Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-27
N HOTEL CORRIDORS

tne interests OF this beautiful city at heart
can feel unconcerned over the possibility
Of seeing overhead trolley street car lines
| introduced here" said J. Edward Willis OF
Brooklyn at the Riggs House this morning.
IF the people here only knew what a real
incubus such a system becomes when II Is
fastened on q community they would rise
up en- masse and show Congress such an
overwhelming sentiment against 1t that
even the national legislature would be COM
PEELED to take proper notice OF II. I know
| that a great many persons imagine that the
overhead trolley can be made comparatively
safe by the adoption Of ordinances and
regulations for the government OF the cor
poration owning the line. but In my city
II has been proven that municipal laws
have no eject in controlling the running
of cars. There IL an ordinance regulating
the speed OF the cars. but 1t is fiagrantly
violated and defed The danger to vehicles
and pedestrians at street crossings is so
great that no less than eighteen policemen
are permanently detailed to guard the more
crowded places Of this sort and this espion-
age alone costs the city Of Brooklyn $4,000
a year. Outside Of the danger. however.
the Introduction OF the trolley system here
would be an outrage for II would dis
figure the most beautiful city in the world
as much rs continent smallpox would the
face of a lovely woman"
lone OF the most bitter contests being
waged in the constitutional convention at
Albany said Philip E. Hengerer Of Buff
falo at the Ebbitt yesterday, is that
against the proposed amendment which
would prohibit the appropriation Ct public
money for the support Of charitable irsti-
tutions that are. managed by religious de-
nominations The amendment il only
another straw to show which way the wind
Of public sentiment is blowing as regards
- III nd fa+a
is a strong feeling already. and II Is grow
ing more vigorous every day. 80 the friends
of the suggested reform claim, that Sec
tartan institutions Of an eleemosynary char
acter should not be assisted out OF the pub
lie taxes. They assert that in almost every
community there are two or three instita-
tons doing work which might be done by
one IL religious preJudices were removed
1t has often struck me as singular mat IL
is considered necessary to send q pauper
who meets with an accident to q hospital
conducted by persons of his own religious
faith. I never could see the connection be-
tween q creed and the cutting on OF leg.
don't think religion should be recognized
! In hospitals and asylums any more than in
| the public schools: at least not In those
! which receive support from the state ci-
! rect, and I wouldn't be surprised TO see
| that amendment adopted at Albany in spite
of the night against It.
"A strange thing happened to me when
| was trout fishing last year up In northern
New York." said Andrew Bishop Of Bridge
| port, Conn, at the Arlington this morn
ing. The fish were very wary. as the
| stream was narrow and the pools were but
| lightly bordered with bushes, or cover OF
| any kind Consequently when 1 would
reach q promising looking spot. would get
| as far from the bank as possible, and at
the same time be able to drop my fly over
in the water. had followed this plan with
poor success. getting only one or two strikes
In as many hours. when suddenly my line
began to run out with a whirr. No trout
| had ever carried on q ny for me In such a
way before. and was nonplussed. but In a
| moment / saw that t WAS not fish that
was making my reel sing. Rising from the
| surface OF the stream and dying above II
was a bee marten. which had swooped
down on my ny ~ I cast II over the bank.
and he was making away with IL. The bird
soon had nearly ell my line out and not
caring to lose it. ! began to play him as i
gamely. tell you. but the hook had caught
| In his beak and held him firmly. At last,
after a full half hour Of fighting. the bird
| nuttered helplessly to the ground and 1
| released him. You may think that's a fish
story. but IT'S true" Then Mr. Bishop ana
his hearers made q bee marten line for the
refreshment room, and went fishing with
straws.
"A man named Robert Pikey. but who
was better known In criminal annals as
\ Fiddler Bob died out in San Quentin
prison. California three or four weeks ago"
said Henry Robinson OF the secret service
at Wizards this morning. He was sent up
| from San Francisco for five years In 1891
| for counterfe,ting. He was quite a char
acter on the slope. after the war. especial
| ly In the mining districts. where he used
| to play the violin In the dance halls and
saloons. He had been a soldier In the war
and was wounded in the Shenandoah cam
paign. and for the disability was granted
a pension. While in the pen his pension
money accumulated so tina, over S5Oo is
waiting for his heirs II they can ever be
found. Fiddler Bob was not the only
convict who drew q pension by any means
Several years ago pretty nearly every peni-
Tertiary In the country contained a lot of
veterans. who were regularly on Uncle
Sans gratitude pay roll, and remember
| q fellow whose real name was Lowndes
who had his pension allowed while he was
serving q term in Joliet for burglary He
had lost a leg early in the war but never
applied for q pension until the law was
passed giving disabled soldiers a pension
back to the day they were injured Lown-
des applied for one just before ne got into
| trouble by breaking into a clothing store
| one cold night when he was drunk in order
| to get an overcoat. The pension was al
lowed and when he was released from Joliet
| there was q bundle Of long green amounting
| to over seventy-nve hundred dollars await
ing him. The fact 10 that many pensioners