Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1884-07-17
srIrEsMEYs SIGNATURES.
Hoe the Thrifty House Pages at Washington
Turn an Honest PeaRy.

A fayorite occupation among the page
boys at the House end ofthe Capitol, says
Washington letter. is that of procuring ar-
tographs. Perhaps it might better be said,
however, that it is favorite business, for
these little fellows make business OF 1t.
You can see them any hour before the open
ing Of the session, or Immediately after Its
close, when members are still in their seats,
rushing about, autograph album in hands,
asking members for their signatures.
"You see, y explained one Of them, as he
stopped to catch his breath after dashing
here and there among the assembled solons
Just before the fall Of the Speakers savei-
"you see, we get from s. to $40 for getting
these albums filed, and it is worth while
making the effort"
"Whose are the albums p he was asked.
"Those of people in and out Of Washing
ton. 4 good many of them belong to fam
lilies of members, especially from tho rural
districts. Nearly every fellow among us
pages has an album or two, aud sometimes
three and four during the session to get I'll
led. There are hundred or two filed
session"
"Do you have much trouble in getting
these autographs from members ?'
.sNot very often. There are few crank;
Who won't give them to u.s.
They are curious study, these albums,
filled with the autographs of the lawmakers
Of the country, running from the President
down for your autograph collector usually
begins at the White House, goes down
through Cabinet officers, Justices of the Ss-
preme Court, Senators and Representatives.
OF course the Presidents autograph, where
one album il to contain the entire lot men
toned is the first, and queer one it is.
"Chestcr A. Arthur" it says, all written
with scarcely raising the pen from The paper.
The letters lean way over towards the right,
chasing each other in a hen track over the
paper, sometimes up hill, sometimes down.
There is character and yigor in the signature
but it is neither graceful nor business-like.
1t is a great hurried scrawl. Mr.. Waite the
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, signs
himself u. r. Waite, Chief Justsce, Uni
ted States" the letters chasing each other
up hill in somewhat dignifed, ambitious
sort of way. Mr.. Justice Miller signs him
self " Sam f. Miller, Justice ofthe Supreme
Court, L. s." but the signature might as
we'll be Sal and Julia," SO far as its legi-
bil;ty Ia concerned, for It looks more like
those two ftminne sppellations than that OF
Justice of the Supreme Court. Justice
Reagan, Of texas, signs with avery unsteady,
scrambly sort of hand. Congressman Sin
gleton, of Mississippi, who was a member Of
the Confederate Congress, writes very pret-
BY. neat hand, straight as though written
upon s-characteristic of this tall, slen-
der, neatly -attired old man Of seventy.
Barksdalc, of Mississippi, who was also
member Of the Congress, writes as though he
vas writing for q deaf nan, with characters
very large aud high and broad. His name
stretches clear across the page Of the album
and. with his post Office address Teache'
down and covers one-thiri OF It's length.
Carlisle, the Speaker, signs in schoolboy
hand al. G. Carlisle, Ky" The J is more
like an O than a J and the average reader
would probably make Caroline cut OF the
Carlisle. Hit, Of Illinois, who is q college
graduate and a ger qileman oflarge experience
makes signature as large as bis experience,
stretching it across the full sheet, and occu-
pying nearly half page with tho signature
and address. Murray, Of Ohio, writes " Re
spectfully,,' and then follow lot Of marks
which look as though he had been testing
very bad pen. It may spell out Of It " X.
n. Murray" but no living man would ever
suspect it Of being that There arc como
curious contradictions among these sigma
turcs. For the man In the whole House
from whom you would have expected the
worst signature writes the best. This is
Kleiner of Indiana His signature is, ss the
boys put it, like copy-book writing and yet
he writes j. With lightning-like rapidity, as
Is the case in all his writing. Belford, OF
Colorado, who would not be expected to
write decipherabIe signature signs with
good, clear, round hand. 4 name quite in
decipherable turns out on consultation Of
the Congressional directory to be " Frank
II. Hurd," for Hurd Is the only man from
Toledo, Ohio. Beach, Of Ney York, who
chanced to sign on April lst, preceded his
signature with the quotation What fools
we mortals be-" and then after his signature
he writes, All-Foops Day" Ochiltree
signs Tom Ochiltree, Galveston, Texas"
In very bad hand. Phelps, w. W., .igps
own. Walter PhelYi," in very esthetlc
hand. the W N" swelling out at the bottom
like double Jersey onions.
An In fhe Tfnr of Nature