The Washington critic., 1886-10-27
w ASHINGTON CRITIC
WASHINGTON, OCTOBER ~. 1sse.
TOPICS OF THE DAY.

buot Muy, sOInc InOutnS DclOIe mV'
Hewitt left Washington, fire broke
out In his library and burnt some of
his most valuable papers. 1t may be,
says Carpenter of the Cleveland
Ledder, that this has had something to
do with his intended withdrawal from
Congress. The loss was an irreparable
one, and at his age he probably did not
wish to begin to accumulate another
working library. Speaking Of 1t he
said: "All my literary work for the
last twelve years was in the library and
all was destroyed. There was great
deal of correspondence relative to the
campaign of 1876, which has all been
destroyed. My library on political
economy was very good one and it Is
all gone. Many of the books are un.
attainable nowadays. There were
many French and Spanish books in
the collection. There were about
5000 volumes there. There are few
in Washington and some at my coun.
try house, which | had bought as |
needed. l kept the boxes all together
intending to give them to the Cooper
Institute as a special library. / had
kept the notes made in preparing all
my speeches." continued Mr. Hewitt.
'Some of them took me three months
and more to prepare. Those notes
have all gone, aud with them all
chances of the future appearance of
The Speeches of Abram $. Hewitt"
~
Says the same correspondent. Secre-
tary Manning does not look as well by
great deal as when he first came to
Washington, and his present appear
ance recalls the story which Colonel
Lamont told me in regard to severe
sickness which Manning had many
years ago. 1t was during his boyhood,
while he was still poor and unknown.
He had hemorrhage of the lungs, and
the doctors told his father that he
would have to take sea voyage or he
would die. His father could not raise
the money, and Manning succeeded
finally in getting on n sailing vessel
and working his passage to Cuba.
When he came back he was
cured The seeds of consump.
tion are, however, seldom eradicated,
and 1t may be that the Secre-
tary's present ill-health will cause
them again to sprout. He is we'll
enough off to leave the Treasury and
go into retirement. He has been a
hard worker all his life, and 1t is time
for him to begin to take his ease. He
is worth between two and three hun.
dred thousand dollars, and his money
Is, understand, well invested. AT
per cent, this ought to give him an
income of $4,000 q year, and $4,000
year is pretty good income for o
man who started life as a newsboy,
and who, at the. age of nine, was carry
ing papers in Albany.
~
When Governor Pinchbacl was
mere lad he belonged to rich old
Southerner who was fond of poker.
His master was once travelling on
Mississippi river boat, and had played
cards in the cabin all night. Luck
went against him to such an extent that
he lost every penny he had on his per-
son. Then he offered to play his
slave, the Ex-Governor, against $1,000.
On this basis the cards were dealt.
The young lad watched his masters
hand eagerly. The old Southerner
looked at his cards, and raised the ante
He was met and promptly raised 1t
again. At this moment gentleman
who had recently come up, attracted
by the young negro's looks, called him
aside. Whose boy are your" he asked
ode dear Lord above only knows,
sab, answered Pinchbacli, anxiously.
81 use ter b'iong to Mars c., but
he done gone an bet me on pair oh
deuces. "Bet you on pair of
deuces y "Yes, sah an | dunno
whose boy | is now. But de ole massa
he's bluilin' like de mischief, an l
reckon Is gwine ter stay" The bluff
won.
Not great while ago, says Towle of
the Boston 1iaroller, certain family
here was blessed with son and heir.
Now this family moves in the very
highest circles of society, and the mem
bers are prominent in the most aristo.
cratic Episcopal Church at the Capital
Great preparations were made for the
christening of the newcomer. A
special font was imported from Italy
and placed in the house, and to make
the ceremony all the more impressive
and satisfactory the proud pareuts had
the little fellow sprinkled with water
from the river Jordan, which was ex-
pressly imported for the purpose. The
son ought to grow up and be great
and good man after all this fuss over
him.
w.
Says the Philadelphia Press: 1t was
nothing but bit of cedar wood
cigar box, five inches long by three and
a-half wide, and yet money couldn't
buy 1t. Mr.. William j. Campbell, in
whose possession the precious frag-
ment rests, held it up for inspection.
On one side there was nothing to indi-
cate its worth, On the other was an
oil painting of Thomas jefferson, done
from life by John Trumbull. 1t is the
original from which Jefferson is
limned in Trumbulls masterpiece,
1.-The Signing Of the Declaration
of Independence, now hanging
in the Capitol at Washington, The
portrait was painted in Paris, in the
autumn of 1887. Jefferson was at the
time the American Minister to France.
Jefferson was 43 years of age at the
time the portrait was taken-in the
prime of life, rs was the painter. The
tlorid face, the strong features, the
sandy hair, slightly powdered, all
LetOken the statesman and patriot. A
blue coat, well buttoned up over vel.
low waistcoat, with white scarf tie at
the neck, completes the picture. There