The Washington critic., 1886-08-18
WASHINGTON CRITIC
WASHINGTON, AUGUST Is, 1ss6.
TOPICS OF THE DAY.

SthSiuA Dluhil WV w Uoh'' . VIZ
correspondent of the ST. Paul Dispatch.
His family has occupied city house
for several years, and as the Presi-
dents example In seeking residence
in the suburbs was being followed by
number of well known people, the
General = ught he would keep up
with the of fashion and secure
country home. After several weeks Of
tiresome search fine, old house
and grounds were selected near Bright
wood, mile or two out. The price
was settled at S1S, ,000-vory cheap
and the abstract. maker and convey
ancer were busy preparing the neces.
sary papers for the transfer. Mean
time Mr.. and Mrs. Drum sent num-
Der of workmen to the new home, and
the grounds were beautilied and the
old mansion was frightened up here
and there. 1t was beautiful location
and they named IL Drum Hill" and
told all Of their friends of the lucky in
vestment. Some real estate shark,
reading the glowing accounts of
" Drum Hill in the local press,
drove out to view the premises, and
accidentally learned that the deed had
not passed to the owner. He thercupon
offered an advance of two thousand
dollars, and the degenerate occupant
accepted the cash. When General
Drum called with big bank check
day or two later, he learned to his
modification that the property had al
ready been sold to another man who
now held 1t at $4,000. The General
was very angry, but the "sharli" only
grinned. The storm continued ten
days in the Drum household Since
this episode, however, General D.um
has purchased another country home
near the Cleveland place, in the coun-
try side.
~
Apropos to the organization of the
recent House of Representative when
parties were so very closely divided,
the importance of skill in one medical
attendant was forcibly illustrated, says
the same correspondent. The physi-
clan attending Repi esentative Ackten
here, Dr. Garnet, was u stout Demo-
crat. One day somebody asked him If
1t was true that his patient was dying.
dying" CALCULATED the doctor. "Do
you think | would let vote die when
we have only one majority, and no
Nme for special election to fill the
vacancy2 Erebusl moi I'd take his
medicine for him aud die myself first" D."
#"a
Mr.. II. Victor Newcomb, cx.presi-
dent L. and N. Railroad, discovered a
burglar in his library closet at his New
port home the other evening, and In
stead of locking the door on him he
called to his wife to tell the butler to
bring pistol. The burglar at once
ran out, knocked Mr.. Newcomb end
ways and escaped. The Kansas City
Times New York correspondent has
the following to say about it; Senator
John p. Jones of Nevada, who is
about twice as big and strong as Mr..
Newcomb, said, upon hearing of the
tussle: 81 am surprised at the lack of
Judgment on the part of Newcomb. l
know l never play the part of police
man to expose myself to have knife
put in my belly or a bullet in my head.
Whenever l get into contact with
burglars or highwaymen, and this has
happened more than once to me, l al
ways surrender, and tell that | am q
radical and believe in everybody
carrying on his natural vocation
without any opposition. l fur
ther explain to them that, be-
ing society man, my attention is alb
sorbed only by social events and | pay
no attention to the individual struggles
for life." He added, however subse-
quently, that he never wears iewelry
or watch, and rs he has seldom more
than couple of silver dollars in his
pocket he usually comes out of such
encounters first best.
w
"Then came the President" says
Gath in the Cincinnati ERQUiIGr, in
speaking of the Tilden funeral. ellis
hair has a thinning look, though natu-
rally thick. There was neither white
nor healthy red color in his face, but a
kind of bleared, pufled skin. You
find his two best points in the marks of
office work upon his eyes, giving him a
some what tired look, which takes
away from the merely physical aspect
of the man. The other point is his
very substantial, solid military holding
of his head and shoulders. Our Presi-
dents have been of all sizes, weights
and suggestions. from the little cocka-
too face of John Tyler up to
the wooden jaws of General
Washington, filled with artificial wal
rus teeth; from the liquid black eyes
and society expression of General
Arthur, with his trim legs and careful
dress, down to the squatty, duck.
shaped John Adams, whose head
seemed to have been nodded in a
pudding bag; from the impassivc and
supernal look of Thomas Jeilcrs III
studying the atmosphere to the day.
laborer's face of Grant thinking about
what was in his dinner kettle, and how
be should pay Saturdays rent;
from Mr.. Buchanan's patent medicine
face, suggestive Of n great remedy
he was presenting to suffering
world at dollar bottle, to General
Jacksons cartlagenous neck and couu.
tenance, which seemed TO be wound up
like spring to the top OF his crown
and there to have shoe brush for his
hair. This countenancc of Cleveland
suggested to me the function have IL
do whenever go to n steamboat Office
or a theatre to buy ticket, namely; OF
getting in the rear. As you 80 from
that strictly municipal politician face
up to the Father of his Country you
seem to step as high as If you were g.
ing up the great pyramid. However
as we live in the same era with him,
self, we can at least sit down on the
bottom step and possibly be more com.
Portable than If we were up there al
the top with General Washington.