The National tribune., 1886-05-06
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
The Weeks Doings at the Ma
tienal Capital.
A FAMOUS FEEDER,

A FAMOUS FEEDER.
"Welcker's" " has long been one of the famous
feeding places of Washington-that is, where
you could get all sorts of epcurean dishes with
| unpronounceable French names and with cor
respondingly big figures in the price list. 1t
| has been to Washington what Delmonicos was
| to New York. Although it still maintains its
place at the head it has of late years encoun-
| tered some brisk competition from other sue
| ceSsful and ambitious caterers, whose growing
| popularity has threatened its fame John
| Welcker was German from near the French
| border. He was butcher by occupation, and
| followed this business for some time after he
| came to Washington. During the war he
| thought he saw an opening here for a first
class restaurant, and determined to improve it.
He was an excellent judge of meats, and in this
| fact lay, in a great degree the secret of his
success. His buxom wife was a skillful cook,
and this was another important factor in the
caSe
He began in small way. The superiority
| of his cuisine soon attracted the attention of
| the public men, most OF whom were and are
| good livers. When Welcker began to make
money out of his popularity by putting on
fancy prices they patronized him all the more.
| There are plenty of men with well filled pocket
books who would rather pay dollar for some
| thing with foreign name than to pay quar-
| ter at another place for the very same thing
with plain Omitted States" designation. SO
|
dining rooms and parlOrs were the favorite re-
sort of many men distinguished in politics and
! literature. He always kept the choicest and
most expensive wines and liquors of all kinds
and of all degrees of strength, and these served
as an additional magnet. Twenty years ago
! such things were used in Washington to a much
greater extent than now. There were few men
| of prominence in any sphere of public life who
did not find use for the corkscrew.
| Many famous men, foreign and indigenous,
have been the guests of Welcker. Dickens
stopped there when in Washington, and princes
and titled men from nearly all the countries
of Europe have dued at his tables. In short
| the whole civilized world has been represented
| at this noted Fifteenth street establishment.
For years it was great place for swell dinners,
such as Sam Ward, the King of the Lobby"
used to give in furtherance of his schemes.
Many the times that little coteries of politicians
and schemers have met there to discuss their
plans over terrapn and champagne. If the
walls of that hostelry could speak they might
many "a tale unfold" of plotting and counter
plotting in matters of politics, legislation. and
official preferment. The caterers bills ON
such occasions were seldom disputed or criti-
ciZed.
Mr. Welcker died few years ago, leaving to
his wife comfortable bank account. She
| carried on the business successfully for WHILE
but in the fullness of time she married man
who had long been employed in the establish
ment at the head of the gastronomic departme
This was a good thing for him, as well as for
the patrons insuring continuance of the good
management that had always characterized the
place. Under the new regime there has been
no diminutiOn of prosperity, the chief renown
being for the table. Last year an addition six
stories high was built, which goes to show
that 20 years of tickling the palates and
stomachs of statesmen has not been without its
reward st
BATTLE OF MISSIONARY RIDGE
A good audience assembled one evening last
| week at the National Rifles Armory to hear the
story of the battle Of Missionary Ridge. MAJ
Gen. John G. Fremont presided, and introduced
Gen. j John B. Turchin, who, for more than an
hour and halt, entertained and instructed the
audience with his very exact and graphic de-
scriptiOn of the operations of the Army of the
Cumberland around Chattanooga, eliminating
in the battle of Missionary Ridge, and in the
utter defeat and rout of the Confederate army
under Gen. Braxton Bragg. That battle was,
he said, surprise to Gen. Grant and also to
Gen: Bragg-to Grant because the rank and file
of his army outgeneraled him by accomplish
ing more than he had expected, and to Bragg
because he considered mis- position impregnable
and unassailable. Col J. w. Eldridge, who
| commanded portion of the Confederate artil-
lery in that battle, was next introduced, and
briefly related some of the events that occurred
under his eye. He expressed the opinion that
one reason for the defeat of the COnfederates
was that they had become thoroughly demoral-
lied, having lost all confidence in Gen. Bragg,
whom they considered mentally and physically
unfit to command an army. Mr.. Abe Spring
stein, the drummer boy of Missionary Ridge,
gave two drum solos, one in imitation of the
battle and the other of Braggs train going to
Atlanta after the battle.
SHE HAD FORGoTTEH
The other day two Boston scAooima'ms who
wore eyeglasses, and whose faces had the
pale cast of thought" were sitting in the gallery
of the Senate, looking down upon the collection
of able statesmen.
Lets see," said one of them to her compan-
ion, the Vice-President presides over this
august body. / believe That must be him in
the chair" (She said him." with a surprising
disregard for grammatical propriety) "Fn
see if l can't find out"
Leaning over she said to a bald headed old
gentleman who was sitting in the next seat
"Will you kindly inform me if that is Mr..
Hendricks in the chair?n
"Oh, no, my lady. you surprise mel" was
the reply "Mr. Hendricks is 1 trust, in
Heaven. That is Mr.. Sherman"
The young woman Strengthened up in her seat
growing very red in the face. She suddenly
| remembered that she had heard that Mr.. Hen
bricks had passed from earth. Her companion
said it was very good joke, and would bear
telling when they got home "to Bostng."
THE REASON FOR 1T.
Mr.. Kimball, Director of the Mint, is re-
ported to have said that he has appointed in his
bureau, since he entered upon his duties, very
| few except Republicans, for the reason that he
could not find Democrats possessing the peculiar
qualifications necessary to the business. He
applied to Democratic Senators and Representa-
tives and asked them to recommend suitable
persons, but as rule the men SO suggested did
not fill the bill. He submitted the matter to
| the President, saying that he would much pre-
fer to appoint Democrats, but felt that he ought
not to impair the service by doing so. The
President told him that the public interest was
the chief consideration, and while he would
prefer the selection of Democrats other things
being equal, he desired that Mr.. Kimball should
appoint the best men, without regard to their
party affiliations. Such men must understand,
however, that when they accepted the positions
they must leave their politics behind them.
HE WENT UP.
The President, accompanied by Secretary
Endicott, Mrs Endicott and Col. Casey, made
his first ascent to the top of the Washington
Monument last week. Mr.. Cleveland was much
interested in the visit and i'll seeing the interior
OF the monument. He was invited by Col.
Casey to make the last trip on the elevator pre-
vious to the dismantling of the present ma
chinery for running it. A new engine and
boiler house is being erected 700 feet distant
from the monument, and the power for running
fhn. ole ny.N,