The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-14

gallery of portraits of celebrities of the time"
and the National Portrait Gallery at the South
Kensington Museum in London, is priceless
gathering of famous people in efigy Even at
Washington we have no satisfactory pantheon OF
great Americans preserved in oil. There are
sorEe fne portraits of former Governors and
mayors at the City Hall here In New York, done
by noted portraitists of past time, such AS servs.
Elliot and S. T.. B.. Morse, but they are crowded
around narrow room where they cannot be
seen, and some of them are laid four deep, one
over another. offer this hint freely to rich and
patriotic. amateurs, with the sole warning that
portraits of self-made men should be carefully
excluded unless the men have attained to some
public and enduring position of honor.
j. O. A Wards bronze statue, The Pilgrim,
which has just been unveiled in Central Park as
a gift from the New England Society to the city.
is a sterling piece of work. But it looks better
from the front than from the side. where it seems
rather TO sprawl out and fall to pieces. The typ
ical Pilgrim stands as if on guard, looking out
for Indians; one foot forward and one hand
resting imprudently the muZzle of his
grounded musket. He also has on his head a
sugar-loaf hat. and the first impression Is that
he is attending German A",n'.,1Ietzenfest
imagine that most of the Germans who visit the
park will think he represents their rifle COM
panies; that he is about to ring the bulls
eye bell and adjourn for beer This hat which
destroys the effect of the statues face, and is
absurd and ugly was insisted upon by the
committee in charge, against the sculptors wish.
Committees usually distinguish themselves by
some happy thought of this kind 1t has been
suggested that it would have been well to cast
the hat separately, so that it could be removed.
Tuesdays and Fridays: pilgrim without Hat
Other days: Pilgrim with hat Would it not
kneeline in the attitude of prayer with his hat
in one hands The statue was also placed just
where the sculptor didn't want it to be, merely
because the knoll on which it stands had often
before been vainly chosen as site for statue.
Mr.. Ward, however, is fortunate in having his
name mentioned as the artist Ordinarily, the
modeler and designer of a statue is ignored in
all the proceedings. Mr.. Ward is a thorough
artist and man Of wealth. Let US hope that
this latter fact did not in our simple republican
community, cause the attention given to his
name.
Two or three DAYS ago, in conversation
about eminent New York lawyers. a gentleman
of some distinction declared that Mr. Evarts,
Notwithstanding his reputation. is not great
lawyer in the sense that O'Conor was. More
over" said he. 'Evarts is not so sound on con-
stitutional questions as some people consider
him.. Then ne went on to narrate an incident
which occurred in Egypt at the time when MIR.
Evarts was Secretary of State An American in
that country killed man. Under treaty OF
the United States with Japan, Turkey and other
remote countries consular court was called and
the American was condemned to death. Mr.
Evarts ratified the sentence of the
court apparently without question. But
there were extenuatng circumstances attending
the homicide. and further than that, some
American citizens, resident in Egypt, doubted
the jurisdiction of the court They appealed to
Mr.. Hayes the ground that the treaty in
question violated provisions of the Constitution,
and Mr.. Hayes committed the sentence of death
to one of life imprisonment. The condemned
man was brought to this State and put into the
penitentiary. Whether Mr. Evarts was right,
or wrong, l can not attempt to say; but | am
told that the case Of the unfortunate prisoner,
who has meanwhile become partially demented
from the effects of his imprisonment is to be
brought up before the Supreme Court of the
United States before long.
Not only DO living scions of European aristoc-
racy continually beSet ones path In this city,
but we are also pursued by the shadow of royalty
in the most unexpected ways Missing Dauphins
ana lost heirs, refugees and remnants of regal
races, have long been in the habit of turning up
here at odd moments. l had heard something
about certain parsonage of Industrious
parentage; but had not seen him up to last
week when, seated at the theater next to a
French gentleman, whom know slightly, my
attention was called by this neighbor to we'll
dressed. ddle-aged man few rows to the
front of US. ''You see that man.
eyes,
''Wel does he remind you of any one9"
Let me see." | scrutinized the individual
and saw that he had an aquiline nose and heavy
mustache and imperial mo; he doesn't re-
mind me of any one-except, perhaps, Louis
Napoleon"
.'Ah," said my neighbor THAT is it precise
ly. He is a son of the Emperor. You know
Napoleon, when he was in this country, lived in
Hoboken for awhile WE'LL there was born
son to him there"
Being rather skeptical of this information,
asked: "Did his father ever recognize his exist
ence?'
''Assuredly. That is, not openly, you know
But, as long as he remained in France, it hap
pened that this son of his received an allowance
After Sedan the empire ceased, and so did the
allowance This man is in business now, and is
doing very we'll, believe. The matter was al
ways kept very quiet and probably few of his
acquaintance know what his real origin was.
So much for romance Perhaps it was merely
romancing. do not vouch for the truth of this
whisper But there are people to-day who sol
EMMY assert for truth that which came to me in
this way. GEORGE PARSONS LATHROP.