The National tribune., 1886-01-28
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
The Weeks Doings at the Ma
tiOnal Capital.
THE STORY OF A TREASURY CLERK.

THE STORY OF \ TREASURY CLERK.
There is a lady now about i5 years of age,
employed in the Treasury, whose life has been
a sadly eventful one. She was born in Mobile,
Ala While vet in her teens. before the war
| she was sent North by her parents who were
wealthy, to be educated She attended for two
| or three years q private school in New York
| city. While there an attachment WAS formed
between her and q worthy young man. native
of Massachusetts, This ri pened into marriage
! in 1860 not, however without opposition
the part of her family and friends in whose
minds existed the ante belum prejudice, and
who preferred that she should marry y South
! ern gentleman. These objections were strength
! ened by the rumblings that bct0kcned the cGm-
! ing storm. The young couple were married in
| spite of parental opposition. They made a brief
visit to her home. and after partial reconcile
! alton returned North That was the last time
! she ever saw any member of her family.
The following year the war broke ont. Her
young husband early enlisted, and was made a
| Lieutenant in n New York regiment Her
! friends in Mobile sent her urgent and repeated
messages to return to her old home, bat she cut
! off all the associations Of her youth and deter
mined to follow the fortunes OF him with whom
she had cast her lot In her devotion she ac-
companed him to the 'front.' and was with him
whenever the exigencies of the service would
permit. Much of her time was spent in the
| hospitals. Many sick aud wounded soldiers had
| occasion to hold in grateful remembrance her
tender ministrations. At Gettysburg her bus
band was mortaly wounded, and a week later
| died in her arms. Allowing herself but brief
respite to bury her dead she dashed away her
tears and resumed her work in the hospitals,
without money aud without price," contnu-
| ing till the close of the war
She had learned during the first year of the
struggle that her father and her two brothers
| had entered the Confederate service. Her father
| became Colonel of a regiment and fell III one of
| the battles near Richmond in 1864. One Of
! her brothers died of disease within Il year of
his enlistment, and the other, Captain, was
! killed in the charge upon McPhersou's line
near Atlanta. Her mother sank under the
weight of grief and died early i'll 1865.
! The lady i'll question remained the sole sur
viyOr of the family. All her fathers property
had been dissipated and destroyed by the war.
| An effort was made to recover portion OF it
for her, by reason Of her great sacrifices and
labors but only a triiing sum was rescued
! from the ruin. She applied for and readily OBJ
tanned a position in the Treasury, and for Is
| years she has diligently and efficiently dis
! charged her duties. Her faithfulness has been
rewarded by promotion, and she now fills po-
sition of responsibility, with good salary.
! Her son was for several years employed as
messenger boy, but she became able to send
him to school, and he is now at Cornell Uni
versity.
THE CoLORED MEMBERS.
| There are two colored Congressman in the
! House, one from each of the Carolinas. Robert
Smalls, of South Carolina, is a nearly full
blooded negro, with all the physical character
| istiCs of his race. He is short and hcavy-set,
with plump, round face that shines like
! well -blacllcd boot. His hair is tinged with
white. He wears spectacies, and looks more
| like Bishop or a Presiding Elder than any
| oil ITn in
! S. c., in 1889. Debarrcd by the law of the
! State from attending school he educated him
self to the extent Of such limited advantages as
he could secure During his younger days he
| led seafaring life. He made himself famous
in 1862 by getting possession of the rebel
! steamer Planter, then plying in Charleston
harbor. took her over the bar, and delivered
| her to the commanding officer of the United
! States blOckading squadron. He was appointed
! pilot in the navy, serving in that capacity on
! the monitor keokuk during the attack by Du-
| pont on Fort Sumter He was promoted to
! Captain in 1868, and placed in command OF the
| Planter, serving till the close of the war lie
soon got into politics, aud was at different times
| a member of both branches of the Legislature.
! He was also a Brigadier-General and Major
| General of the State militia. He has been a
| delegate to four National Republican conven
| tions, and five times elected to Congress, the
| last time by 1000 majority. His district was
made by punching the "blaclz" counties,
three -fourths of its population being negroes.
! Mr.. SmallS is man of considerable ability,
and well Informed on many subjects. in man-
ner he is pleasant, courteous, and profoundly
polite. No man in Congress can excel him i'll
| suavity and courtly bearing. He is no such
orator as was Elliott, the colored Congressman
who represented his district for several years
| following the reconstruction. Elliott was the
smartest negro ever in Congress.
| James +. O'Hara, of North Carolina, is sew
! eral shades lighter than Mr.. Smalls. He was
born in New York city in 1914. After receiving
good education he went to North Carolina,
where he was admitted to the bar in 1879. He
is, of course, Republican, and carried his Dis
| trict at the last election by nearly 1000 ma
| .jority. Mr.. OIiara is good taiker, and has
| the good sense not to arise unless he has some
| thing to say. In the last Congress he made 1t
exceedingly interesting for the Democrats, who
tried to SO fix Reagan's Interstate Commerce
! Bill as to admit of dis scrimnation on account OF
! color in providing accommodations for paSsen-
! gers railway and steamboats,. OHara
was coached little by Reed, Hiscock and Horr,
but he made splendid fight and won it, Ii
| came to nothing, however, rs the bill failed in
| the Senate. Both Smalls and O'Hara are dill
| gent. painstaking Members, and do great credit
| to their race
| DEATH OF REPRESENTATIVE RANKIN.
Hon. Joseph Il. Rankin, a Representative
| from Wisconsin, died in this city on Monday.
| His death was not unexpected. as he has been
| long great sufferer from }right's disease, and
was pronounced beyond human aid. just before
| the opening Of Congress, although then thought
| TO be at the point Of death, he started for Wash
ington to take his seat, which he is quoted as
| declaring he wouid do if he died the next mo-
ment. Several times the journey it was
| thought he would never reach its end, but he
| did, and when the Clerk of the House of Rep
resentatiyes called the name of Joseph L. Ran
kin on the first day of the session, he was in
his seat and responded. This however, was
the last time that he was at the Capitol, and
since then he has been at his home under the
care of physicians.
Mr.. Rankin was So years of age, having been
born at Passaic, n j., III 1888 He served in
the Union army for three years and then re-
, moved to Wisconsin, settling at Manitowoc. He
served IL years i'll the Wisconsin Legislature,
was elected to the 4Sth Congress, aud reelected
| to the present enc. He was a strong Democrat,
of generous principles, and while member of
the Legislature was regarded as one of the
brightest men in the State. While bir. Rankin
was preparing to come to this city last Noyem-
Der, an enterprisng politician with appalling
"chcek " went TO him, and expressed a wish to
succeed him in case he died. He wanted Mr..
Rankin's Endorsement and got it with the
laughing assurance from Mr.. Rankin: " | will