The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-06-07
SMALL TALK
AI,aut Me;. sud Things.

About Me-a sud Things.
Dir. Blaine is rarely seen about town Row, so
busily is he engaged on his new book. The
work is to COMPRISE two volumes, of six hun
dred pages each, sold only by subscription. An
intimate friend Of Dir. Blaine's gave TIE
TRIBUNE gossip some informato+a about his
methods of wogk yesterday.
Said he: Mr.. Blaine never dictates to
stenographer. lie always writes pen in hand
and revises, changes, and corrects it to suit his
fancy. After it pleases him he turns it over to
his secretary, who has it neatly copied out for
the publisher Mr.. Blaine is very strong
and vigorous nan, with intense vitality. He
works day after day at his writing for eight to
ten hours, stopping only few minutes for
lunch. You may know that he is in pretty
good health to accomplish such q task. Never
theless, he says all the time he is taking it in
leisureIy manner, because he does not want to
make a task of it, The book is to cover the
most active period of American history, the
twenty years from 1851 to 1881. It win really
begin with Lineoln's administration and come
down to the beginning of Arthur's, and Mr..
Blaine's retirement from public Life. 1t has
also remarkably long preface, which viii
cover over hundred pages, being a review of
the history of the United States down to the
beginning Of the work proper.
1t is being published by a Connecticut
house, and the first volume will be out before
Christmas"
ga
THAT compromise with Gilman was queer
thing" remarked public man this morning
"Ottman kept a drinking place on Rum Row
He induced clerk in the Treasurers Office, it
was alleged, to steal q large amount OF money
lie deposited it chiefly in two banks, locked
up in boxes, from which it was never
taken. He was tried twice and the jury dis
agreed. Witnesses have died and disappeared.
All the time the Treasury had the money in
its possession. If tho authorities could not
convict Gilman they at least had the iden-
tical bills which the experts had recognized IS
having been stolen. They proceed, however,
to compromise with Gilman by paying him
out of the Treasury vaults all this money
which they knew was stolen at his instance.
except S12,500. 1t was announced that the
case was compromised for this sum, but this is
the way it was done. I heard it remarked
yesterday that one or two Of the star-route
jurors had said that it did not look much as
though George Bliss could be very sincere in
the present prosecution when he was party
to this compromise with Ottman."
Mrs. Frances Hodgson Burnett has not added
to her reputation By her. last story, Through
One Administration She apparently lost her
hold on the subject and went round and round
IN circle. 1t is said she received only seven
dollars page for it from the magazine where
it first appeared. The circumstances which
brought it out are IS follows: At meeting of
a literary society about eighteen months ago.
the novel Democracy a story of Washington
life, was the subject of discussion and was gem
orally very severely dealt with. 1t was pro-
posed that some one should write n story more
| truthfuliy portTaying life and society at the
National Capital. Mrs. Burnett was chosen to
attempt the task and she reluctantly consented,
without an idea as to how it was to come out.
After she begun it and had it running IN the
Monthly, she was taken i'll. She did not want
to have it stopped, so, many Of the chapters
were written in bed. These circumstances may
have had no small effect upon the character OF
the work.
It is reported in social aud literary circles
that Hudson, publisher of the ArmY and Macy
ReGister, q paper devoted to the interests of the
mer are to be married next winter Hudson
is q Bostonian, of Jewish extraction, very
polished and talented man, but some years the
Junior of Mrs. Clemner. He has recently imi-
tated Whitel1w Reid, in dropping his middle
name. Reid, by the way, retained the middle
name and cut off the first, which was plain
Jacob. The effect is the same however. 1t
| makes d journalist q Horace Greeley at once.
ass
J. II. Sanders, editor of the Breeders Gazette,
OF Chicago has gone to Europe to investigate
plsuro-pneumonia and trichinosis. He has
Iett his paper in charge OF Henry White, the
turf reporter of the Tribune and the auth0r Of
the idyls in which Myrtle Mahalfy IS the hero
inc. MIR. Sanders Is one OF the best qualified
men for this work in the world. 1t viii be q
hard matter for Prince BisnaTk to SANDER
American pork after Sanders shows up the
shortcomings Of rhe German roOter After set
ting the hog business in Germany he viii
have a set-to with the British Privy Council
on the cattle question. lie viii be back In
about three months
SIS
J. G.. Pangborn, assistant general passenger
agent of tho Baltimore and Ohio Railway, took
party of Journalists on q trip into the Allegha-
MES last week TIE tribune gossip was along
1t is not generally known but M there Ia the
heart Of the mountains, where Che oaks do not
bud until the I5t Of June, grand preparations
3FCDell}S Inc GSAiIlSRIGilG SGNU1t
for learned dsputation, such 10 would have de-
lighted an ancient Athenian. The projectors
Of the scheme have been ut work yesr clear
ing out the wilderness OF forest and making an
artificial lake on the crest OF She range. It
promises to be q grand pEace when done, but
there is a work liz for Hercules yet before
them The place is to be called Mountain
Lake Park.
Pangborn, by the way, is ono of that class of
me prlfx in a l{a h.,s
had more experience than two generations of
Europeans would live through. He has been a
politician and journalist In half the States Of
the Union. lie was never an oliicehoIder, bat
was always putting other people in and ont of
tho fat places through his feats of journalistic
investigation lie made the Kansas City Tones
a power in Kansas and Missouri, and in the
height OF his glory left it and went to railroad
ing As q journalist no was of that class who
always have scalping-knife in hand: vet,
personally, he reminds one of the genial John
G, aloore, another young American, who be-
came rich and famous all az once as president
of the Mutual Union Telegraph Company.
SIS
New Yorker told little anecdote of
james Gordon Bennett, of the Herald, yesterday,
which is worth printing as showing the Whim-
steal characteristics Of the man. He said ::
"The local reporters on the Herald work b. tho
piece not, as in Chicago, by the week They
| are paid at the rate OF $40 column, and could
q man be kept busy he would do we'll The
trouble with the system is, however that some
uerSopaI friends of ciFxy aditO, al,