Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-21

held in the town hall, . rickety old building
with wooden ceiling. Butler was the only
orator Of the occasion and it was supposed that
he owned the town. He was standing
on the platform denouncing the steal
ings OF the opposing candidates when . large
table spoon attached to thread so fine that it
could not be seen slowly descended through
crack In the ceiling until 1t stopped and quiv-
cred in the air. almost touching the fuxz on
Buffers bald crown. The audience roared with
laughter. Butler looked up and saw the spoon,
and the joke was such a good one that he
laughed himself. He tried to speak and finally
got the ear Of the house. He said:
~ see there is some opposition here. But il
It Is congealed-f it stands alone like that
spoon-it will not trouble me much"
The crowd reared and Butler carried the
town by large majority.
This spoon talk, however, went on for some
time until Butler finally got tired of it. One
night while he was addressing big manufac-
turing town in Massachusetts, some one in the
audience howed out spoons" Butler stopped
and asked the speaker to como forth. He
waited a moment and no one rose. He then
said:
II would like to see any respectable citizen
father such a charge against me. / have heard
TINS matter TESTED about and have seen ]. printed
In the public press. but heretofore / have con-
sidered it beneath my dignity to notice it.
am getting tired OF it now and would like to
end It by making some man pay me heavy dam
ages for libel
This settled it. Buffers speech was reported
and he heard nothing more from spoons during
that campaign
BEN BUFFERS MEMORY.
Two wonderful things about Ben Batter were
his memory and his power for sleep. Wash
ington correspondent told me the other day
view. Gen. Butler had been working right
along for eighteen hours and he was still at
work when the correspondent entered. He
heard his request and then said:
Il would like to talk to you but my mind is
full of this case and will have to sleep first. If
you will wait twenty minutes l will give You an
interview.
''All right" said the correspondent and
Butler went into the next room. At the end of
twenty minutes he came out rs fresh rs a daisy
and his mind was clear bell. He had
slept just twenty minutes and am told that he
could sleep at any time and in any place He
often slept in his chair in his Office and neither
his mind nor his memory ever seemed to fail
him. He was noted for his kindness to his
friends and when he elected governor he
was surrounded by Office seekers. One of these,
named Smith, came up to him and said: "Gen.
Butler, 1 have done all ! could to have you
elected and want You to remember me now
when you come into your kingdom"
All" said Gen. Butler, what is your
name?''
Smith, was the reply. 81 have worked for
you for years.
"Ah. Smith. 1t seems to me that remem-
Der you. You PLAYED me false at a convention
just fifteen years ago. You promised to vote
for me. and you voted for my opponent. No,
Mr.. Smith, 1 don't think l shall need you.
GOod-day''
There seems to be no doubt but that Dan. La
mont is to be one of the cabinet of President
Cleveland and the probability is that he will be
the business manager of the administration.
President Cleveland has implicit confidence in
him and believes that there is no man in the
United States who has more common sense and
is possessed Of so much ability in this way as
Lamont. He has wonderful knowledge of hui
man nature. He can read man at q glance and
his face is such that you can never tell anything
about the mind behind it. He systematized the
work OF the White House during the last Cleve-
land administration and he attended to every
thing. from the laying out Of the Presidents
dinners to giving suggestions as to important
appointments. His honesty was never ques-
toned and his fidelity to his chief was perfect.
He could dispose Of business rapidly. He is
broad enough and big enough to consider the
whole country and with all his notoriety he
never allowed the taffy which is So freely given
to all men of prominence here at Washington
to disturb his digestion or affect his manners.
His little blonde head did not swell under the
heated air of Washington ndjuiation and he Was