The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-02-22
GOSSIP ABOUT R1DDLEBERGER.
The Bull Of the Senatorial China Shop
and His antics.
From the Ne'o York Yorld.

and His antics.
From the Ne,c York Yorld.
WASHINGTON, Feb. l4.-The bull in the
Senate china shop is RidtieberCer, and he
succeeds in MASKING the bric-a-brac at
nearly every sitting. Recently he worried
the soul of John Sherman. A short time
ago he turned Evarts blood cold by calling
him parrot, and the hundred white, fuzzy
hairs which lie on Edmund's bald crown
stand straight on end every time he takes
the floor for fear he viii break the rules
beyond reparation. Riddleherger is
Republican, normally, but in reality he is
a legislative elephant tackled on to the
Republican party in the Senate, which they
want to get rid Of and dout know how.
They come by him rightly, too, and the
genesis of Rddleberger is worthy of con
sderation. He squeaked his first cry in the
cradle of national politics when Mahone, as
a Democratic Senator from Virginia, sold
out his party and his vote to the Republi
cans, on the conditions that he should have
the patronage of Virginia, and that Riddle
berger should be voted for by the Kepubl-
can Senators as a candidate for Sergeant-at-
arms of the Senate. Malone, during the
Hancock campaign, had boosted of his
Democracy, and had written letters 10 the
National Democratic Committee stating
that his party was the Simon-pure
Bourbon party of the State, and
that it should have national support.
The committee however, favored the anti
Malone party, and when the election was
over, Malone, seeing that he was getting
nothing from the Democrats, and the Senate
being tie, agreed, so say the best authori-
ties of Virginia, to vote with the Republ-
cans on the above grounds. He delivered
his vote, and the Republicans gave him the
offices, During the Presidency of Arthur
he controlled the post-ofiices and Federalap-
pointments of Virginia, and he put his own
men in in every case. He did not succeed
in the election of RiddleberYer as Sergeant
alarms, but it must worry Sherman and
Edmunds now to think how they once sup
ported Malone and the man who now so
often tramps upon their corns. He is among
them. but not of them, and, as one Of the
Democratic Senators expressed it to-day:
The cOntrarlness of his nature will lead
him in nine cases out of ten to vote with the
Democratic party for no other reason than
that he IS supposed to vote with the Repub-
licansn
Harrison H. Riddleberger is one of the
rarest features in the Senatorial animal
show. Tall, straight and not bad-lOoking,
he has long, thin face, which grows horid
during cartain periods when his blood flows
the fastest. He has a high, full forehead,
and his brown hair, which is thinning
rapidly at the crown, is combed well back
and is generally kept well dressed. He has
-
are biuish-gray. These eyes look straight at
his brother Senators when he attacks them,
and Rlddlebergers enemies say that he
chooses his methods of bull-dozing and fan
tastic speaking in the Senate in order to at
tract attention to himself He certainly does
attract attention, and he is one Of the sights
from the Senatorial galleries. He wears dark
clothes, and his frock coat, usually but
toned save at the top, there bulges out, Civ
ing him the appearance of having a sixty
inch chest. He has good lung power,
and he lives well. He seems to have no
personal friends in the Senate, and com
planned not long ago that he had been in
suited by his fellow Senators, and that he
was cut on the street by them. He refused,
IL is said, invitations to State dinners at the
White House, and once declined to go to a
dinner party at Senator Palmer's, because
he had no dress coat and was too poor to
buy one. Riddleberger is, however, con-
vivial in his tastes. He likes good fellow
ship, and he seems to breathe an atmos-
phere so highly charged with ozone that his
animal spirits continually come to the front
The iron in his blood at times gives him an
undue amount of courage and his actions
were he not United States Senator, would
almost warrant the supposition that he was
keeping his spirits up by putting spirits
down"
am assured, however, that Mr. Riddle
berger never drinks, but one of his friends.
who was recently Governor of Virginia
and who, unlike Riddleberger, is actually
inclined to drinking, heard the report the
other day that Senator Riddleberger was
imbibing too freely. He left Petersburg
and straightwaY came to Washington, Went
directly to the Metropolitan Hotel and
announced that he was going to
reform his friend Harry. Senator Rid
dleberger, however, happened to be i'll at
the time, and the Virginia Ex-Governor,
saf hfe ~
lobbieS, asked them in to take a
drink. With the glasses in their hands they
pledged success to the mission of the ex-
Governor, and at about the fifth drink the
Ex-Governor was in such condition as to
evidence decided need of reformation
himself. be then called on Senator Riddle
berger. but was told by the servant that he
could not be admitted as the Senator was
sleeping. He left the hotel and continued
the spree and the result was that he became
intoxicated to such degree that he had to
be reshipped to his own home without seeing
the Senator, the actions of whose mercurial
temperament he had so uniustly attributed
TO other than those of nature
Nevertheless Senator Sherman should be
careful as to how he trifies with the buzz
saw. Sherman came near having a duel
once, but Riddleberger has actually stood
fire-twice. Some years ago George D.
Wise, now one of the Virginia Representa-
UANV III Illc IAOuSe, pay Iully cdIleu fluule-
berger blanked liar in the columns of a
Richmond newspaper, and Riddleberger
straightway sent a challenge. To show the
bloodthirstiness of the man when angered.
he sent a challenge to Editor Beirne that
same day, and be arranged to 1ght the two
duelsJon the same afternoon. Wise chose
pistols for weapons. and the meeting was at 4
o'clock p. m. in clump Of woods a few
miles from Richmond, and so near the resi-
dence of the Judge of the county that he
could hear the shots. AT the first fire Wise's
pistol did not go off, and Riddleberger'S
ball few wide of the mark. Wise then
handed his pistol to his second and told him
there was something the matter with it
The ball was drawn, the pistols reloaded
and the combatants took a second fire. At
this time Wises ball cut Riddleberger's
coat-tail, but Riddlebergers shot again
wasted itself on the air. Riddleberger
reached down his hand and looked at the
place where the ball had gone through his
$40 coat. He then raised his hand and
scratched his head. He was evidently an
noyed. He thought a moment still scratch
ing, and then, TO Wise's surprise, he seized
the pistol by the barrel and threw it as far
as he could into the bushes. He then threw
out both arms, and, walking half way
toward Wise, held out his hand and init
bod flsaf hr.t 1,