New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-07-08
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
STORIES ABOUT wELL-KNowN MEN.

m,,tce. Their recon, meeting here has left RENT
nisocnccs in the minds of many IN" very reVorso Vi
pleasant The facts have only within the last '"oh'S
four hours come TO the surface. Bil' Scott, for
instance Is said TO bo very morosc TIC returned
from tho st Louis Convention happy and contcnted-
He had had everything his way out there. He
had "downed1 German and secured the adoption oil
n platf,rrn drawn At. the White House without the
slightest change, not even the dotting OF an or
Tho. crosslnc Of l., What moro could he want, ex-
cent 10 Dust "Scvcn-mulc~ Barnum from the Chair
manship Of the National Committed 1t is true. he
wanted that badly for number of reasons. chief
among them being that he and Barnum held da-
mcricay opposed views the tariff. Tic was
willing however. to bdc his time aud await the meet
ing OF the Committee. The contest was therefore
not prcciplta,ed at ST. Louis. 1t was postponed
nntl tho meeting of the Committee in this city This
took place on the 2Gth OF June. on that fsefd day
members of the Committee accepted an invitation 10
60 down TO Marshall Han, the Potomac, favoritc
summer resort for Washingonians. Whether IT was
the malaria OF tina, place some other reason not
yet asccrtanct. It Is fact that npon returning The
festive members Of the Democratic National Com
mlttce struck a delegation of the Republican National
League that hal Just got off train from Chicago
and was marching up Pennsylvaria-avc.. and IL
IS further of record that particularly festive mem
her Of tho Democratic National Committee there ann
then scandalizcd such of his associates as were SIM
I'm a condition 10 be scandalzcd by joining the Rep'D-
lean column swinging his hat and shouting for liar-
rson and Norton
After that poor "BI' scott was prepared ior
almost anything In vain he tricd 10 IorV9'aii US
aster by Pleading not to have meeting 0, Hio oVn'
mite that night. majority feit IN n nc 'o,'
good fellow mood toward oil Ba-num ard thHy IN
sisted ,,non having the meeting. And what Is more
hov insisted upon rejoicing him for chairman OF the
Committee. Scott tore around, mcatenihs anu
caiclirg by turns but in vain Al II ociocA
that night the Committee adjourned ana SCOT was
sasscr and wiser man. German had had MS revenge
This accounts It is said, for the detected air WIN
which Mr. scott has gone about for the last week
10 esvs no will never consent TO tho Committee go
Inc down to Marshall Hall again The next uine II
meets II he has any influence left 1t VIII "ect a'
Ch2ltauqua
Good rure crotchcty, old snuftaking Allen g.
Thurman seems TO be in his element once more. Inc
last time saw him in Washington, he was In lSiily
good health. though nobody supposed for even
moment that he would be made the candidate OF MS
party for the Vice Presidency. Thurman cciaiy' IS
ono rnan-hard cold Indifferent, uncommunicatVe' ana
unsocial: socially Thurman Is another man two or
three glasses of wine, or whatever else Sou
have handy and a good cigar, game OF whist' ne
IS the mos, genial of gentlemen. lie VIII scou MS
partner for leading from short sut or holding OacA
a lot of trumps but when the hand is OYER and new
cards dealt he will laugh and Joke in tho frendllcst
manner Not one of his partners, however, would he
recognize in the street aftcrwar when he was senator
He would axe his snuff blow his nose Ike foehofn
I'm his red bandanna handkerchief and forget all about
you the next day.
An intimate friend Of Judge Humans tells me
that his chief amusement for tie last few years has
been TO read French novels in the original This
recalled 10 my informant the manner in which Thur
man is said to have acquired his knowledge oil 'Ae
language. He had learned French as boy IN the
little Ohio town Of Chnllcohe, and a pretty romance
clusters around hs requirement OF IT, MI Thurinans
nils rroarhpr. who when his boy,
Allen was seven years old, moved from LyDchburg,
Virginia 10 Chlicothc. Ohio and there taught school
and started a small woOlon mandatory Shortly
after this there came TO ChllicOthe fneooking ola
FrenoLman With daughter about the age o. young
Allen and Aliens mother took the little French
maiden into her house 1--we, the CONDITION mat
her father would reach Allen French. This French
man. whose name Gregolre had been educated
By his family for the priesthood but had fallen IN
love at the time he was about 10 take orders Win
beautiful girl, whom his family considered beneath
him He he'd left the church. married hcr, and then
finding things rather uncomfortable about home. had
invested in an estate of thousands Of acres in VIZ
einia. In cue time this daughter was born. and was
named Virginia His wife died in giving her birth,
and after few years of griof. Grcsorc determined
TO come TO his grand estate in the new world When
he arrived. be found his Utopia tract OF stony,
mountainous land, worth nothing; he had to 60 to
work 10 leep himself alive. In doing this he drfed
TO Chillcotbo, and bis daughter was taken into the
Thurman family She did not understand a word
Of English. and Allen did not Understand word OF
French They played together and with his teach
ing from the Frcnchmam and his practice with the
daughter the boy acquired a fair knowledge Of
French. lie kept up his Studies in after life. and
am told that he IS ready In the use of French
as ANYBODY can become with language not his
mothes-tonguc. BY the way, was also told that It
was from this French teacher that senator Thurman
learned TO take snuff.
To the committee which informed him of bis nomina-
ST. Louis President Cleveland said in the course
of his remarks relative TO the character OF his great
Office, which by the way. upon a former occasion no
spoke of 10 the Rev. Dr. Burchard as the snap" into
which the latter had gotten him:
1t is the repository the peoples will and power
Within its VISION should be the protection and welfare
of the hunbest citizen and with quick ear it should
rsch from the remotc>t corner of TIE land the plea of
the people for justice and for the right
Brave end patriotic words these surely: ard IT Is
pleasant learn that the Presidents heart is at least
penetrablc 10 wrongs inflicted upon the ex-sodes veto
messages and contrary reports notwithstanding II
appears that Major Michael Urcll VlceCommandcr Of
the Department Of the Potomac, G. A. r., and chairman
Of ifs Employment Committee, employe Of the
surgeon Generals Office, and had the misfortune 10
serve under Surgeon f. c. Alnsworih. whose punish
mont work. TO the limbo OF which he conSiens unfort-
innate clerks who dlSobcy his ordinance against sneez
ing, It was my painful duty to mention in The
Tribune some time ago The duties of the Major to
his distressed comrades, suffering and out OF work
necessarily continuous and pressing; but Aims
worth told, without due consideration Of the cir
cumstanccs, wrOie him a percmpory letter about his
callers. In his reply, Major Urcll explained matters;
and moved by feeling of righteous Indignation at the
treatment he receiving. mildly intimated that al
period when this Bombastcs Furioso of medico was
boy playing marbles in the hills Of Vermont he UrelD
serving his country at the front Icrcupon, al
though these true words spoken merely in the
heat Of debate,' 1t were, Alnsworth had Major
Uren promptly hrcdS and the csse has hear been
brought 20 President Clcvelands notice, who has
directed that the victim Of the oppressOr aforesaid
shall merely be suspended pending an investigation.