, suddenly awakening, sprane
from the wagon in spasm of terror and
thereby injured his shoulder. The driver
stopped and picked him up, but the Sec.
retaIy slept no more during that drive
The reason of the Presidents bad humoi
was that against his express orders to Pri
vnte Secretary Phillips that he WAS not tc
touch gun, Fred got hold of one with the
usual ingenuity of the small hoy in the
face of such prohibition and went alliga
of il he went for the hapless youth
"Frederick," )" he said, in his s,ernest voice
"Dhn't tell you when brought yon or
guns and such ?" Now, sir, the next tim,
| 7 hoap ,f hNrrO M N IN oI,nn
three fingers off shall send yon immedi
ately back to Washington" The follow
ing is an extract from private letter, b,
one of the correspondents accompanying
the President, written just before the part,
started for home. 1t don't tally with SOM
of the rose colored dispatches published il
the papers: "Thermometer's dead averag
96 degrees, Mosquitoes the size of bundle
bees. One bite OH the ankle will max
you walk lame. The sands are full o
1eas. These creatures have the untamet
energy of the far north. The orange sea
son is over. The country is fat, damp an,
malarious. The fishing il poor and con
Quoted under great difficulties. The Pres
i'lent has been bitten by mosquitoes an,
fleas until lie is beginning to he reconcile,
to going back TO the Office seekers. Every
body is cross and out of humor. You Sc
notes of changes of our plans. We ar
hunting for comfortable place. OIL
Sanford has cooked his goose inviting In
President down here after lying to hin
about the paradise condition of this coun-
try. You see if he ever gets his foreig
appointment. The only sport down her
is alligator shooting. That involves a
much danger as numbering cows, but
will make a good subject to talk abou
when the hunters return"
Mr.. Allan Arthur, The scion OF th
house, had some high jinks in the whit
house last week with his Princeton colleg
companions. They came here on sing
ing tour, hut after the boys got up into tn
executive mansion and got their tight
tronsered legs under the mahogany in tn,
state dining room they gave up the ide
Of continuing their musical expedition
The boys sang some very good songs il
front Of Mrs. Hayes vine clad portrait, an,
had very good time indeed. am sorr
to say that some of them were mistaken
for "Dudes" on the Avenue. 1t is state
that Mr.. Allan would only be too hnpp
II he could escape from college cares an
devote himself entirely to the thiee mir
ute trotters, who have the primacy in hi
affections. DON PEDRO.
The Columbus Dispatch estimates tha