The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-12-18
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL
SPICY ITEMS PICKED UP BY OUR REG
ULAR CORRESPONDENT AT
Stanford, Of California, An Aspirant
fer Presidential Honors An Old
Timers Ghost Story.
WASHINGTON, Dec. u, 1890.
From our Special Correspondent.

WASHINGTON, Dec. IL, 1890.
From our Special Correspondent.
Stanford OF California is in tn,
presidential race, and has commenced
business in the Blaine style by tellin,
everybody he "never felt better in hi
life" Physicians are unknown
quantities in the senatorial house
hold. He did not go to Europe
for health and only drank the nasty
German mineral waters for fun,
Just 65 years old, he would still be 8
young fellow of 70 of thereabouts alter
term in the white house. Thest
facts are not original, they are what
the senator's friends let slip. The
senator, it is true, has weak ankle
that interferes with his running, but
preside tial candidates of the Repuhli.
can persuasion do not run with Their
legs but with their money, and in this
respect the Californian is well
equipped. The initials of the leading
Republican presidential aspirants al
most spell exactly what their party
has come to be-Blaine, Alger, Stan
ford.
The "ghost dance" has given
rise to the query: Does General
Miles mean fight with the INDIANS OF
tie politicians? Again, is his p.th-
way to the executive mansion t, b.
stlewn with Indian scalps? Some
people here honestly elieve that the
General is fighting harder for political
preferment than he is to suppre In
dian superstitions. II will be sorry
day for him, then, if Mr.. Sitting Boil
should happen to lick him. The ras-
cally old red thief has q habit OF do
ing up his enemies, 80 Gen. Miles had
better look out both for his precious
self and his president al boom.
Ben Butterworth, is discussing the
copyright bill, said an idea means
money, which gives an unkind friend
the opportunity to say that few have
a chance to rake in $4,000 year as
the genial Ben did when the idea &C.
Cured to somebody to make him
secretary or something to the Chicago
Worlds fair.
The Democrats in the house have
not had ocbasion as yet to
decide upon leader. Mills,
possibly, might claim by inheritance,
but Crisp, Springer, McMillin, and
perhaps some others, show DISPOSE
tion to break the will and take out
letters of administration, each fellow
for himself. Do not understand there
is any hard feeling, but each man is
possessed OF ambition sutfici mt to
lead even the overpowering Demo-
cratic majority in the next congress.
The competition is interesting be-
cause the man who plucks the most
feathers this winter will do the most
Growing the coming session.
Do you belive in ghosts2 Were
You ever in a haunted house?
These questions were fired at me by
an "oldesL inhabitant." He is man
OF no particular depth of mysterious
lore, but one who believes there are
more things in heaven and earth than
are dreamed OF in the ordinary phi
losophy. Said he, "there is a house
i'll this town which you can get rent
Tree if you will only live in it," Ref
erence is here made to what is called
the "octagon house," large, old
fashioned building of octagon shape,
as its name implies, built early in the
century and long the home of Ogle
Taylor, one of Washington's first
lAndholders and who afterwa rds built
the mansion on Lafayette square now
owned and occupied by Senator Don
Cameron. This old brick structure
is within a square of the executive
mansion, and has for years been I'M
tenanted, except at odd times, because
it is d "haunted house." AS home
it is valueless. For time the gov
ernment occupied it for public uses,
but it proved impossible to keep
watchman in it to gu .rd official rec
ords beyond night or two. Here
was governmen mt position which
went begging. l. is possessed not by
4 ghost, but by ghosts, male and fe
male, young and old, who here, not
nightly, but now and then, hold high
Anxious to know some
thing about this house, 1 talked with
Die who had moved in, stayed awhile,
and was driven out. This happened
10 be lady of national reputation
aud one who moves in Washington's
irst circles, the widow of gallant
general in the late war.
This lady promised her statement by
saying she did not believe in ghosts,
md as an evidence Of her nerve had
alone all over the world
when such journeys were neither so
safe or convenient. She
lad been told of the conditions under
which the property could be secured,
'ent free, and as the light seemed per-
ect, with large Window on every side,
he house stands alone, why should it
lot be an artists ideal home She
n 1ved in, attended by her nephew, 1
hink she said. Her narration of ex-
)erience was about as follows:
"For the first few days nothing more
Unusual happened than would be ex-
in roomy house not entire