The National tribune., 1890-06-19
WASHINGTON GOSSIP,
Tie Weeks DOings at the Ma
tiOnal Capital.
A WONDERFUL escape.

The long. low nm0lDOSGS CsliS0 uOtult0'
from their originator a thrifty Pennsylvania
Dutchrnan named Peter Herdic which ply on
some OF the streets, instead of tram-cars, bring
their passengers into pretty close acquaintance
with one another. They ar easy, comfortable,
and ride noiselessly, aud the inmates are packed
pretty closely together. SO that you can gen.
orally hear all that Your fellow passengers talk
about, and 4 warm day You can form some
idea as 10 how much they affect the bath.
Frequently passenger will get IN with pound
Of freshly-roasted coffee and Gil the whole i'm
terror with the appetizing fragrance, which is
the more pleasant if you are going home to
dinner with an empty stomach. The other
evening q gentleman Of African descent got
IN with Goldfish that clearly had been long
time away from its home in the sounding sea.
In a few minutes the herdc smelled like
country grocery, and men remembered their
boyhOod days when, sent by their mothers for
a few bars Of soap for the next days washing,
they slyly tore of a fake of the odorous Goldfish,
and made a hasty lunch with the aid Of
cracker or two. How good it used to taste, too.
But this is not what ! started 10 tell. Seated
opposite me. the other morning, was digni-
lied, white-bearded old gentleman, evidently
high-class clerk in one of the Departments.
lie wore gold eye glasses carried gold-hea
cane and evidently had n very good opinion of
himself, which doubtless was wel-!ounded.
Beside him sat digUifed old lady. with white
hair. and an intelligent face. Now that appa-
rently entirely respectable old gentleman be-
gan telling that certainly respectable old lady,
with circumstance and detail that took up
fully ID minutes one OF the most pTepOsterous
stories of an adventure that / ever heard,
which is saying good deal, for have listened
10 many rebels stories of their adventures dur
ing the war.
The narrowest escape ever had" he said,
"was when ] was young man, living at home.
We had 10 60 TO mill over a road which wound
along mountain-side which rose on the left
like a wall, and fell down on the other side
the same way. IL was fully 300 feet from the
road 10 the bottom. il was over 100 feet from
the road down 10 the tops Of the trees, which
were from 100 20 175 feet high. ] was going
10 mill one day, driving Q span of spirited
horses. which father would let no one but me or
himself drive We were going along very
nicely when al ST once the tongue broke
90. my gasped the nice old lady.
No; it wasn't the tongue, either. 1t was
the whitietree. The whittietree. you know, is
the piece that's across the tongue this way"
lsying his hand across his gold-headed eanel.
Yes, yes; ] understand" murmured the
excited old lady.
Well, the first thing / knew Of it I was
sailing 40 feet in the sir, and as looked down
] could see that I'd been thrown clear over the
side OF the road. / could see the tops of the
trees-they looked like mere bushes-away
down below me- Everything in the world
flashed through my mind like lightning.
thought Of my falling there, crushed and
mangled, and how my parents would feel-you
See. they thought great deal of the"
Yes yes, indeed" calculated the nice old
lady.
But didn't lose my presence Of mind for
an instant ] always kept my presence OF
mind whatever happened. ! still kept bold Of
the lines. Ineyer let 20 Of the lines, no matter
what the trouble was. ] yelled get up at
81
jerk pulled me half way back 20 the edge as
was falling. ] saw this peiore ] was nearly
down and yelled get up at 'eIn again. They
made another jump. jerked me still farther,
and lit On the edge Of the bank, not an inch
70 spare. ] jumped 10 my feet. got control Of
nay horses, aud 50 saved not only my own life,
but my horses and wagon which in another
second would have been over the side"
Ny, my, wasn't That PFovidcntial," muir
INJURED the nice old lady. Tine hand OF Progi-
oence certainly was over yOa-"
Yes" said the diguifed old gentleman,
that was believe, the narrOwest escape /
ever had
thought what enc architect Of dime novels
Was lost when that man accepted Government
appointment
ORGANIzkTTgg OF The ARMY or ARKANSAS.
new soldier organization was born in the
room Of the Senate Committee on Pensions last
week. distinguished gathering Of soldiers
and ex-soldiers was there among them Maj
Gen. SchoGeld, Secretary of the Interior Noble,
Secretary Of agriculture Rusk, Assistant Sec
rotary Of the Interior Bussey, aud many other
prominent men. Secretary Noble presided 4
brief constitution and still less lengthy set Of
bylaws were adopted
The constitution sets forth that the name Of
the organization is the Army OF Arkansas, It's
OBJECT tEe perpetuatIOn Of the memories Of the
soldiers engaged IN its campaigns; that those
Fr.- J.
enlisted men who served in the Army Of the
Southwest, on the frontier. or IN Arkansas. or
ID the United States troops that participated in
these campaigns. Honorary members can be
taken in from the ranks Of citizenship Gen
Jos }. Reynolds L. : A.. was elected President
Of the Association. Gen. Merrill estimates the
whole Number Of living eZ-soldIers eligible 10
membership ia the new order al about p 200
About y names were placed on the roll Of
membership The first annual Encampmcnt
VIII b. held IN Bo5t0n next August when the
GAR holds its National Encampment.
CAPT. cLAEEEcE NJ CLARKE,
wei-ku0wn civil engineer Of Washington.
committed suicide on Sunday last by shooting
himself through the heart, while suffering from
a temporary alteration Of tie mind. Capt
Clarke vas one u tie largest land owners in
northeast Washington, was happily married to
daughter Of & Representative Hazeitiue, Of
Missouri. aud had one son. He was devoted to
bis family. He has been employed IN the Office
81 the Chief Engineer d the Army for a number
81 years. and was one OF the most competent
men doing duty there. de was born ia Els
worth. D., aud was graduate Of Yale College.
Al the outbreak Of the war when but Il wears
~ age, be enlisted IN the 18th Conn and he
cause Of conspicuous bravery soon became Cap
tam 81 hIs company D. Of the 18th Conn., 10
which be had been transferred, and served
through the war in that capacity At the close
81 The war be was engaged ia preparing all the
National cemeteries, aud lis work ia that
sphere brought him prominently before the
country. He was prominent member Of
Burnside Post, GAR, Of Washington, and was
very popular mar.
CIVIL SERVICE IRVEsTIGATIoE
The Select Committee on Civil Service Of the
House reported Friday last On the charges
MADE against the Civil Service Commission
The committee find that Commissioner Ly-
mans broiHer-in-law, Campbell, a Clerk % the
Commissioners, was guilty Of puTloining ques-
tons % be- asked candidate for Office AZ exam
1BaLIOHs and selling them, and say that he
should have been dismissed, and that his reten.
ton 80 oilce D. Indsieusible; and that his pro.
motion after having been censured was moi
warranted aud should not have taken place
Inc committee scores Commissioner Lyman for
tsis and other transactions, but finds nothing
against Commissioners Roosevelt and Thanh.
son, w4Io, they say have been good and eonzci.
encious officers, performing their duties in an
able and satisfactory manner
THE sEsATE's INV EERGEAgT-AT-ARws
On Friday last the United States Senste
elected MaJ. ia ward X. Valentine Of Nebrasl,,