National Republican., 1884-11-05
HOW CELEBRITIES TRAVEL.
The PoculiarIties OF Some Well
Known Men in Railway Cars.

they watch each individual passenger
aud how we'll they can describe the trav-
cling habits and idiosyncraSies Of promi-
ncnt people. Men starting on a long
Journey, and during its progress, aro sure
TO show some individuality, and rail-
road mon, being exceedingly observant,
can toll almost at q glance whether n
man is used to being away from home or
not. One experienced conductor gave
some of his recollections in recent talk
with the writer. He commenced by COM
paring Grant, Conkling, and Blaine, say
ing: Roscoe Conkling generally gets ono
seat in drawn groom, and he gets all
the newspapers he can buy, reads them
and throws them oil over the drawing
room in mass; beside, he always has a
portmanteau full Of law papers which he
strews all over every seat in the drawing
room. Conkling is very vain traveller,
and wants everybody in the car to look
at him. Now. there's Blaine; he just
the opposite. He always buys the ole
drawingroom aud shuts himself up. But
Grant is queer old fellow. When
he was president of the United
States he nearly always Travelled
in special car, but now, since
he has become private citizen, he travels
just about the same as ordinary folks.
You can always find Grant in the rear
end of the smoking car with cigar IN
his mouth, and there he bits with hand
on either end of his chair and smokes and
smokes, seemingly oblivious Of every
thing around him. He never looks ut
one. Sometimes he will look out of the
window for hours. When he's not doing
that he's glancing over newspaper.
He's indifferent to everything that's going
on. Why, if the train he's in stops on tho
road in the open country for some minutes
he never moves, never inquiries what IS
the matter, but sits and smokes st1iidly
until tho train starts, while all the ot or
passengers put their heads out OF the win
dows or get of to see what's going wrong.
II remember" continued the veteran
conductor, "a trip to Chicago Grant made
in my car some time ago. His scat was
directly behind u lady who was travelling
alone, and who, by tho by, knew very
little about travelling. She had her Win
dow up for some time, and IL was pretty
chilly beside, the black stu oke was pour
ing into the car. / watched Grant little
while, and / saw he was Annoyed as the
smoke and the chilly breeze blew rightover
him. Presently he got up and, leaning over
the lady's shoulder, put his hand
on the catch and let the win
dow sash down. The little wo-
man gave an involuntary start
and turned around fercely. but Grant
never noticed her and dropped back into
his chair. After little while tho lady
hoisted the window again, and some of
the passengers who had seen the affair
smiled at one another. Then the little
lady beckoned to me and said, Conductor,
who il that hog back of me z"
"That's Gen. Grant" said l.
"Ohw exclaimed the little woman, and
sho dropped the window Immediately.
Grant heard the question, but never let
on and went on reading his paper as If
nothing had happened.
"Herbert Spencer was the most restless
traveller ever saw, and Bob Ingersoll the
best. Whom Ingersoll enters car to go
on a journey the first thing he does is to
hang up his big SLOUGH hat, then he begins
to make himself comfortable, and by the
time the train starts he just acts as though
he were homo in his study. II there's no
one on the train that he knows, it don't
take him long to strike up an acquaint-
ance, and everybody seems glad to know
him. He's very jolly, liberal traveller,
smokes nearly all the time on the cars
and always carries q bundle of choice
cigars with him. / remember one
night there was a freight wreck, and
ur train had to lay nj for three or four
hours. 1t was terrible night; the wind
blew hurricane, and the rain came
down in torrents. Ingersoll WAS ono OF
the passengers. Everybody got tired.
Nobody could get any body to talk to. At
last wiry little Sootchman, who was
travelling through America sightseeing,
learned who lngersoll was, and he tackled
him then and there. lngersoll was Just in
the humor, and in less than ten minutes,
everybody in the car crowded around him
and listened to him for over two hours,
and the passengers seemed so pleased and
entertained that they forgot all about the
weather and the accident.
"But Oscar Wilde took the cake. Oscar
Wilde was more bother than all the women
who ever rode on railroad car. Ho had
an idea that he was the greatest man
America had ever seen, and he put on
more airs than if he had been the czar OF
Russia and the emperor of Germany
rolled into one. Would you bolieve it, he
paid the porter of the sleeping car to toll
people at the stations along the line,
wherever tho train stopped, that Oscar
Wilde was ia the car. He was the vainest,
most conceited mule l ever saw. He
wouldn't drink water out of the glass at
the cooler, but slipped it out Of q silver
and gold mug he carried with hiia, and
he'd sit with the tips OF his fingers pressed
together and look up at the roof Of the
car as if he was about to Offer up prayer.
"The following story is related of OK
President Hayes: Mr.. Hayes, then presi-
dent, was travelling, absorbed in the affairs
of state, when he was politely waited upon
BY the conductor of the train and his ticket
requested. The president explained who
he was, but the conductor said that his
orders were imperative. He edeclared that
he was obliged to show something at tho
end of the route for every passenger who
travelled with him. and II did not make
any difference who the man wat, he must
either have ticket, pass, or the money.
As President Hayes had neither ticket
nor a pass, he reluctantly pulled out his
pocketbook and cou nted out enough money
to pay his fare. Hayes was q very close
man in money matters, and he was highly
indignant at the treatment he had under
gone. At the end of tho road he stalked
into the Office of the president of tho rail-
road and laid the facts before him, with
request that 4he cOnductos be either dis.
charged or reprimanded. The railroad
official calmly paid him back the money
which he had givon the conductor for his
fare, and Mr.. Hayes resumed his journey
in happier frame of mind. The con-
uuCtor, Whcn he lound out that the presl.
dent of the United States ~sd made COM
plant against him, was very apprehensiye
and his fear OF dismssa! was by no neaus
allayed when he received u summons from
tho president vi tho road to 90 at oncO to
headquarters. When he arrived, Mr.
Hayes's story was repeated to him, aud
no was asked if he had anything to say.
Mr.. Conductor took the rules out of his
pocket aud read them, saying that no sSw
nothing in them that exempted any pas
senger, oven so high parsonage rs the
president of the United States. lie was
then told that, so far from it being the
purpose of the president of the road to
dismiss him for breach of the rules he