The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1885-11-22

MISS 1ieNeianu is puslly engaged In overseeing
the mansion and having things generally put to
rights Tor the winter She is said to be In excellent
health and TO have proited much in this respect by
her stay at the old homestead in New York.
good story is told OF Col. Kellogg, OF the Fiflh
Cavalry, who has recently been detailed on Gen.
sherldans stan at this point. lie was on his way
his station at Fort Supply the Indian Terri
tory, when Gen. sheridan telegraphed him, The
telegram missed him at St. Louis, and was three or
four days in reaching him at Fort Supply. SO takeu
by surprise was he that he concluded 1t was put up
job by the boys OF the station. lie accordingly made
careful inquiries OF the operator, and, getting real
| satisfaction, 1nally teegraphed TO Washington to
know whether 1t was true that Gen. Sheridan had
telographed him. He was Of course rejoiced at get.
ting reply back Immediately that he was wanted
here. Col. Kellogg is very highly spoken OF by his
| fellow-oficers. lie Is nephew OF Mrs. Gen.
Thomas, and was on Gen. Thomass stan.
"Start a hare and you may run down q hedge
hog Some of the Investigations Instituted to de-
termne the legal standing of claimants before the
Departments lead to strange disclosures. came
| across curious history the other day which was
brought out in the testimony OF two rival claimants
| before the Land onlce under the homestead law
Except that the names are fictitious, the following
story Is true In every respect: At some time In the
| early sixties a man named Stokes was living with
HIS Wlle duu CTllu III massachusetts. stokes enlisted
In Northern regiment, but soon afterward deserted
| He them assumed the naue OF Budlong aud enlisted
again. This time he appears to have served out his
full term. Returning to Massachusetts after lis cx-
praton, he married again, under the belief he says
that his first wife was dead. About three years
attcrward, however, both he and his second wife
learned that Mrs. Stokes was still living, and num-
Der two began TO prepare for separation. He
threatened II she left him, that he would Kill Mrs.
| Stokes, whereunOn she consented n .pmaiu with
him. From fear OF detection, Budloug now began
| To make frequent changes OF his name, but appar-
entity with little avail, for learn that he had an
Interview with Mrs Stokes and that she soon after
ward procured divorce Meanwhile two sons were
born OF the second marriage, AMI the legal status Of
these sons forms the starting point of the inquiry
now pending before the Lani ONCE. That ia the
hare; but we have as yet only Just sighted our
| hedgehog. Soon after the divorce OF wife number
| one the family moved to New York and lived to.
gcther there for several years, but without
| the performance OF a second marriage ceremony
between the supposed man and wife. From
| New York they went TO Kansas, where Stokes, or
Budong, fell in love with young girl and wanted
to marry her. After some protest on the part OF
Mrs. Budlong, articles of separation drawn up
between her and her husband the boys being left In
| the custody of the woman, when now Budlopg pre
sented himself as suor for the hand Of the young
girl. He met with very decided opposition from her
pateu'r. anu was colnpt!leu 10 IeaVe tne uelu lie
soon after moved to Indian Territory, where he
soied himself by marrying widow Mrs. Budlong
went to Florida aud took up tract Of Government
land under the homestead law, in company with a
man named Towle. In Massachusetts Mr.. Stokes
appears to have followed the trade Of carpenter and
joiner.presumably engaged now and theninthe man.
ufacture of collins in New York. He varied his en-
poyment a little by indulRing in the practice Of
medicine; and in Indian Territory he became
| perpatetic preacher In his three capacities he
could have minstered in his one person to all the
most solemn needs OF man. AS Spoopendyke would
probably have put 1t, he needed only spade and
pck-axe to become 1rstclass funeral, all by him.
