Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-29
AUTOGRAPH HUNTING
How officials at Washington and
Their Wives Are Annoyed.
GROVER CLEVELAND is CAUTIOUS.
Something About the Penmanship Of o
Few Well-Known Ladies.
BEN: PERLEY POORE's COLLECTION.
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DISPATCH,

| CORRESPONDENCE OF THE DIsPArcH.I
WASHINGTON, June Washington
is one of the greatest autograph centers oi
the United States. Every society lady has
her autograph album, and the pages of Con-
gress get an income equal to their salaries
by carrying around autograph books to the
Senators, Representatives and Supreme
Court Judges. The charges of one of them
is S. for the Senate, s. for the Supreme
| Court and more than this amount for the
| House. The President receives hundreds oi
applications for autographs every day and
saw great pile of morocco bound volumes
| lying on his messengers desk when / went
| to the White House this afternoon. Mrs.
Harrison's autograph is quite as much in
demand as the Presidents, but is not so
easy to get. She writes fine, small hand,
slanting her strokes in the true Spencerian
manner and running the RS of the Harrison
very much together.
The most of her correspondence is done on
the paper of the Executive Mansion and
these two words form the die of silver and
gold at the head of her sheets. Shortly be-
fore President Harrison's Inauguration o
letter was written by one of his family, say
ing that he would patronze American
paper makers. He does so to a certain ex-
tent, but shortly after he got into the White
House an order was given for some royal
Irish linen, which is the most popular paper
with our society ladies. A great part of
Mrs. Harrison's correspondence goes through
the hands of her daughter, Mrs. Mckee,
and she saves the Presidents wife much
time. Mary Harrison Mckee is a beauti-
full writer. She signs herself "Yours most
sincerely" when writing to her most inti-
mate friends and always puts the Harrison
in her name.
AFRAID OF FRAUD.
The Cabinet Ministers are almost as much
bothered for autographs as the President,
and it is almost i'm possible to get the sigma
lures of the Cabinet Ministers wives. The
Cabinet Ministers are in some instances
chary about sending out their signatures
broadcast and none of them like to give
their autographs on blank sheets of paper.
President Cleveland would not write his
autograph anywhere except in book, for
the reason, he said, that something might
be written over his signature by an unscru-
pulous, person and used as an Endorsement.
Still it is not hard to get a signature like
that of Jeremiah Rusk, the bluff old Secre-
tary of Agriculture, who writes big round
schoolboy hand. You could crowd three of
his wile's signatures into one of his and
Mrs. Rusk writes a plain, old-fashioned
screed, with no frflls or furbelows about it.
1t is much like herself and looks like the sig
nature of good motherly lady of the old
school. Mrs. Secretary Window would
make a good writing teacher. She has an
elegant handwriting and her lines are as
regular as those of a copybook.
1t is different with the wife of the Secretary
of the Interior. Mrs. Noble seems to have
no rule whatever as to the formation OF her
letters, and it would take an expert forger to
counterfeit one of her signatures. She is
very decided in her views, is woman of
Ideas, and you can almost read her charac-
ter in her handwriting. She signs herself
Elizabeth 81. Noble, uses plain paper and
answers all of her correspondence herself.
A CRUsTY JUSTICE.
By all odds the most aristocratic element
outside of the diplomatic counts of our
Washington circ is that of the Supreme
Court. The Justices are sure of $40, 900
year Tor life, and they know they are bound
to have enough to live in style to the end of
their days. In time certain code OF eti-
quette has grown up around them, and the
Supreme Court circle is like none other
here. The autographs OF the old judges are
very easy to get, with one or two excep-
tions, for the brainy ones among them are
good natured and are always willing to
oblige the autograph hunter.
There is one crusty man among them,
however, and that is Justice Gray, of
Massachusetts,, who goes out hunting in an
English shooting costume, and has lots of
English fads about him, extending to that of
exclusiveness. This exclusiveness prevents
him from giving out his autographs promis-
cuousJy, and leads himself to act at times in
a most obnoxious way. His wife, however,
is the daughter of the late Stanley Matthews,
and she probably has more of the democratic
manners Of Ohio about her. Mrs. Stanley
Matthews is not at all snobbish, and she is
one OF the popular women OF the Supreme
Court circle. She is good CORRESPONDENT,
and she writes on linen paper in a straight
up and down hand.
AUTOGRAPH OF TOM CoRwIN.
Mrs Justice Matthews was married twice,
and her first husband was Judge Theaker,
who was Commissioner of Patents under
President Lincoln, and was very distin
guished man at the time of the war. This
writing OF autographs makes me think of a
story he once told me. / met him here at
Washington, and, knowing that he came
from Ohio, asked him if he was acquainted
with Tom Corwin.
"Yes," he replied, 81 knew Tom Corwin
very we'll, and 1 have in fact one Of his au-
tographs in my pocket which cost me $780,"
'sHow is that Jndge?" said I.
SIT is just this" said he, and he there
upon pulled out his pocketbook and showed
me a note OF Corwin's, in which he prom
ised to pAp Judge Theaker $500 within 30
days. 81 gave Mr.. Corwin this money"
continued Mr.. Theaker. "when was Com
missioner of Patents. He came into my Of
fee and told me that he wanted it. had
no bank account in the city, and told him
I had not the money. He replied that if he
could raise it in three days he could save
himself $1,000, and he said he could raise
this ii he had my check or 5000. 1 gave
him the check on condition that he would
not present it for two days. and after he left
] borrowed the money and placed it to my
credit in the bank. 1t was duly drawn, and |
a few days later Corwin went back to Ohio. |
This was in October, 1866. In December he |
died, and that was the last I saw of my
money. He was always lndorsing or other |
people and kept himself poor by paying |
bail debts"
MRS. CLEvELAND's WAS EXPENSIVE.
Five hundred dollars is pretty good |
price to pay !or an autograph. Still man |
Il L