Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-23


WITH EasE-How HIS BuTcHER-UScLE SERVED
CUSTOMERS FROM MEMoRY--AS INCIDENT.
There is nothing extraordinary in his appear
ance. He is a good-looking, pleasant featured
man. whose head is crowned with hair that is
fast becoming silvery in its tint. well-kept
mustsche and beard decorate his face and pair
of keen eyes illumine the entire countenance.
That is hasty sketch of Mr.. Amzi Smith, who,
while he cannot remember as much as some
people claim they can, is still entitled to be
known as the great national mnemonical curl
osity. The fact that he is modest and lays
claim to no especial powers only emphasizes
the statement that he is a thoroughly respect
able and interestingly dignhed curiosity. Mr..
Smiths peculiar gift is lack of knowledge; he
does not know how to forget His general
memory is in the best possible condition, but it
is in its speciality that 1t appears to the greatest
| advantage.
Amzi Smith rules the Senate document-room
He has ruled it for years past, and will proba-
bly, continue to rule it until death, in fit of
Observation-Disclosures, removes him from the
sphere of labor which he understands SO we'll
Do you want to know what he can do?
Go into that long room on the gallery floor of
the Senate where documents of all kinds crowd
the creaking shelves and where the legislation
| of ages is piled up two or three stories high.
Then ask him where you can find certain re-
port, bill, or document. Your idea of what you
want may be somewhat indefinite, and the prob
abilities are that you are entirely ignorant of
the date of publication of the desired paper,
but that will not prevent your getting whatyou
4 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. 2S." Then he gets il for you.
| NUMBERS FOR EACH SESSION.
| Now if bills and documents were numbered
consecutively from the opening of the First
Congress down to the present time the remem-
bering of their numbers would be a truly won-
| derful feat, but when the numbers commence
| anew with each Congress, then the performance
| of such task as that done daily by Mr.. Smith
| Is almost miraculous. A few figures may make
the matter a little clearer. The long session of
| the Congress which died on the Atm of March
brought into being more than $4,000 bills. joint
resolutions, reports, laws and other documents,
4 and of this immense number of recent arrivals
| the great majority have some fixed habitat in
! Mr.. Smiths pigeon-holed brain. Each Congress
wipes out all incomplete attempts at legislation
and commences afresh with new numbers and
/ these new numbers have to be crowded into
| memory on top of the thousands that have pre-
coded them. OF these the small-fry secure but
/ little attention: thew are hastily put in their
place. and memory is not burdened to any ex-
| tent by the matter hidden away i'll their vague
| phraseology. The larger more valuable
| measures and documents 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, and as
a result Mr.. Smith remembers the title, class and
/ number of every important congressional docu-
| ment and of good many unimportant ones as
| well.
NO CLEARLY DEFINED SYSTEM.
| A STAR reporter had a chat with Mr.. Smith
day or two since, the subject of the converse
| ton being Mr.. Smiths memory. Il have no
| clearly-defined system" said MIR. Smith. ''The
| numbers and titles are impressed upon me in
various ways. What causes me to remember
| one has nothing whatever to do with the little
something which fixes another in my mind.
index all the documents very carefully-so
| carefully that oOu are bound to find what you
want; then think of nothing else but my work,
and quite frequently dream of it.
''how is my memory generally? Oh, ii was
always good. The folks at home say / never
| forgot anything. When l was young fellow /
used to go to town to purchase such supplies as
| We needed, and often the orders given me
would have filed sheet of paper foot long
never made note of any of the items, and
never made a mistake in the nature, quality or
quantity of the articles had been asked to
| buy, nor did l ever pay more than the price
| which my folks had informed me was correct"
Were there any other members of your
family similarly gifted?" asked the reporter.
A BUTCHER WITH MEMORY.
''Yes; / think / inherited my memory. It
came from my mothers side of the family. She
had a brother, a butcher. and his memory was
marvellous. Up in that part Of Pennsylvania
which l came from the butchers 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 in which to carry away their fresh meat.
They would enter my uncle's place of business
and each would give an order. One would
want two or three pounds of a certain kind of
steak, another would order a shin and SO on.
Each would put his or her bucket, or whatever
it might be, on the floor, and there they
| would remain during the night. Early
| next morning my uncle would cut up
| his beef, and in each vessel he would
place the exact quantity of the particular kind
| of meat which had been ordered. The only
\ note he took was mental one, but he knew
| who brought each vessel in, and in that he
| placed what had been called for. He never
| made mistake. His business was almost en-
tirely credit one and yet the people would
call for their orders and go home without an
entry having been made or a written memo
randum kept by him. He would get through
| by or O'Clock, would go home, eat his break
| fast, and then put down on his books perfect
| account of what his observation-disclosures numer-
ous-had purchased. The accounts were never
| disputed.
| VISITORS FoRGETFULNEss
| 'Do L remember faces? Yes; very we'll, but /
am somewhat apt to forget names. Now here
comes a man who has been in here frequently.
| ! am familiar with his face, but his name is
| gone. L know, though, what he comes for. He
| is interested in the great Sioux reservation.
| associate men who come here with the bills or
| documents they are after. Sometimes a per-
| son comes in who may not have been here for
| years, but who used to come frequently; gen.
orally succeed in lacking him on to some meas
| ure in which he was interested when he came to
see me years ago.
! Rather an amusing incident occurred here
some time since. An old gentleman came in
| here and asked for a bill which had for its OBJ
ject the granting of certain titles to Pottawat-
tonne Indian lands. 1t was given to him. The
| next day he returned and after standing along
! side of my desk for while without saying any,
| thing he sat down in that chair you are in now
! with a look of complete bewilderment all over
his face. / asked him ii there Was snything
| could do for him aud he said, Can you tell me
what the bill was which got from you yester-
| day! I've forgotten what 1 came for had
| to laugh o little; not so much at the mans for
| getting the object OF his mission, but at the
| idea that he should ask me to tell it to him.
There had been probably two or three hundred
people III to see me since his visit on the day
| before. and toldhim SO, but did remember the
bin had given him, SO l suggested that per-
haps he wanted something ON the subject of
! Pottawattomle Indians.
That's itI' said he, jumping out of the chair
| Il want another copy of the bill"