The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-09-08


He Is also good, very popular member
of the Columbia Athletic Club ut the
capital city, which BOASTS OF a member
ship of some 1900. Jonas has his
peculiarities, and his pet failing is his
inorlinate love of receiving letters.
Some ill-natnred friends have gone so
fur as to suggest that tile young man is
in the habit Of writing letters to himself
for the pleasure OF receiving them
through the mails. No matter how
often he makes his appearance at the
club house, be it twenty times a day, he
religiously presents himself at the
Office with the remark:
allow are you, Mckee, any mail for
me9 and when answered in the mega
tive he turns away with sigh and a
soft murmur OF THAT'S funny; am ex-,
pectlng some."
On recent visits to New York with
club mates he often detained them for
moment on Broadway until 81 can
run over tothe Hoffman, Fifth Avenue,
Bartholdi, or any other caravansaryt
that happened to be near by) and see II
l have any mail" The bows got tired
of it and resolved that the next time
the crowd went visiting they would see
that Jonas was either cured or killed.
Last Monday Jonas, in company with
Frank McDermott, prominent bust
ness man; Alex. Shaw of the Patent
Office, and George Scarborough OF the
State Department, all members OF the
Columbia Athletic Club, started on q
trip for Boston by sea, their ultimate
destination being New York. Prior to
leaving the capital McDernott, local
" famous wag, had numberless mystic
rious interviews with kindred spirits at
the club. Jonas was excluded from
these secret sessions, the pass words to
which are: "Will Charley get his
mail2" the answer, "Well, l guess"
The secret sessions took in 100 club
men, good and true, and each and every
one was sworn to see that Charles Ii.
Jonas Jr., was supplied with mail from
the time he left the club housein WASH
ington until he arrived in this city.
The first batch, consisting OF twenty
special delivery letters and kilograms,
was handed to the young man at the
train us it started out Of the station at
Washington. The contents consisted
OF duns from florists, liverymen and
washerwomen, club dues and notes
from imaginary young women. At
every station at which the train stopped
between Washington and Baltimore,
the conductor duly reported with tel
egrnm. When Mr., Jonas boarded the
steamer at baltimore, the gentlemanly
clerk presented him with a batch Of
some fifty letters and papers, the former
bearing 5. D. stamps and marked i'm
mediate" Most OF them contained an%-
ious inquiries, short but to the point. ;,
DEAR CIIARLEY-Do you get your mail
regularly SO far? sincerely, -.
The steamers clerk had his instruc-
tions, and mail was delivered in large
quantities to Jonas at each meal, and
the steward hammered at his stateroom
door 1t 6 o'clock in the morning and
sang out; "Alr. Jonas! here's your
mail"
Attic Adams House in Boston a
batch OF 500 letters, papers, packages
and kilograms awaited Jonas, aud it re-
quired the assistance Of two porters to
remove his mail" to the rooms assigned
him. Among this lot were old dramatic
papers, newspapers, and magazines
several years old, warnings that his
house and furniture were about to be
seized for RoR-Payment OF rent senti-
mental notes and verses purportlng to
come from members OF the fair sex, and
the usual anxious inquiries from club
friends about the receipt Of his mail.
The constant knocking at the door OF
his rooms in the hotel by messengers
bearing special delivery letters and tele-
grams began to grow tritle monotonous,
but tho climax was not reached until
his arrival Mt the Imperial Hotel in this
city yesterday morning, His clnbfriends
had concentrated their forces at this
point, and when the hotel clerk saw
dapper little fellow with piercing black
eyes and u flowing moustache approach
the desk and register in back hand,
"Charlcs II. Jonas, Jr., Washington, d.
c." lie knew the man he longcd for had
arrived. Ringing the bell under the
desk he called "FrontW and when the
call was answered, he rang for porters
and had Jonas assisted to his room with
his null. Not content with this master
stroke, the inn-loving iiends in WASH
Ington had sent innumerable letters to
Jonas in care OF every man in New York
he expected to meet, so that after their
greetings were over the New York
friends would remark, "By the way, old
man, have quite a lot OF mail Tor you"
Several hotels on Broadway had batch
OF letters for poor Jonas, and Judas
McDermott was sure to remark when
near any OF them. Lets go over to the
. Hotel and see ii you have any
mail"
Everything mailable has been sent
him-old rubber shoes, advertising
cards, cigaret pictures, Interior Depart
ment reports, Congressional documents
by the dozen, Washington papers weeks
old heavily marked with blue lead pen-
Gil, bills from imaginary creditors, and
threats OF suits for breach OF promise.
Over hundred notes nfeminine hand
writing are among the lot. The Wash
inGton committee have attended strictly
to business, and rs long as Mr. Charles
II. Jonas, Jr., remains away from the
shadows Of the big club house at home
the boys are bound by their oath to see
that their victim gets his mail.
Hub Smith, the author Of Listen to
My Tale of Woe" who, by the way, is
a member OF the club, is engaged in
Washington rehearsing chorus OF 100
voices in song OF welcome to Jonas,
the refrain OF which runs as follows:
Oh, Charley boyl dear Charley boy,
Say, did you get your mall.