The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-04-03
he NEVER FORGETs.
mia phenomenal Memory of Senate
Cficial.
From the Washington Star.

vaarauce. ne Is q SOOu-iOOAlHSs iledsAAS-
tostured man, whose head is crowned with
hair that is fast becoming silvery in its tint.
vaII-kept mustache aud beard decorate
his face and a pair of keen eyes Illumine
tho entire countenance. That is a hasty
sketch of Mr.. AMI Smith, who, while he
cannot remember as much as some people
claim they can, is still entitled TO be known
es the great national mnemonical curiosity.
The fact that he is modest and lays claim
10 no especial powers only emphasizes the
etateuent that he is q thoroughly respect
she and terestingly-dignified curiosity.
Mr. Smiths peculiar gift is a lack of
knowledge: he does not know how to for
Get His general memory is in the best pos
s;hle condition, but it is in its speciality
that it appears to the greatest advantage.
Amzi Smith rules the Senate document
room. He has ruled it for years past, and
will probably continue to rule it until death,
in ST If Observation-Disclosures, removes him
from the sphere of labor which he under
stands so we'll
Do YOU want to know what he can dos
Go into that long room on the gallery
floor of the Senate, where documents of all
kinds crowd the creaking shelves aud
where the legislation Of ages is piled up two
or three stories high. Then ask him where
YOU can find certain report, bill, or docu-
ment Your idea of what you want may
he somewhat indefinite. and the probabili-
ties are that you are entirely ignorant of
the date of publication of the desired paper,
but that will not prevent your getting what
YOU need. Almost as soon as you have
stated your want Mr.. Smith says, THAT
was printed in the second session of the
Forty-second Congress; it's Mis-. Doc. No.
PSI Then he gets it for you.
NUMBERS FOR EACH SESSION.
Now if bills and documents were num-
bered consecutively from the opening of
the first congress down to the present time
the remembering of their numbers would be
a truly wonderful feat, but when the num-
bers commence anew with each congress,
then the performance of such a task as that
done daily by Mr.. Smith is almost miracu-
lous. A few figures may make the matter
a little clearer. The long session of the
congress which died on March 4, brought
into being more than q, 900 bills, joint reso-
lutons, reports, laws and other documents,
and of this immense number of recent ar
rivals the great majority have some fixed
habitat in Mr.. Smiths pigeon holed brain.
Each congress wipes out all incomplete at
tempts at legislation and commences afresh
with new members, and these new
members have to be crowded into
memory on top of the thousands that have
preceded them OF these the small fry Sc
cure but little attention; they are hastily
put in their place and memory is not bur
drned to any extent bv the matter hidden
away in their vague phraseology The
larger or more valuable measures aud doc
uments are glanced at with sufficient care
to allow the mind to grasp their contents,
and then they too are put up on the shelves.
All are then carefully indexed, ard as a
result Mr.. Smith remembers the title, class
and number of every important congress
sonal document and of great many unim-
portant ones as well.
NO CLEARLY DEFINED SYSTEM.
reporter had chat with Mr.. Smith
day or two since, the subject of the CONVEX
sation being Mr.. Smiths memory II have
no clearly defined SYSTEM" said Mr.. Smith.
The numbers and titles are impressed upon
me In various ways. What causes me to
one has nothing whatever to do
with the little something which fixes another
in my mind. L index all the documents
very carefully-so carefully that you are
bound to find what you want; then | think
OF nothing else but my work, and quite
| dream of it.
how IS my memory generally? Oh, it
was always good. The folks at home say
l never forgot anything. When | was
a young fellow / used to go to town to pur-
the orders given me would have filed a
sheet of paper a foot long. l never made a
note OF any of the items, and | never made
q mistake in the nature, quality or quantity
the articles | had been asked to buy, nor
did ever pay more than the price which
my folks had informed me was correct.n
Were there any other members of your
family similarly giftedF' asked the reporter.
BUTCHER WITH A MEMORY.
Yes; think inherited my memory. 1t
came from my mothers side of the family.
she had brother, a butcher, and his mem
Dry was marvellous Up in that part of
Pennsylvania which came from the butch
ers killed beef cattle only once a week
generally on Friday. During the afternoon
and evening of that day, while the carcasses
would be cooling, people would come in
with their orders, and each one would
BRING tin pan or a bucket, or some vessel
10 which to carry away their fresh meat.
They would enter my uncle's place Of bust
ness and each would give an order. One
would want two or three pounds Of GER
tam kind Of steak, another would order a
shln and so on. Each would put his or her
bucket, or whatever it might be, on the
moor, and there they would remain during
The night. Early next morning nv uncle
would cut up his beef, and in each vessel he
would place the exact quantity of the par
I!cular KIND of meat which had been ordered
Inc only note he took was mental one.
out he knew who brought each vessel in,
and IN that he had placed what had been
called for. He never made a mistake. His
business was almost entirely credit one
ma yet the people would call for their or
1ers and go home without an entry having
Oeen made or written memorandum kept
by him. He would get through by Z or 8
O'Clock, would 60 home, eat mis- breakfast.
ana the1 put down on his books a perfect
account of what his ustomers-alwavs
Iumerous-had purchased. The accounts
were never disputed.
A VISITORS FoRGETFULNEss.
DO | remember facess Yes; very well.
SSuC am somewhat apt to forget names.
VOW here comes man who has been in
here frequently. | am familiar with his
ace, out his name is gone. | know, though,
what he comes for. He is idterested in the
great Sioux reservation. 1 associate men
VINO come here with the bills and documents
uey are after. Sometimes person comes
% who may not have been here for years
'ut who used to come frequently; gener-
wy succeed in lacking him on to some
measure in which he was interested when
le came to see me years ago.
Rather an amusing incident occurred
lere some time since. An old gentleman
dHe IN here and asked for bill which had
OF us object the granting Of certain titles
y Tottawattomie Indian lands. II was
'Neh to him. The next day he returned
'nu AFTER standing alongside of my desk for
WINE without saying anything he sat
own IN that chair you are in now with a
oOh OF COmDlete bowi Idarnant oil ovar hi