self. From the Indian Territory he seems 10 have
kept up a correspondence with his former partner
relative TO his two sons 1t was not long before he
received proposition from her that he should come
and occupy the tract adjoining hers In Florida and
settle some of the land on her and the boys Appar
emily with little thought Of his last wife, he left
| her in the Indian Territory, went to Florida, and
occupied the land He built house on 1t, but fixed
| his own residence al village about three miles
| away, aud set up small business there as
photographer. He continued, however, TO exercise
some Of the functions Of minister, for about this
| time, without any warrant from Church or State,
however, he went through the solemn farce of mar
rying his former partner to Mr. Towle. To meet the
requirements of the homestead law, Stokes, who had
resumed his original name, occupied his new house
VI tiiuc, WHtii lie WIS dDseut IeIt tHe
two boys in charge. Mrs Towle, however, begins to
turn against him. 1t appears that he is unwilling to
bind the agreement by which he was to settle part
| of the land on her and the two sons Accordingly
| she induces Mr. Munson TO make a bona Hde
settlement on his tract and dispute his claim. Mr..
| Munson now appears before the Land once with
the plea that the residence of the two Bndlopg boys
upon the tract was not residence by Stokess
| family. The whole matter turns upon Just what the
legal relation is between the boys and their father.
| The absence of moral considerations in the whole
affair Is the remarkable as some OF the parties,
notably Mrs. Towle, are of unusual intelligence.
She has been writer for the press under the non,
de plume of Myrtle
| 1t is astonishing how foolish lie will go the
rounds OF the press unquestioned. The following,
which are alleged to be the words of Ex-Governor
Seymour to reporter, Is a good illustration:
| / am feeling my seventy-tiy years; cannot walk
now. An nsed TO be great walker. While a
cadet In a military school In Connecticut visited
Washington with one OF my chums. John Quincy
| Adams was President at the time. My friend and
went over to Baltimore and, missing the last train
in the evening, walked back 10 Washington, accom-
pshing the feat by daylight of the following morn
| ing.
| John Quincy Adams was President from 1925 to
| 1929. The first locomotive was constructed in
| America by Peter Cooper in 1880 and used by the
Baltimore and Ohio road Railroads were not in
successful operation until much later than this. Ex-
|
train for there was no train to miss He said
to the reporter. 1t Is probable that the man who
| wrote the paragraph never saw the Ex-Governor.
II he did talk with the Ex-Governor, he did not oh
| tain the Information given above.
| A Congressman was telling me good story Of a
reporter for Western paper who called to Interview
| him. The following was the first question pro.
| pounded:
| "What will likely be the political complexion OF
| the House?"
The Congressman looked In astonlshment at his
interrogation, and seeing that there was an express
sion Of frank earnestness on his face replied:
| "Idrather not commit myself on that question; but
you can say, II you do not quote me, that 1t Will
probably be prohibition. 1t Is going to be worked
up through the restaurant-keeper. you know"
President Cleveland does great deal more writ
ing himself than any President we have had In re-
cent times. He says he can think what he wants to
| say on any important question better with his pen
In hand than in any other way. lie Is not much Of a
friend to the typewriter for his own work, although
it is found very useful In the great multitude OF
| leter-writiDg at the White House. The message
| was originally wholly In the Presidents own hand
| writing
Speaking Of messages 1t may be Interesting 10
state that Jefferson was the first President TO send
written message to Congress. Before his time the
President had gone In person before Congress and
made an oral address, 1t was thought by Jefferson
| that TO write was more suited TO republican sim
pcity, and he determined to break up all the
old forms Of royalty that still hung aboutihe new
nation he adopted 1t. All succeeding Presidents
have followed JeGerson's example. The JeIer-
sonlan party Immediately proceeded TO carry through
reductions In the Army aud Navy well as In taxes
and duties II Is really curious how the things
have agitated the public mind pretty much ever
since; and now the coming Congress faces the In
evltable old question, reduction OF taxes and
duties.
| The brilliant but erTatic John Randolph was the
| leader OF the House In Jeferson's day. He was
| young, impetuous, hot-bl0Oded Randolph In the
latter part Of Adams's administration had made a
bitter attack upon the Army. lie called the soldiers
"mercenaries," " hlrelings,n "loungers, who live
upon the public and consume the fruits OF honest
industry under the pretext OF protecting the people
from q foreign yoke. They are useless ragamunins y
The evening after the delivery OF this speech
Randolph attended the theatre with several friends.
Two married Officers sat In the box behind him and
made remarks on purpose to he overheard by him
and 10 provoke him. They said:
"Those ragamulns oil the stage are black Viz
~ for