The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-05-28
"sIG's" OF GREAT MEN.
HOW AUTOGRAPHS ARE COLLECTED.
The Distinguishing characteristics Of the
Chirography Of the Men Who
Have Made Themselves an
Famous. FL

Is tnaU OF procuring auCoSIuPno' -Ps
it might better be said, however, that
it is favorite business, for these little fel'
lows make business Of 1t. You can see
them any hour before the opening OF the
session or Immediately after its close,
when members are still in their seats, rush
ing about, autograph albums in hand, ask
ing members for their signatures.
"You see,D 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
gayel: "You see we got from So to $40 for
getting these albums filed, and it is worth
while making the effortp b Gui n
"whose are these albumsr' ayi~ ,l, u
80 people in and out of Washington. A
good many Of them Belong to families C.
members, especially from the rural dis
tricts; some are often Washington people,
and others from outside Of the city" j..
"Are there many requests Of this kindW
eyes, good many nearly every fellow
among us pages has an album or two, and
sometimes three or four during the session
to get filed. There are hundred or two
filed session." "a NR %
"Do you have much 'trouble-in getting
these autographs from members~
"Not very often. There are a few cranks
who won't give them TO us. There is Bel
mont, of New York, for instance; suppose
he is afraid somebody might forge his sig.
nature; he is rich, you know. He never
will give fellow his autograph. Lots OF
fellows, have tried him, but heiwon't do 1t.
There arc some others who do not like II
much, but II you catch them when they are
in a good humor you almost always get
them; but Belmont won't under any cir
cumstances."
They are curious study, these albums
filed with the autographs OF the law
makers of the country, running from the
President down, for your autograph col
lector usually begins at the White House,
down through Cabinet officers, Justices oi
the Supreme Court, Senators and Repre-
sentatives. OF course the Presidents auto
graph, where one album is to contain the
entire lot aforementioned, is the first, and
a queer one II Is, too. "Chester A. Arthur"
It says, was written with scarcely raising
the pen from the paper. The letters lear
way over to the right, chasing each Other
In hen.track way over tho paper, some
times up, sometimes down. There Is char
acter and vigor in the signature, hut 1t Is
neither graceful nor business.like. 1t is 6
Creut, hurried scrawl. Mr.. Waite, the
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, signs
u oil LII n
United States," the letters chasing eacb
other uphill in somewhat dignihed, am
bilious sort Of way. MIR. Justice Miller
signs himself "Sam II. Miller, Justice oi
the Supreme Court, o.. 81, but the sigma
ture might as well be "Sal and Julla", SO
far as its legibility Is concerned, for II
looks more like those two feminine np'
pellations than that OF Justice OF tho Su.
premc Court. Judge Reagan, OF Texas
Che tma,ter-Gcncral of the Confed'
eracy, signs with a very unsteady, scram
bly sort OF hand. that looks as though II
had been written by railroad lahorei
rather than an ex-Postmaster General Of
the Conieleracy. Congressman Singleton,
of Mississippi, who was a member OF the
Confederate Congress, writes very pret
ty, neat hand, straight "a though written
upon lines, chnrac, erislic Of this tall, slen.
der, ly.attIrcd old man OF seven y.
Barkesdale, of Mississippi, who was also
member OF the Confederate Congress,
writes as though he was writing for deal
man, with characters very large aud high
and broad. His name stretches clear across
the page Of the album md, with bis post
Office address, reaches down and covers
one-.hird Of lis length.
Carlisle, tho Speaker, signs in q most
ridiculous schoolboy hand, ~. G.. Carlisle,
KY" II Is curious signature, weak and
devoid OF character. The Is more like
C than n ], and the average reader would
probably make "Caroline" out OF Carlisle.
Hill, of Illinois, who is college graduate
and a gentleman Of large experience,
makes a signature as large as his expert
ence, stretching IL across tho full sheet and
occupying nearly half page with the sig.
nature and address. Murray, OF Ohio,
writes "respectfully," and then follows
with q lot OF marks which look as though
he had been testing a very bad pen. II
may spell out "R., N. Murray" but nc
living man would ever suspect II OF being
that. There arc some curious contradic.
tions, among these signatures, for the man
In the whole house from whom you would
have expected the worst signature, writes
the best. This Is Klelner, Of Inliand His
signature is, as the boys put +, like copy.
book writing, and yet he writes II with
lightning.like rapidity, as Is the case IN all
his writing. Belfort, Of Colorado, who
would not be expected TO write decpher-
able signature, signs with very plain,
business.liko hand. Budd, OF California,
who distinguished himself in his campaign
for Congress by going about his district
painting the words on every rock and
troe, ."Vote for Budd, now sien4in a
modest, plain hand, "Yours truly, James
II. Budd, Stockton, Call" One OF the Odd
est signatures in the House IS that OF Nc
Cold, OF lowe. which might. be emuch list-
ter II that gentleman would mako " ID ~.
fort, for he is person OF Intelligence aud
considerable ability. John b. Raymond,
of Dakota, the five thousand.qcrc farmer,
writes very neat, buSiness,like ehand.
The signature which looks like "S. Sloan,
New. York, ,Dturny out 70 beon examination,
"S. B. cox,Dnnd Blacltburn signs himself
in n sehSol.boy style, go. b. s. Black-
burn, Kentuckyw' DICK kTownshend signs,
"Truly yours, r. W. Townshend, Shaw