The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1885-01-22
4 CAPITOL ROMANCE.
Washington Cor Chicago Tribune. ]

Finding . Private Soldiers OutAt In .
Forgotten Corner.
Washington Cor. Chicago Trih,ne.l
There appears to bc IN endless amount
of material about the capitol OF the
United States for romance. or series
Of them for that matter. II was only
the other day that heard 1T All incl
dent that occurred during the war that
would certainly give romance writer at
least q good suggestion. The capitol is
the growth Of ycars-almOst century
of work upon different plans aud under
the direction Of many mindA The re-
suit is that there is such perfect
labyrinth of corridors and out 81 the
way place within It's walls that onr may
he about the capitol for years without
learning Of all the places in the rainb-
ling building.
This much Of an explanation Is neccs-
sary in order to appreciate the remark
ablo story told by John t'hann. ey. who
has been in the constant employment Of
the house for the last twenty seven
years In ransacking one Of the upper
hooks Of tho house side of this building
Chauncey came upon an Ont-Of-thc- way
corner beyond one of the most crooked
turns in the rarely-visited regions Of the
reserve records of the house document
rooms. Chauncey, who knows more
about the building than any other man
| in it, in his wandering about that morn
| ing came into corner which he had not
| visited since the war.
AS he entered this long forgotten
nook lie was surprised by the sight Of 4
military uniform stretched out upon the
floor. A gun and the accoutrements Of
. private soldier of the army of the
United States were in one corner. The
uniform was still in very fair condition,
although badly moth eaten. 1t lay upon
the floor as if it had been hastily stripped
off by it's owner. But how had it come
there! John Chauncey could not for a
few moments tell, but soon he rcmem.
bercd that during the war the capitol
building was used as barracks for sol
diers The house itself was used as q
hospital. A soldier who belonged to q
Massachusetts, regiment, and who had
partially recovered from q wound, wa:
employed for sentry duty in the upper
part Of the hall.
i One night he wandered off to this
out-of-the-way corner, where he ex-
J perienccd . sudden relapse. His Ole
wound broke out and he died in thi.
corner alone. His body was not re
covered for several days. He wa,
charged up as deserter. When hi,
body was finally discovered his uniform
was taken off and the remains carriet
out. From the day that the body wa,
carried away until Chauncey walket
into this corner twenty years after
wards, no one had visited the plac
} where the poor soldier died. II TIN
hall had not been 0vercrowded SO tina
the odOr of the dccaying body had no
penetrated to one Of the upper store
rooms into which inyalids had beel
: carried, this discovery might have bcel
! delayed for years. John Chaunccy nigh
have found grinning skeleton in ful
uniform stretched out in this dust
corner. What a story that would hay
made. The accoutrements Of thi
soldier arc in the journal clerks Ollie
now.
= Friends of the Farmer.
Foreign letter.
t The French minister Of finance ha
issued circular to people in the coul
try, in which he warns them agains
destroying toads, lady bugs, and insect
!, ivorous birds, which he pronounces th
|. friends of the farmer. Toads exist a.
e most exclusively upon the worms an
bugs they find feeding on useful plant.
) The little spQDed lady-bug destroy
plant lice, scale-bugs, and many harm
: full insects. The birds that feed OH ii
9 sects cannot be too well protected. Til
boy who kills one of these or toa
!. should be whipped, and the man shoul
I be fined and imprisoned.