Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1890-03-10
He Talks of the Theatres.

s rugged faced old man, quite unpreten
tious as 10 dress ard equally SO as to scticns
and language, sat with legs crossed end
head bowed, ccntem plating the glowing lire
in big baseburuer in the Mercury office
Yesterday afternoon There were deep lines
10 nis face suda grzz'y frost cropped out
frous beneath black eouch hat, which, like
its wearef core signs Of having passed the
prime OF life. A bsown fsnpel shirt gave
still further evidence of the simple tastes OF
the quiet man and there was nothing to IT,
dicate the warrior spirit in him. Some peo,
pie nigh have mistaken him for farmer OF
meaus sufficient TO warrant him in sl;tlug
around stoves in newspaper offices Ihose
people would have been mistaken. The el
derly man was obe with more OF history
| ,han comes 10 many men a man whose
generaI.pip OF handful Of adherents wor-
rIed even the great GraDt in times or war
He was Col John Singleton Mosby.
The cyclopedia5 and histories cali Mos6y e
guerilla. He didn't look like it yesterday,
7Gt thso nobody spoke about war or such
| o bin then. For ;hat is subject which Ia
dstatefu 10 the ex-soldisr--a lorbit-
den topic. To avoid discussion of
steers clear OF botel registers and clearer
| -:ll of the haunts Of the intefrogators. He
| is now counsel fr California railroad and
it was in that Stats that he met John t.
Bell, gho suggested 10 him that when be
visit Omaha he cGil ct The Mercury office aud
sse the people there.
II suppose you find Omaha grown very
much since your last visit?' inquired a
Vond Herald reporter who had been invited
oy the Mercury to meet bin.
"Weli, tnis Is The frat time l ever was in
he town, so don't know how to answer
That" replied the colonel. "It's a very
| peasant little cily-so much OF it as l have
seen. I havDt looked about much. Pn
ast waiting over for ny train. The
| weath here sbt like eur San Francisco
| weather.
II see" he continued, "that Jefferson and
Florence were here awhile ago. Is that old
Joe Jefferson -
"Yes.n
"WeIl do you know I'Ge been told time
and again ths: we we're couDterparts in ap.
pearance? On q railroad train not long
sgo lady was looking over one Of
the magazines-the one in which Jefier.
son's autobiography appeared-when she
cams scross his portrait. She looked at 1t
moment end then at ms and hnaliy caled
nv attention 10 tue fact that my portrait,
Mr Jefleraon's, was in her book. How old
il he?
About 72"
'I'ru Sc. Ia like to see him again and
sac Just how much is truth and how much
| is imagination. There's another attraction
care more for, though. I've just missed
Patti four or five times. wonder if this
last is really farewell tour? l want to see
her before SHE quits singing"
Theatrica!s seem to be the forte OF the re
publican ex confederate. For an hour or
more he recited "reminiscences of theatrical
experiences and talked of the paye of the
present and those of the earlier days as OF
hobty.
Mr.. Bell and Colonel Mosby did their
fshtiug on different sides of the fence, but
they are great friends now that all is over.
The old fighter left last night for his home
| in the west He has beeu on visit to the
east Omaha Herald.