The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-07-04
A ooNpucToR.s JOKE.
How Treadwen Cleveland was Mis-
taken for the Ex-President.

From the NeIc York Times
A sleeping car conductor on the Della
ware, Lackawanna and Western railroad,
who is fond of a joke, had considerable fun
out Of one on a recent trip west at the ex-
penss of passenger who probably will not
know about the part he played in it until
he reads this. The innocent passenger is
| none other than TreadweIl Cleveland the
lawyer, arelative of ex-President Cleveland.
and of counsel in the celebrated Stewart
VIII case. just before the conductor went
to bed he said to the colored porter: "Mr.
| Cleveland is in the stateroom: don't let him
be disturbed. The pOrters ewes opened
wide with astonishment, and it was plain
that he was curious to see Mr.. Cleveland,
| the ex-President he supposed, and wonder
! ing how he escaped notice getting aboard
the car. His feelings changed to indigna-
ton at the thought that he was not notified
| before or the presence of SO distinguished
passenger. He concluded that the ex- Presi-
| dent was travelling alone for private reasons,
but the fact that Dir. Cleveland was in the
| car was too big a secret for the porter TO
keep. At the first stopping place the
! porter communicated his interesting piece
of information to one of the station hands
and 1t quickly reached the ears of the tele-
graph operator. He promptly opened his
switch and licked off the private dispatch
that transformed Mr.. Treadwell Cleveland
into Mr.. Grover Cleveland. All the opera
| tors along the line Of the railroad got the
! tip and the news was passed freely in each
community. Alert and excited crowds met
the train at each successive stat on, and the
| stiffness of the night was disturbed bv hur-
| rahs for Cleveland in regular political cam
paIgn style. Loud walls OF disappointment
were heard when the train moved away
| without the ex-President showing himself
When the conductor saw how far his little
joke on the porter had spread he went out
on the platform of the swift rolling train
| and had good laugh. The joke was de-
veloping i'll a way that WAS too interesting
| to spoil, so he resolved to say nothing that
would check the popular demonstrations.
he even went so far as to again caution the
porter not to allow Mr.. Cleveland to be dis
turbed under any consideration, intimaJing
that he was tired out by overwork, and
needed all the rest possible.
Mr.. Treadwell Cleveland got up when the
| train was approaching Buffalo. His sleep
| had been disturbed repeatedly during the
night by noisy crowds but he hadn't the
| remOtest idea OF the real cause of the out
| breaks. He was too tired to give them
more than dreamy thought, besides being
| habltuaily an uncommonly sound sleeper
He was not sufficiently impressed to make
! an inquiry, but was considerably annoyed
| by the homage paid him by the car porter
| Mr.. Cleveland looked out of the car win
| dows at the landscape panorama, and now
and then caught sight of stations at which
the train did not stop. He won
! dered at the demOnstrative crowds on the
| station platforms, AMI once had the
| curiosity to ask the conductor what occa-
stoned the assemblies. The conductor de-
! ciared without blush that it was a com
mon sight, the yokels always came down to
see tae fast train pass. While the LAWYER
was eating his breakfast in the dining car
! the brakeman, who had been taken into the
| confidence of the conductor, entered and
| battered the porter by asking him TO point
| out Mr.. Cleveland. The porter did so in q
| quiet way, but with LOOK that was as pro-
| nouDced as the words: "Well, declare this
| poor fool don't know Grover" He was
| surprised the next moment, however.
| by hearing the brakeman whisper
That's Grover and no mistake; I'd
know him anywhere from his pi
ure." Evidently the colored
tor hadn't studied the ex-President's "a
ures very attentively, for the two lawyers
are as unlike in physique as any two per-
| sons could be. When Buffalo was reached
| the railroad station was overcrowdei with
| expectant citizens, including many old ac-
! quaintanceS of ex-President Cleveland. Mr.
| Treadwell Cleveland is q comparative
stranger in that city, and he made his way
! from the train to O cab unrecOgnizsd, un-
honored, and unsung, so to speak, while the
! duped ButfaIOuians waited patiently with
! duttering hearts and rising chOler for the
! distinguished man who never came. The
| perpetrator of the joke stole off home, and
! the disappointed crowd melted away like
snow under q tropical sun.