Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-14
ONCE WAS A BELLE.


ONCE WAS A BELLE.
This snuff box was always carried by the
widow, who fancied that ii somehow entitled
her to financial support from New York
City, and her failure to receive which in
come was among her many grievances. Mrs.
Bennett, as usual, had a pension claim,
which shadow she patiently pursued, and in
some vague way she had established su-
pervisory interest over the Nicaragua Canal.
She was always on the point Of producing
her maps and explaining the merits of her
schems. She was large, handsome woman,
always expensively though somewhat
showily dressed, had fine face. beautiful
dark hair and sparkling dark eyes, and
while she taxed the patience of busy men,
she was always politely received.
She had evidently been a society belle in
her youth, and a woman accustomed to
Difference and respect, and in spite of her
irrelevant assertions and demands she ap-
preached editors and officials with an easy,
halfconfdential, halt-disdainful manner,
compelling from them greater consideration
than is generally accorded such persons.
When sudden death ended her fruitless
quest there were only kindly words OF re-
membrance spoken of this queer lady.
CLARA MORRIS AND SPEAKER REED.
The ghost of the little French woman
whom Speaker Reed drove from the Capitol
is back again in flesh and blood. She can
not bring her store OF photographs and
souvenirs with her, but she haunts the gal
leries and spends hours in the ladies' re-
ception rooms. Aunt Clara's 80 years
among politicians have not been without
effect She has learned the fine art OF dis
stimulation. The other day Clara stopped a
member in his passage across Statuary Hall,
and referring, as usual, to her grievance,
proceeded to berate Speaker Reed.
''Scoundrel, brute, bulldog" were some
OF the epithets hurled at the man from
Maine in her high pitched voice, when,
turning suddenly, she saw the Speaker him.
self not three feet away. "Oh, Mister Reedl
How do you do, Mister Reed? 1 hope you
are we'll"
"Mster Reed" smiled and courtsied the
erstwhile cantankerous dame, while an
| elusive smile and softened glances chased
away the frowning wrinkles and the forked
lightning in her eyes.
A CALIFORNIA BEAT.
Straddlebug, or Jack OF Clubs, as he is
pleasantly designated by Capitol habitues,
combines with his queerness an additional
gilt for beating his way. He is an ex-Cali-
tornian which fact has been sorrowfully
demonstrated to the Californiaus in official
life. 1t is said that this tall, lean, grizzly
queer who haunts the Senate and Supreme
Court corridors, succeeds almost daily in
securing something from California men,
ber, Senator or from Justice Field. So per-
sistently does he pursue the latter that it is
said on approach the Justice will put his
hand in his pocket and give him some
money, saying, There, now, don't talk to
me to-day"
Senator Stanford, in q moment of exas-
peration one day, gave the man a $40 gold
piece, thinking to buy peace by a big dona-
tion. The next morning as the Senator
opened his front door to enter his carriage
his California brother rose up rom the door
step and demanded another $50. 1t is said
that the gentleman who has acquired his
peculiar title, by reason OF a most unlovely
gait, is married to crippled colored lady
and that when he returns home without
having earned anything on the California
account she beats him with her erutch.
AN EDUCATED CRANK.
A more interesting character, is the
elderly, STOPPING, grizzled and not over
cleanly prophet who studies all the year
round in the Congressional Library. This
gentlemap, who is a graduate of Yale, q
master of languages and a most scholarly
man. has, he declares, been sent to earth by
the Lord 10 lead the colored people. None
other than q thorough biblical scholar
would find it profitable to open up theolog-
ical discussion with him, and those who
have heard him deliver some of his Sunday
night addresses to the colored people, de-
clare them to be wonderful sermons.
Every day at noon he leaves the library
and on passing through the door he takes
the position of a sprinter, then walking
few steps, he suddenly leaps forward and
runs 100 or 200 feet. This he does for exer-
else, he says. No one seems to know more
than this of bis history and his revenue is
supposed to be the small collections taken
up by the colored brethren.
Lady lobbyists are not so common in
Washington as they have benin the past,
but there are some, and one of them is as
queer as the queerest- She is known priv
ately as "Old Twenty Per Cent" She is
short, stout. neatly dressed but vague old
person who was once a clever and successful
lobbyist. For many years she Is said to
have taken claims and worked bills for 20
per cent profit, and now in her old age and
lapse from service she still haunts her
forunar uork ahnu