St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1890-07-26
THE SENATE SHOCKED.

cation In TIE 0enatorlal Chambee.
The dignity OF the Senate received .
severe shock the other day. In the course
Of . rather dry debate there came
floating through the chamber the sweet
strains Of "Annie Laurie" their sweet
ness somewhat tempered BY presump-
tive ignorance of music in the person
or persons producing them.
The Senate chamber IL walled in 20.
curely for the express purpose Of pro-
venting the admittance Of any sound
from the outer world which might inter-
rupt the serious deliberations Of that inn
inside and outside, and air chambers and
Railways between. and even the roof
Is double. There was . time when .
Senator from an Eastern State whistlcd
for page, but that is the nearest ap-
proach to music that has ever been
heard in the Senate chamber before the
experience here recorded. Both mem
bcrs and employees were stupefied by the
sound Of tho unexpected harmony-or
perhaps discord. At first it Vas sus-
pected that Senator Butler, Of South
Carolina, who has been known to play
. practical joke even in the sacred con.
fines Of the Senate chamber, had con.
ccalcd . music-box in his desk, and had
''set 1t or either inadvertently or
maliciously. Nobody knew just what
to do. but it Is quite likely that . com.
mittee would have been appointed to
investigate Senator Buffers desk IL the
Senator from south Carolina had not en-
tered the chamber 1t that moment
from the clOak-room. with . look Of as
constituent upon his face that seemed
to guarantee his innocence
Still the music went on. and 20 did the
debate. They struggled together for
CHANGED to pop his head through the
doorway leading into the lobby. The
minute the sound of the music fell upon
his ear no let the doors ny together
again and started down the lobby 1t .
speed that threatened his physical
integrity. Two or three minutes after-
ward the music, which had been trip
ping itself upon the occasional periods
in discourse by Senator Call. suddenly
ceased. Shortly aftcrward when Engi-
neer Jones reappeared ON the Senate
floor the mystery was explained. 1t
seems that clerk connected with ono
Of the committees is an enthusiast on
the subject Of music. A friend. ~ en-
thusiastic IS he, called upon him at his
room that afternoon, his violin case in
hand. The clerks flute was in . corner
- 4; l. lnS 1 -
ject of music which ensueA resulted. in
. challenge to duet. The clerk
said that they would ind some
quiet place in the basement where
nobody would hear them. and -
down stairs they went After looking
about through the carpenters quarters
and the engine-rooms for few minutes.
they 'came across . little apartment
nicely lighted and comfortably warmed.
It seemed to have NO occupant and the
walls about were evidently thick. So
the two musicians shut themselves into
tie little chamber and attacked annie
Laurie" 1t was only when Engineer
Jones interrupted their communion that
they discovered that the chamber in
which they were standing was the
shamber through which many thousand
subic feet Of fresh air Arc hourly pumped
into the Senate chamber. Every sound
Of their tortured instruments, therefore.
was diffused through dozens Of pipes and
. hundred vent-holes, all leading to ths
Senate chamber. The Senate engineer
has now added postscript 70 the princi-
pal sign In his engine.room- Under the
words mo smoking" il the further in
junction mo music. Cor. N. Y. Trib-
una.