Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1885-04-02
TOLD BY THE ECHOES.
The Mysteries Of the Old Hall Of Rep
resentatives.

resentatives.
The echo hall Of the capitol attracts
the attention of all visitors. The guide
who picks up precarious living by
showing strangers the mysteries of
washington. fitting his story to his
measurement Of the credulity of those
he has in hand. tells them of secret
vaults and mysterious passages through
which sounds are always roaming; or,
II the stranger looks like a man who
has travelled, gives him the unvarnish-
ed statement that the acoustic proper
ties of the hall arc the most wonderful
in the world, always adding, however,
that he (the guide) is the only man
who possesses the unguarded confidence
OF the echoes. He alone knows where
to find them at their best If the
stranger happens to be peculiarly sus-
ceptible, with a taste for the weird and
mysterious, he may be taken into the
basement and shown to a curious old
staircase under the hall, which winds
up dark stone turret and ends ab-
ruptly at stone wall, which is the
floor of the echo hall above, and leads
nowhere. This is sufficiently dark and
damp, and has enough of the musty
smell of vault to accommodate itself
to any story the quick Imagination of
a guide may suggest. The staircase
once led to the hall above. which was
in olden times the hall of representa-
tives, but now the passage has been
foored over with immense stone flags,
and the existence of the staircase is
known to but few outside of the old
laborers employed about the capitol.
1t is used by them as place to stow
away their scrubbing-brushes and
brooms, and the winding steps are full
of mold. This was the main entrance
to the old hall of representatives, and
the gray stones are worn with the foot.
steps OF the great men of those days.
In the hall above, the echoes will
sometimes take up the faintest whis-
per and repeat it with remarkable dis
tinctness in another part of the i'm
mense room. From some spots nearly
everything can be heard that is said by
the strollers and people passing. Some
times whispered secrets may be given
away and couples may have an audi
ence when no one is near. The follow
ing are some of the whispers of the
echoes caught by a Star man: Now,
stand right there, while show you
the leg, it is perfect, too natural for
marble--a bill for the abolition Of
cold tea. Here is where Daniel Web
ster-got sat down on in his public
building scheme George Washington
"a member of the whisky ring was in
the penit ntiary He is a great orator
Pumps wind into the house, venti-
lates-Bad ideas, no judgmcnt--I'll tell
you contidentially, I'm no common
man; my constituents think I'm just
the biggest puddin' head in congress;
made a speech about-my darling,
amt it nice for you and | to be here
, locked up in this committee room-and
won't be reported this session-Henry
Clay-claimed everything does not
seem as if we have been married such
short time, and we're just on our
tour through sewer from Boundary
street to Rock creek. 1t will take an
appropriation of $1,000 to-buy me a
new. w.bonnet when we get homes; oh,
that's awfully nice; how love- whisky
at the bottom of tin his speech on
Mormonism he said-you little poody-
yoody darling. I'd like to-put the
question by yeas and nays-When they
were married he gave her a-whisky
ring; can't buy up this house. This
represents Jefferson when he-cast an
anchor to windward- went into
p,sttao rtt tla N-hA1, hA,cn L.
state of Blaine's health has not failed
as it was thought it would owing to the
fatigue of kissing girl on the dome
Just as we passed-A bill to put raw
material on the free list and reduce the
duty on necessaries of life, such as
ladies who come to see members send
their cards in from the east door, and
wait there until they get the foot-and-
mouth disease by being brought into
contact with other cattle from the west
I am always glad to see one of my
constituents; if there is anything can
do for you shall be delighted to see
you-being eaten by comrades at the
north pole. Congress ought to inves-
gate-The woman in sealskin sacque
is his wife, and he is one of-The Nor
mons must put down-his throat meas
ures eighteen inches-Whcn he opens
his mouth to speak-a four-masted
schooner could sail through it and save
the distance around the cape-Oh, l
think our congressman is the Oldest
man ever saw. He is just-550 feet
high when finished
Numerous other whispers were
heard. Some were state secrets, and
some related to domestic affairs that it
would not be proper to make public.
Besides the echo hall, there is what
is called the whisper gallery. This is
the rotunda, just above the fresco.--
WashtnQt0u Star,