The Evening critic., 1883-04-28
THE CRITIC ABROAD,

The first man to introduce the hat
chalking business in this country was Mr..
Reside, father of Mr.. ]. E. Reside, of this
city. Away back in the days of Old
Hickory, the first named gentleman, in
connection with others, was the great
Star-Route contractor Of the Union. Mr..
Reside and his friends ran lines Of stage
coaches from this city to all the leading
points in the West and Southwest. Mr..
Reside was agent of the company for this
city, and knew all the NJ. C.'s from the
sections named. Occasionally he would
take liking to some Representative or
Senator, and would tender him q free
ride to his home when Congress adjourned.
Now, the old man was mighty strict
with his drivers and agents, holding them
pecuniarily responsible for the fare of
everybody who got onto the coaches.
To prevent his agents being i'm
posed upon by forged passes, the old man
devised peculiar hieroglyphic. The NJ. G.
would have his name printed on the inside
of his hat, and Mr.. r. would talk piece of
chalk and write his hieroglyphic on the
outside Of the lat.
In short time Mr.. RS mark became
known on all the lines, aud man with
the West and Southwest free gratis, be-
cause, as the drivers expressed it, "the old
mans chalked his hat.' Thus Mr.. r. be-
came the forerunner of all the chalk -daub-
ing now in the United States. This is q
fact, as the writer had it from the lips of
Mr.. ]. Z. Reside, who has seen his father
sling the chalk many time in days long
gone by.
"Say, mister, have you seen anything of
my old man to-night?" inquired woman
1no ,s.,1t nf tl,.NI I,,f
his way home from the theatre.
Indeed, my dear madam, do not know
whether / have or not. Who is your old
man? / do not know that / am acquainted
with him. l may have seen him and yet
not know who he is or was.'
Oh, my! you would know him if you
was to see him out at this hour Of the
night"
him out at this hour of the night?"
Because he is the biggest fool in the
world when he is drunk. He talks more
and louder than any man you ever saw.
He is the wealthiest man in the District,
and can whip any man in the world, and Is
sure to let everybody know it, when he is
in that fix.n
"Weli, don't think 1 have seen him to-
night, l don't think he is out tonight"
"Oh, yes, he is; he always comes home
by o'clock, if he is not out with the boys,
and here it is IL, and he is not in yet"
May be he is attending the temperance
lecture tonight, by Governor st. John?'
"No, sir, he is not doing anything of the
kind; he is drunk, and know it,"
"What kind Of a looking man is her"
HE is ope-eyed, freckeledfaced, bow
legged; has his lett arm off above the
elbow; has red hair, is about 5 feet 10 inches
high, weighs $50 pounds, is forty eight years
old shutters, and is terror to the neigh
borhood, you bet"
maybe he is locked up at the station
house; he is just the kind of man tho police
are most likely to catch-on to-"
"You are liar Get out, you blasted
impudent rascal you. My husband is not
in the station house; he stands in with the
Citizens Committee, and they would not
let him be locked up. They just got him
out of Jail q short time ago, and | know
that the committee will stand by him."
The Critic got.
| 1t is very evident that tho Hon. Will
liam Holman, of Indiana, intends making
campaign on the railroad land grants. He
has announced that he will, at his own OK.
| pense, take trip through the country oi
| the Paciflcs and investigate the land grant
grabs.
This is not especially surprising. Mr.
Holman is in dead earnest in his work and
conscientiously believes that there have
! been enormous steals Of land but that
| there are millions of acres that may yet be
recovered, and that it is due the Govern
| ment that the land be recovered and opened
| to the public domain-that is, all that por
| tion that has not been earned in the strict
est sense and meaning of the law.
short time before Mr.. Holman left
Washingtorhe stated to the Critic that al
of the system of land grants should be over.
hauled from the time the first grant wa:
made, and that every foot Of land not
earned should be recovered. He believes tht
Land Department of the Interior should be
investigated, and will no doubt have II
done during the coming winter. Mr.. Hol
man is after the railroad land grants, and
and he means to secure some scalps.
-:o:-
Several prominent Ohio Republicans
have, during the past week, spoken of Gen
eral James s. Robinson, Representative OIL
the Kenton district, for the Governorship
There is quite good feeling for General
Robinson throughout the State. He is im.
rnensely popular among all classes. Hi:
military. social and political records arc
| unblemished. He is pure man, has a large
brain, and would make an unexception,
ably strong race If nominated and an excel,
lent Governor if elected.
| -:o:-
"Do you know how Mr.. Mcpherson
arrived at the conclusion that Samue
Randall would be the next Speaker of th,
House of Representatives ~ asked al
official at the Capitol to-day.
~ do not. How was itq'
"Why, l will tell you. He has been goinj
all around lthe House and Senate end o
the Capitol, for the last two weeks, askinl
each and every employe who he though
would be elected Speaker Of the Forty
! nlainriLx of tho eInnlnves hera nnru ar