The National tribune., 1885-09-10
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
The Weeks DOings at the Ma
tiOnal Capital.
DEATH OF DUKE GMIN.

of n stately old man, broad shouIdered and
much above the medium hight, and with
strongly marked face, crowned with q heavy
thatch of beautiful white hair. No one failed
to inquire who be was, and when told that he
was the noble Duke Gwin, than whom few men
in american public life have had more inter
esting career, looked at him again with renewed
interest.
William NJ. Gwin was born nearly so years
ago in Sumner County, KY, and graduated in
medicine shortly before his majority. Being 4
kentuckian he took more kindly to politics
than any other pursuit in life, and attached
himself i'll quite an humble way to Andrew
jackson DOnelsOn, who was then the head Of
"Old Hickory's" Kitchen Cabinet and dispen-
ser of many valuable little crumbs of patronage
The young Doctor, probably at the instigation
of his patron, carpet-bagged to the new State
of Mississippi, of which he was shortly appoint
ed Marshal, much to the disgust of the wheel
horses of the party, who had calculated on that
m0rscl for their own edifcation. By skillful
manipulation, however, Gen. Jackson's back
was gotten up" in the approved manner. He
vowed that either Gwin should be Marshal of
Mississippi or nobody should. The usual result
followed. Gwin was duly confirmed. He
served through his term, and in 1913 was
member of the House of Representatives from
Mississippi. He seems to have lost his hold on
Mississippi politics after this, however, and
left the State, going to New Orleans, where his
Democratic friends gave him profitable con-
tract on the Custom House erected there.
When this employment gave out he carpet
bagged again to California and took an active
hand in the birth OF that new State, which was
rewarded by his election to the Senate in 1850.
During his term he was the representative of
the extreme pro-slavery wing of the Democratic
party, and as such antagOniZed the Douglas fac
ton, which was led by David G. Broderick, q
brilliant young New Yorker, who had begun
life as stonemason, and who was the idol of
the workingmen. Gwin and his crowd, find
ing themselves unable to cope with Broderick
in any other way, forced duel on him and
murdered him. The outrage created intense
bitterness against GWin, bat in spite of this he
manipulated things so well that he was re-
turned to the Senate, though most of those as
ISOLATED with him were consigned to political
oblivion, from which they have never been
able to escape.
In the agitation preceding the war Gwin was
a leader of the secession faction, and no doubt
would have dragged California over to the
Southern COnfederacy. Since the war he has
always denied this and been one of the most
vOciferou5 of that crowd of rebels who insist
that they were from the first Union men,
and never gave real hearty support to the
secession movement until things reached a pass
where they could no longer refuse Gwin
always said that he left California to avoid
fighting for the Confederacy. The truth of
history cOmpels denial of it. His family,
which was residing in Washington, took the
first opportunity at the outbreak of hoStilities
to go South, and remained there during the
war. His son, who was cadet at West Point
at the time, resigned and took a commission in
the rebel army. Gwin himself, with number
of congenial spirits, embarked on vessel to go
to New Orleans, where they would undoubtedly
have Joined the rebels, but unfortunately for
their plans, Colonel Sumner with several hun
dred troops, embarked on the same vessel, and
he took the crowd along with him and lodged
them in prison at Lafayette. After being re-
leased from there, Gwn went to Paris, where
he became intimate with Due de Morny, the
bastard brother of Louis Napoleon. At that
time the Mexican scheme was incubating, and
Gwin gave it his hearty support. He had
scheme for settling the State of Sonora in
Mexico with foreign Immigrants, and was ere
ated by Louis Napolean, Duke of Sonora.
When the rebellion was crushed he offered
Sonora as a refuge to those rebels who felt that
they would rather go into exile than live under
the hated shadow of the Stars and Stripes, and
quite large number availed themselves of his
offer.
At tho downfall of Macmillan Gwin re-
turned TO the United States where he was again
arrested but he protested that his connection
with the Sonora enterprise had had no political
significance whatever, but was merely real
estate transaction.
For many years he has been resident of
Washington and the recognized agent of the
Central Pacific, his large acquaintance with
men making him exceedingly useful in the lob
bies. be was an earnest applicant to the pres
ent Administration for the Japanese mission,
and the matter was pending at the time of his
death. At one time his fortune was estimated
at over $100O0,0O0, but of late years he has
suffered such severe losses that it is believed
that his estate will not amount to million.
GEN. LOGAN.
Gen. John A. Logan is being earnestly
besought oil over the country to attend the nu-
merous Reunions that are now taking place. 1t
would be the greatest pleasure to him to accept
all of these invitations were such thing posi-
BILE, but his newly acquired property requires
an unusual amount of attention to get it into
habitable shape before he must begin the work
made necessary by the meeting of Congress in
December. Calumet Place, as he calls his new
home is bit of old property which at one time
was very fine and comfortable, indeed, but the
lapse If years and the carelessness of tenants
has made world of repairs and rebuilding nee
essary, all of which must be done under the
owners eye to be satisfactory. Every day now
Gen. Logan is engaged with his workmen
all day, and after dinner in the evening he re-
pairs TO his study, where he works till past
midnight over his correspondence and his lite
rary tasks. He will visit the Army of the Ten
neSSee Reunion at Chicago, and also a grand
Reunion in the saith District of Illinois, to at
tend which he feels under special obligations,
as it was this district which gave him his re-
election to the Senate. That and some business
that he must attend to for his constituency in
Illinois will occupy all the time that he has at
his disposal.
COMMISSIONER BLACKS MOVEMENTS.
Gen. John C.. Black, Commissioner of PEN
siops, left here last Tuesday night for Chicago,
where he will attend the Reunion of the So
cIety of the Army of the Tennessee, of which he
is a member. After that he will go to his home
in Danville, ILL.,, to attend to some business
there which imperatively needs his presence,
as he has not been home since his appointment.
He will probably spend week or 10 days there,
and then go on an official tour Of inspection of
the Soldiers Homes in the West, and afterward
proceed to Topeka, Kan, to attend the great
Reunion there, where he will meet a large
number of his old comrades of the Army of the
Frontier and hosts of other soldiers, as more
than 100 900 veterans who are settled in Kansas
represent every army and almost every smaller
organization that served under the flag. Gen.
Black has a double purpose in visiting these
gatherings of old soldiers. He wants to learn
by actual contact with the men who are affected
by the operations of the Pension Bureaus sys-
tenn, what their experience has been with it,
should be done to render it more efficient and
less liable to work hardship, while still care
fully protecting the interests of the Govern
mont. He has undoubtedly taken the best way
to secure definite knowledge of the subject. and
II