The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1891-03-24
FUGITIVE FACTS
Concerning Odd Affairs and
Characters in Early Ameri-
can History.

-Inasmuch as paragraph in this
department recently called forth
communication, presumably from a
champion of Thomas Paine, the fol
lowing additional sketch may be
added. In April, 1887, Thomas
Paine gathered up his goods and
sailed for England. There he pro-
duced his Rights of Man." fled to
France, was made a citizen, and
chosen to a seat in the National Con-
vention. From the Convention he
was expelled by the influence of
Robespierre, was thrown into the
Luxembourg prison, was in time re-
claimed by James Monroe, and had,
under the roof of the American min
lister, found food and shelter. While
there the farewell address of President
Washington fell in his way, aud he
made haste to answer it in pamphlet
letter. Paine described Wishing on's
character as ga sort of non-describ-
able, chameleon colored thing callei
prudence. 1t was so nearly allied
to hypocrisy that it "easily slid into
it." The concluding sentence of the
sarcastic letter was as follows "And
as for you, sir, treacherous in private
friendship (for 50 you have been to
me, and that in the day of danger),
and hypocrite in public hte, the
world will be puzzled to decide
whether you are an apostate or an
imposter whether you have aban-
oned good principles or whether you
ever had any" Washington had not
exerted himself to have Paine set free
from the French prison. Paine's IT,
rade, however, was only one of innu-
merable instances in which the Father
of his country was cruelty and pub
licly slsndered, especially during his
presidential term.
There was a fearful visitation of
yellow fever in Philadelphia and New
York in the year 1892. From the
former city thousands of people hastily
fled in terror. Those who stayed
were hidden to keep out Of the sun,
to be sober, not to get tired, to put
mark upon infected houses, to bury
the dead quietly, and, above all, to
put an end to the ringing of bells.
The doctors had little faith in bonfres
as purifiers of the air, and much in
the burning of gunpowder. The
fires, which TILL then had been kept
burning on the corner of every street
and on the hearth of ever house, were
put out. The bells ceased ringing.
Hearses were no longer seen, and the
S SHa hi a 81 theft R6ifaisht from the
carried to their graves in carriages, on
shafts, or in wheeled chairs. Every
person who could buy or borrow a
gun loaded and fired it from morning
till night. But the rattle of musketry
had the same depressing effects On the
sick as the bell-ringing had done, and
the doctors ordered it stopped. Then
the people began TO burn nitre instead.
Indeed, no remedy which an old wife
could suggest, or an apoihecary's ap-
prentice coneoct, but had It's trial.
One day tobacco was thought good
preventive, and the dealers in snuff
found it impossible to supply the de-
maud. On another garlic was recon-
mended, and in a few hours every
particle in the city was bought up.
Some chewed it, some put it in their
shoes. Some went about with huge
punches protruding from their peck
cts. Some tried mud-baths. And so
on, the list of ridiculous remedies was
continued, but the ravages of the
fever did not cease for many weeks.
Thomas Jefferson may Justly be
called the founder of the American
Patent-offlce. The growth of it is
marvellous. To one who wanders
through the corridors of that maguif.
icent building and beholds the army
of clerks and draughtsmen. and the
hundreds of thousands of models
there displayed, it can scarcely be be-
lieved that in 1900 one man did all
clerical labor, and a dozen pigeon
holes held all the records of the office.
For each of the patents which then
existed a thousand have since been
issued. The law of April 10, 1890,
established the Office, made the Sec
rotary ofstate, the secretary of war,
and the attorney-general, board of
commissioners to examine and grant
patents. So vigorously did the board
construe the law that, in 1870, but
three were issued. In 1871 the num-
Der rose to tbirty-three. The next
year ii fell to eleven. In 1893, when
Jefferson went out of Office, twenty
were sealed. For receiving and filing
O ,atitinn f,ffv ooptS NO, oboro-.1. Co..