The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-04-28

humanity which poured into the dis
trict from every direction soon after the
war has been wasted away by death,
lunacy commission or gentle restraint
by friends until very few are left and
a comparativ ely harmless set has taken
its place.
The approach of Coxey's army, how
ever, has warmed into life all the queer
and creeping things of the capital, and
from miserable tenements in the back
districts, from obscure rooms in cheap
hotels and even from lonely old farm
houses in the adjacent country the long
haired men and the short haired women
have appeared on the streets and at
tempted to organize in bands of well
come For the most part they carry
plain evidence of diseased minds, espe-
cially in eyes which sometimes show the
glare Of unreasonable anger, oftener a
painful vacancy and frequently the I'M
easy, feverish light seen in the eye of
hunted animal
CranIxs at the White House.
What becomes of all the cranlzs any
how? Lawrence, the painter who snap
ped a pistol twice at President Jackson,
lived for 80 years in a lunatic asylum
Guiteau, as everybody knows, died by
the rope, and, although the weight of
Op1ulOu Is I1dt ne was really 1llSdu0, yet
events have shown that his execution
was wise aud justihab1e, for no subse-
quent attempt has been made upon the
life of president 1t is true that scarce
~ a week passes without a call at the
White House by some crank who insists
upon seeing the president, but it is very
seldom that any such are arrested Old
residents tell many queer stories about
panics in the White House in the days
when presidents were not SO carefully
guarded as now. In that dark period of
John Tyler's administration when one
woe trod upon another's heels, so fast
did they fOlIow-the killing of two
members of the cabinet by the bursting
of the big gun, the hanging of another
members son on the governments brig
Somers and other minor tragedies
many threatening messages were re-
ceived, and the political animosity
against Mr.. Tyler was so great that he
took these messages seriously. One day
a mysterious looking box was delivered
at the White House and was at once
pronounced an Internal machine. After
much trepidation the coachman consent
ed to open it very cautiously, and in it
was the model of patent stove and
letter from the inventor requesting the
president to see that the proper patent
was issued at once.
The Good Roads Idea.
Conspicuous among the cranks Of to-
day is Colonel Redstone, whose mission
it is to prepare congress and the public
generally for the wonderful reform
which the Good Roads association is to
bring about. Every day he may be seen
in the hall of the house for an hour or
so before the session opens distributing
his crazy documents and buttonholing
members. At first he was something of
a nuisance to the statesmen, but now
he no sooner takes his stand at desk
than he is surrounded by crowd of
visitors, pages and loafers, who proceed
to guy him with all sorts of ridiculous
questions and jokes ON his mission and
personal appearance. He Is SO awfuily
serious, however, that very little fun
can be made out Of him. At other times
he hastens back and forward between
Rechabite hall and other resorts of the
unemployed, canvasses the hotel Hobbies
or holds forth ON the street corners. The
singular feature of the RedstOne- Coxey
programme is its moderation. They only
ask an issue Of $500, 600, 600 in green
backs, while no other financial reformer
of that class speaks of starting in with
less than 81, 600, 600, 600, and the favor
lite amount with most of them is $50
per capita
Social CuFiosities.
Most noted of our present cranks is
f'the stuffed man. a son of the once
eminent Judge Dunlap of Georgetown
He was educated at Heidelberg and in
nerited competence, but developed an
idea that he was the glass of fashion
and the mold of form when properly
dressed His chest and shoulders are
pulled out. with padding to an amazing
extent, and he wears child's chip hat
on the crown of his long and curiously
shaped head In this queer getup he