Waterbury evening Democrat., 1895-04-05
POSTMASTER GENERAL eIssgIL
He Is Popular In BunAIO and Was Well
 Liked by Yale College Students
ISnecial CnrrrsnnnIrnccl


 BUFFALO, April 2.-The resignation of w. s. Bissell, which, when it takes cf- feet, will add tho prefix ''ex'' to tho title of postmaster general, has set a lot of his Buffalo acquaintancCs to telling stories of l his younger days. Although he was born in Oneida county, his parents moved hero when he was or 6 years old, and much of his boyhUOd was therefore passed in this city.
 His middle namo being shannon, he was always called Shan by his schoOlmatos, with whom ho was very popular, and he is remembered by many middle aged men hero who knew him then ns being tall and | stout for his age, with faCo in which the | rcd glow of health was always prominent. His best friend was Ben Lander. Lander sat next him at school and the homes of i the two boys wGre adjoining. With a third, Horace Parmclcc, they built flat | bOttomed boat, from which they used to | fish for hours in the waters of Niagara river.
 In their fCndncss for fishing these boys werc like most others, but Shan and Ben | had one other amusement, not unique, it | Is true, but still not adopted by many. It | was keeping a mcnagGric. This mcnaSCrie | was located back of the Lander home, It | consisted of snakes and turtles, q wOOd- | chuck, flying squirrel and quite an OK tcnSivo collection of white and field mice | These mammals and reptiles were kept in a lot of old barrels and boxes and their care occupied Il good deal of time on the | part of both boys. Sometimes Shan used tn tako bahy snakes with him to school in his pockets, but whether he was over thrashcd | for doing this is not of record. In the summer time tho boys were wont to make long expeditions to tho woods near Buff falo for the purpose of hunting up spcci- mems to add to their collection.
 After leaving tho ward school at the ago of l2 young Bissell was prepared for college at tho Hopkins Grammar school in New Haven. Ho entered Yale at the age of l5 He was then feet 10 inches tall, and in letter to Horace ParmcIeC which is still preserved he mentioned the fact that every one told him he was grow ing and announced his height in m un- derscOred paragraph. In college he was very popular, being made n member of the spoons committee of his class and of the Skull and Bones secret society. The importance of this latter, from the stu dents standpoint, will bo understood by the non 1alo man when I explain that but thrCc members of each class are al lowed to join tho society.
 In spite of tho fact that most people as sociato cigarctte smoking with slender waiStcd men of the dudo typo. Mir. Bissrll smokes the paper rolls, or did sn recent | ly, with much enjoyment. He bcgan their use in lSS2 during Grover Cleveland : campaign for governor. BisScll was thon MT. Cleveland partner, and when the to bc president first saw cis,lrvttc between the lips of his legal CowurkI and political supporter thcrC wcrC words Of expustula- | tiOn
 'BiSsCll, said MT. Cleveland, II wish | you would Stnp smoking those ulV,,r things. I would rather buy your cigars myself than to sec cigarettes in your mouth"
 Bisscll said never word, but MT. Cleveland bought him lot of cigars all the samC and shortly afterward announC- cd that if elected governor that fall he would h' delighted to sign bill fur the suppression uf CigarrttC smoking. Such bill was passed during Clcvcland'S gutor- material term and signed by him, but it prnhihitCd the sale uf cigarettes to boys only and iS quit, aS much dead letter in this state aS It would lH in any other.
 During Mir. ClcvrlanL's first term nS 1 president thu New York reporters used to seize upun every PuSSihlc occasion la in tCrvicw MT. Hi>S,ll rv.artang national | politics. and this finally bCCInc dis tasteful Ia hjn that ninr times in ten when hr went tn the metropolis he made 1t n p0int tn ctt into his hotel GS late aS poSSihk', get C his r,srm without register ing and leave in th" morning without even waiting th Iay his bill. which al ways followed him 10 Buffalo, Mir IIis | sell . SI.naUur,' k very much like Mir. CT, \, land $. iciu& very small, though the >tr,h:- uf thu lviIl rS aF, formed mvrt tolA!, and tl;' lirv, aIv heavier than th"~,, in thu, I'r, Si,l' nt'S sisi ;itur,'.
 III LnNT N ARD.