The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-08-11
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
SUMNER HOUSE RENTING At THE
NATIONAL CAPITAL.


Dog Insurance Company aud Lincoin's
Dog Fight Gossip About Ben Lefevre.
Statesmen Who Have Built Washington
Homes for Other Men to Live In.
Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, July 30-Fully half of the
fine houses in this city are vacant today.
The families Of the statesmen have departed
for the seashore and their mansions are in
the charge Of servants or care takers. A
number of them are cared for in a curious
way, and Washington has the only dog in
surance company in the country. There Is
an enterprising fellow here, who owns
dozen or more bulldogs, and he has utilized
these in the taking care of big houses He
makes contracts with the owners Of the
houses to take charge of them in their alb
sence. He agrees to air the house once day
and to become responsible for its contents
and their condition. He has dozen houses
under his care, and he manages them with
these dogs As soon as the house is vacated
he takes one of his bulldogs to it and leaves
him in it, locking the doors and closing
the windows. The bulldog is quite fero-
cious, and he knows his business. He would
| Jump at any intruder, and he knows no COM
| mand but his masters. His master visits
him every morning, and feeds him and lets
him run out while he airs the house. He
| then locks him up and goes on to the next
house which he is taking care Of, and treats
the dog there in charge in the same way. he
makes another round Of his houses at ght,
Al o. h.. Hk<Nld
proved a success There is no wear and tear
| of the furniture as when servants are left in
charge Of the house, and the owner is sure
that 1t will not be turned into one horse
boarding house during his absence, which
has happened in certain cases / have known.
Rents grow very cheap in Washington dur
| ing the summer, and statesmen when they 60
away are often very glad to get some to
stay in their houses and take care Of them
1t Is hard to find good tenants even for moth
ing, and leading western senator told me
of his experience Of last summer, the other
night. Said he: II had TO be away four
months and did not want 30 store my furni-
ture Washington is a city Of bedbugs and
| feared il packed it away 1t would be moth
eaten and bug ridden looked about q long
time and could find no one whom thought
would take the proper care OF it. At last
decided to give it over to the brother OF my
stenographer He had just married a coun-
try girl up in Delaware and seemed to be
nice fellow. He was employed m the gov
eminent printing Office and was paying
probably $35 or $50 month rent for his
rooms Thought that his wife would take good
care of things and l told him would charge
him no rent whatever left everything In
the house and went away with my family.
| When returned found half Of the dishes
gone and some fine flint glass tumblers were
missing, and in their place were some thick
enough to give you the lockjaw to drink out
Of them had a few dozen Of wine in the
cellar, and my wife had some fruit and pre-
serves which were canned and packed away.
| When got back my wine bottles were empty
and the young Delaware married couple had
eaten everything about the house, even to a
box of seidlitz powders. They had used some
patent oil burning apparatus in the range In
stead of coal and the walls Of the kitchen
were as dark as the stove They had scandal
lied the neighborhood by moving about the
house in light attire, and they capped the
climax by Offering me their gas bills to pay
when came back. They borrowed some fine
volumes Of music and took them off into the
country, but these they afterward returned
paid the gas bills and was glad to get rid Of
them"
Speaking Of dogs heard story last night
of the most remarkable bull dog fight on rec
ord as far as its audience was concerned. It
took place during President Lincoln's ad-
ministration, and the scene of it was the
White House stables. ] get my information
| from an eye witness who told me the story
last night as follows:
"There used to be a coachman named
Burke who has charge of President Lncoln's
horses He was nice fellow, and he was,
think, finally discharged through Mrs. Lin
coin, but through the influence of little Tad
got place in the treasury, and from thence
he was transferred to the war department.
This man Burke had very fine bull dog
Its tail was cut, and its ears were trimmed
| Its body was cream colored save the head,
which was black, and Burke used to boast
upon this dogs fighting qualities. He kept
| 1t usually at the stables, but it was allowed
the freedom of the White House grounds
| The White House stables were then further
over toward the treasury, and it was one
bright afternoon about o'clock that
President Lincoln, Gen. Mcclellan and
Senator Henry A. Wilson tafterward vice
president) were walking toward them. Just
as they reached the stable door Burke's bull
dog rushed out and grabbed another stray
dog which was passing. The other dog
showed fight, and the trio OF statesmen at
once became interested. The dogs seemed
equally matched, and Wilson proposed that
they take the dogs into the barn and let them
fight it out. Burke was called out, and the
dogs were taken in and the doors closed.
Then the fun began. President Lincoln
handled the stray dog, while Burke managed
his own Bets were made on the first round,
and remember Lincoln's bet was big red
apple The dogs were fought regularly &C.
cording to sporting rules, and they were
sponged off and washed from time to
time. They were not allowed, of course, to
materially injure each other. The fight
lasted half an hour and Wilson, Mcclellan
and Lincoln -hawed all the time.
Burke's dog finally won, but whether Lin
coin ever paid his bet of a big red apple do
not know"
"Do you remember any presidents further
back than LincolnY' asked
"Yes," replied this man. who is now about
forty years Of age, II can remember