The National tribune., 1885-12-24
WASHINGTON GOSSIP,
The Weeks DOings at the Ma
tiOnal Capital.
A QUEER AUCTION.

kind by mail would take the precaution, urged
by the Office Department, to put his or her
address upon either the outside or inside, III
addition to that of the person for whom IL IS
intended so that the parcel might be returned
10 the sender if misdirected, or not delivered
from anv other cause, there would not be such
a great accumulation of articles at the Deau
Letter Office But comparatively few people DO
this, and as consequence every year IRON
10000 TO 10000 of these stray packages, alter
devious wanderings through the mails, bring
up in the great postal cemetery here. Once
wear these articles are sold of at auction, and
queer sale it is. One of these sales, lasting four
DAYS, took place this week at large auction
house.
1t is impossible TO imagine a greater variety
than the articles that make up this national
"curiosity shop" Thousands of them are OF
but trifiing value, and to sell each separately
would require more time aud expenditure OF
lung power by the auctioneer than they are
worth: in preparing for the sale they are
made up into parcels, often six or eight articles
in each, and in that shape are knocked down 10
the highest bidder. Printed catalogs are fur
nished giving the lots in numerical order, and
a list OF the articles contained in each. In bid
ding, therefore, you do not entirely go IL
blind" The packages are sealed. and you
know nothing. in many cases, OF the quantity,
quality, or condition OF the articles speclhed
Here is where the element of chance comes IN,
and lends a spice to the proceedings that packs
the room to its utmost capacity with crowd
all eager to buy something. The auctioneer
begins at No. and sells right through the cata-
log cOnsecutvely.
The cstalog this year contained 80 pages,
finely printed in double columns. Schedule
A" comprised 3,201 lots of miscellaneous arti-
cles. of every conceivable kind. Some of these
packages appeared to have been made up with
some regard to harmony and the fitness of
things-one containing ladies' clothing and
trimmings, another toys and gimcracks for
children-yhie others were regular hodge
podpe Buying these lots was, in fact, good
deal like investing in " grab-bag" enterprise
at a church fair. Some idea of the oddities OF
the collection may be formed from few sample
lots, taken at random from the catalog:
Dolls clothes . pairs lady's hose, toy frog, corset
3 dime novels, kazoo, brass watch-chain, meer-
schaum pipe.
Skullcap pair soiled tights glass eye. pairrol
skates, tanned dog skin. y pound plug Tobacco
Bicycle bell liver pad, pocket knife, lamp wicks
sets artificial teeth, packs playing cards, me
combs.
Tin lunch-box 5 patent nest eggs, pair boxing
gloves, thermometer, lot chromos lady night-cap
Iady's white-wool fascinator 15 dozen napkins
Hamburg lace, shoe brush, bride, dozen pig
snout rings, nloccasns, Christmas cards.
And so on through the whole 5000 parcels. 1t
is scarcely possible to mention anything small
enough to be sent by mail that was not found
in this odd collection. Articles for women's and
children's wear and adornment were most
largely represented. The lots were started by
the auctioneer at the uniform price of a quarter
Often, when glance at the e2talOg showed that
the one before the hous might prove bo-
nanza on limited scale, the bidding was very
spirited, running up into the dollars in half
minute, 10 cents at time The average price
for the parcels was about go cents Sometimes
the buyer got several times his moneys worth,
and some of the lots would have been dear at
hal he
Tapidily-at an average rate of three or four a
minute The instant the bidding tagged the
parcel was sold and frequently the pur-
chaser was, too. The day sales were largely
attended by ladies of all classes, many coming
in their carriages driven by liveried coachmen,
to join in the sport. 1t was often very amusing
TO see the emotional enthusiasm with which
the ladies ran up the prices.
Schedule B - was a list of 1929 books, run
ming the entire literary gamut, from Peck s
:" Bad Boy" TO the Bible Every class of litera-
ture was represented, well as large per
cent. of the known languages, living dead.
1t must be confessed that there is good deal OF
chance in buying book with the captivating
title "Devywaith o. Amgylych Y Byd "-one
of a dozen Welch volumes. There were some
very fine books in the list, though the majority
were the cheaper publications. The writer saw
bound volume sell for one cent Many
brought but five or ten cents each. i" Schedule
C." contained "a articles of some value, such as
Jewelry, gold pens, watches opera glasses, etc.
The proceeds of the sale were about s., 800,
which goes into the Treasury to help Uncle
Sam out Of his pinch.
MILITIA BRAVES IN COUNCIL.
The fourth annual convention of the Ma
tional Guard Association of the United States
was held in Washington last week The object
of the association is the proper organization and
practical equipment of the militia of the coun-
try. In order to secure this the association
advocates the passage of Senator Sewel's bill
increasing the annual appropriation for arms
and ordnance stores for the militia from 5000,
600 to S600,006, and also Gen. Slocum's bill OF
the last Congress to modernize the present oh.
solete provisions of the United States militia
law.
The association consists of five delegates from
the militia of each State. Eighteen States were
represented at the meeting. The President
Gen. George w. Wingate, of New York in his
opening address, said the objects of the associa-
tion had been thwarted in the past by the OBJ
Jectious that 1t was the intention to deprive
the States of their authority over the militia
and, on the other hand, that il was the desire
TO take money out Of the Treasury of the Gen
eral Government for purely State organizations
without permitting proper supervision by the
War Department. But the greatest obstacle
they had 10 encounter was the apathy among
the people, the militia, and in Congress in re
gard to the objects which the association haG
more arspicious and that the bks before Con
gress would receive favorable consideration
Gen. Hartranft, of Pennsylvania, made
short address, in which he counseled cautious
action, SO IS not to arouse opposition. The re
port of obsolete laws affecting the militia wa
sub ject for future consideration. He moved
that a committee be appointed to confer will
the officials of the Government and of Congress
and then draw up a bill. Remarks were mad,
by Gen. Farnsworth Of New York, and others
the general tenor being that everything should
be subordlnated TO securing the appropriation
Gen. Hartranfts motion was adopted and tht
committee appointed as follows: Gen. Snow
den, of Pennsylvania; Gen. Campbell of Kan
sas Col. Galway, u. S. A; Gen. Hartranft, O
Pennsylvania; Gen. Jones, of North Carolina
Col Castleman, of Kentucky, and Gen Finley
of Ohio. Subsequently the committee reported
3 bill, which was adopted, TO amend section
1861 of the Revised Statutes, making an annua
appropriation Of s., 100000 TO provide arms TO
the militia.
On the second day. by invitation, the dele
gates proceeded in body to the White House
where they were received by the President
Each delegate was introduced by Col Bridges
who was formerly Mr.. Cleveland's stat
when the latter was Governor of New York
The delegates were received very cordially an,
an informal talk followed in regard to the bill
which IL is DroDoSed tn bring In the atlantic,