Evening journal., 1888-07-31
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
SUMMER HOUSE RENTING AT THE
NATIONAL CAPITAL.
Dog Insurance Company and Lincoln's
Dog F1ght-Gossip About Ben Lofevre.
Statesmen Who Have Built Washington
Homes for other Men to Live in.
[sporlal 0rrespondence.l


Statesmen Who Have Built Washington
Homes for other Men to Live in.
Especial osrrespondencel
WASHINGTON, July 3l.--Fully half Of the
fine houses in this city are vacant today.
The families Of tho 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 n curious
way, and Washington has the only dog in
surance company in tho country. There rs
an enterprsing fellow here, who owns a
dozen or more bulldogs and he has utilized
these in the taking caro- of big houses. He
makes contracts with the owners Of the
houses 10 take charge Of them in their alb
sence. Heagrees TO air the house once day
and to become responsible for its contents
and their condition. He has dozen houses
under his caro-, 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 Zero
cious, and he knows his business. He would
jump at any intruder, and no knows no com
mand but his masters. His master visits
him every morning, and feeds him and let's
him run out while he airs the housa 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 N the same way. He
makes another round Of his houses at night
and the experiment. so far has l am told,
proved a success. There Is no wear and tsor
Of the furniture as when servants are lsft in
charge of the house, and tho owner Is sure
that Il will not be turned into ono horse
boarding houEe during his absence, which
has happened in certain cases have known.
Rents grow very cheapin Washington dur
ing tho summer, and statesmen when they 90
away are often very glad to get some 10
stay in their houses and take care of them.
II is hard to find good tenants even for moth
ing, and leading western senator told me
Of his experience Of LASH summer the Other
night. Said he: II had to DO away four
months and did not want 30 store my furni-
ture. Washington is city of bedbugs and
feared il packed it away it would be mosh
eaten and bug ridden. looked about a long
| time and could find no one whom thought
would take the proper care Of it. At last !
| decided to give 1t over to the brother of my
stenographer. He had just married coun-
try girl up in Delaware and seemed TO be
nice fellow. He was employed in the gov
eminent printing Office and was paying
probably S25 or $50 a month rent for his
rooms Thought that his wife would take good
care Of things and told him l would charge
him no rent whatever left everything in
tho 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 tho lockjaw to drink out
OF them / had few dozen Of wine in the
o.. L., f,-s Al
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 aAd 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 got rid Of
them.n
Speaking Of dogs l heard a story last night
of the most remarkable bull dog fight on rec
ord as far as its audience was concerned Il
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:
'sThere used to be a coachman named
Burke who has charge Of President Lincoln's
horses. He was a nice fellow, and he was,
think, finally discharged through Mrs. Lin
coin, but through the influence Of little Tad
J got place in the treasury, and from Themes
I he was transferred to the war department.
This man Burke had very fine bull dog
It's tail was cut, and its ears were trimmed
Its body was cream colored save the head
which was black, and Burke used TO boas
upon this dogs fighting qualities. He kept
it usually at the stables, but it was allowes
the freedom Of the White House grounds
. The White House stables were then furthel
D over toward the treasury, and it was Son'
+, bright afternoon about 4 o'clock thE
/ President Lincoln, Gen. Mcclellan anS
Senator Henry A. Wilson lafterward via
president) were walking toward them Jus
!, as they reached the stable door Burke's bul
!, dog rushed out and grabbed another stre'
dog which was passing. The other do.
: showed fight, and the trio Of statesmen a
once became interested. The dogs seonle.
4 equally matched, and Wilson proposed tina
Z /
q fight it out Burke was called out, and ID
ia dogs were taken In and the doors CLOSED
II Then tho fun began President Lincoa
handled the stray dog, while Burke manages
his own. Bets were made on the first round
" and remember Lincolns bet was a big re
n apple. The dogs were fought regularly AZ
e cording TO sporting rules. and they we1
ID sponged of and washed from time
10 time. They were not allowed, Of course, I
materially injure each other. The agl
~ lasted half an hour, and Wilson, McClella
!. and Lincoln haw-hawed all the tim
a Burlze's dog finally won, but whether Lii
- coin ever paid his bet Of big red apple
= not know
Z "Do you remember any presidents furth,
10 back than Lincolngn / asked.
ne eyes" replied this man. who Is now abol
forty years Of age, II can remembl
Buchanan very well, and l was about Il
TO White House as boy. I can Just remer
Y Der jefferson Davis when he was secretai
10 Of war under Pierce, and curious incidel
happened to me then that fixed his face up,
:. my mind. Il was when I first learned
p, chew tobacco. l knew Davis coachmi
and he used TO give me now and then a che
be Of his tobacco. He got it, you know, fro
his master, and the tobacco used by 4
u, slaves was much better than that used by Z
free colored people Of today. Their maste
bought their tobacco in bulk and they we
usually very free with it. had asked Dav
Ter coachman for a chew one day just when \
MT Davis came along. He did not like to SEQ
g. n. .