The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-12-30

OGAQNA 0AAALtAAH
From the New York Times
Washington. Dec. 2s.-Many good stories
drift out Of the Senate cloak rooms. Some
Of the men who belong TO the 'NIilliniares'
club were forced 10 battle with adverse
circumstances in early life. and it would
be strange II their experiences should not
furnish material for interesting stories.
One who will take the trouble 10 study
the skeleton autobiographies in the con-
gressional directory viii find that the pro-
portion Of the members of the Senate
who started out in life financially well
equipped is very small. II the testimony Of
some Of the senators is TO be believed.
their early efforts were marked by great
privations.
Senator Perkins Of California, who was
born in Maine, went TO sea as a cabin
boy at the tender age of p years. The
country now knows that he has been gov
ernor OF California and that he is one Of
the chief commercial men on the Pacific
coast. Stewart of Nevada, although he
possessed a good education when he
started westward, in 1919, went to work
with pick and shovel IN California, and
mus AalQ the AQunQtLAUu OF MS career
Once in while Mr.. Stewart DIVORCES from
his favorite theme, the crime OF 1873"
long enough to narrate some OF his ex-
periences in the mining camps of Califor-
mia and Nevada, and at such times he is
thoroughly entertaining Despite his
years. he is still full of vigor, and one who
observes his erect form and listens to one
of his silver speeches Is bound to get the
impression that bill" Stewart cut a con-
siderable figure among the Argonauts.
AS a connecting link between the COM
monplace present and the red-shirted,
high-booted, and slouch-hatted past, Mr..
Stewart IS unique. His colleague. John
p. Jones, was also a placer miner in Cal
ifornia IN the early days Of the gold eX-
element. He was born in England, but
was brought to this country in his in
fancy, and had hard battle with life be-
fore he struck pay dirt"
Senator Dubois was United States mar
shall Of Idaho from 1852 to 1856, and felt
the rough edge of life before he returned
east as delegate in congress. Mr.. Shoup,
who divides with him the honor of repre-
senting Idaho in the upper chamber, was
a federal scout In the southwest during
the war, and later a miner, stock raiser,
and finally governor of his adopted state.
Mr.. Pettigrew of South Dakota was a la
borer in the employment Of a United
states deputy surveyor when he entered
Dakota territory in 1859 He became a
surveyor. then real estate agent, and
eventually lawyer and a senator
Mr.. Roach, who was born in Washing
ton, went to Dakota territory in 1879 and
became mail carrier in a country where
one might ride all day without seeing a
human being or anything more compan-
ionable than coyote. Naturally he be-
came prominent figure, as mail carriers
are apt to be in sparsely settled communi-
ties, and when Dakota took on a boom"
and gave to the union the two states of
North and South Dakota, he was the
democratic candidate for governor of
North Dakota. Defeated, he tried again
IN the next election and again failed. Then
he turned his attention to the position of
United States senator, and in 1893 after
balloting thirty-three days, the fusion leg
lslature elected him TO his present posi-
ton
All these senator's are good story tel
lers, and, by reason of their varied ex-
periences, they are not Obliged to en-
ploy second hand material in furnishing
entertainment to their friends Mr.. Per-
tlns has new story for every demand.
his latest one concerns a mutiny on ship
board, a perilous escape which he planned.
ana MS meeting forty years later with one
OF the men who succeeded, with his help.
IN getting out Of a bad scrapH
II was in December, 1854" said Mr.
PERKINS, that 1 shipped on the Lizzie
thompson bound from St. John N b., to a
european port with a cargo Of deals.
The Lizzie Thompson was a full-rigged
snip with miscellaneous crew, some of
the mems being from New England. The
captains name was Oliver and he and /
nailed from the same town in Maine.
Right here let me say that there were so
many people in Maine Of the name OF
PERKINS that the custom had become gen
efal OF distinguishing them by their mid
die names, and, for that reason, l was
known as George Clement, the Perkins
being reserved for extraordinary occa-
sions. ! had first gone to sea when 70
years old, and when l shipped on the Liz
zie Thompson 1 was Is, and thought l
knew good deal about nautical mat
ters.
The crew had engaged to make the vow
age Tor fl3 6s. per man. The ship was
new, and we had not been long at sea be-
fore she began splitting oakum, which
IN the language of the landsman means
that the oakum with which her seams
were closed did not stick as it should.
When the leak was discovered, the can
tain ordered all hands to the pumps, much
10 the disgust of the crew, which had al
ready begun to be dissatisfied with the
vessel A few hours pumping was suf-
ficient to bring them to the point of insub-
ordination, and they declared to the can
tain that they would not work the shin
unless she was put about for St John.
The captain demurred, and the crew rnu-
tinted, and the captain was obliged to
surrender. The leeky craft got back to
ST John without mishap, and as soon as
her anchor was let go the captain went
ashore, returning with several officers
who placed the men under arrest Owing
70 my acquaintance with the captain and
my tender years I was not molested
There were four New England boys in
the crew, and the night of our arrival in
harbor they appealed to me to help them
get away. AT first I refused, but they
urged me so strongly that finally I agreed
TO aid them. There was a boat lying
alongside, and by dint of careful manoeu-
yering it was towed forward and made
fast TO a sheet. When the officer on
watch was well aft, gave the signal, and
three of the men dropped in the boat with
me. The fourth desired to take his sea
chest with him, but I objected and as he
did not hasten l cast off the painter The
tide rises about twenty-eight feet in St
John harbor, and was at full food when
the boat was cast adrift. We shot by the
ship like shot, and although the men on
guard fired at US we got away without
mishap. 1 put the three men ashore, and
when the tide changed managed to skull