West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1895-11-28
MoELDOwNEY AT THE FAIR.

anyone who knows both of them
can readily sec how easy il can be
done. The Colonel is taller and
larger and fandsomer, and really
more distinguished looking than
the Senator, but the general resem .
blance of the two is very striking,
particularly when the Colonel is
sitting down and has his hat of.
The boys first started it on Col. Bob
ut the opera house one night, be-
tween the acts. The Colonel and
about a dozen of the gang were
there, and Charley Smith, OF Par
kersburg, raised the cry, "Senator
Elkins ! Elkins +! Speech from Ell
kins y The others took it up and
the audience stared aud turned and
looked, and thinking that it was
the Senator and millionaire and
prospective candidate for the Presi.
deney, the cry became general. The
Colonel sat there blushiug like a
school girl and changing color like
chameleon. 1t was great fun for
the boys, and they kept 1T up every
where the old reb went, and created
considerable commotion in several
places. From Robert L.. BANDS
account in the Weston Democrat.
we extract as follows
The invincible Col. Bob NOEL
downey, of the Wetzel Democrat,
whose majestic physique and infinite
fund Of humor, characterize him as
man OF no mean proportions, was
the pride of the fraternity on this
trip. Bearing strong facial re-
semblance, and being equal to every
emergency, he experienced no diff
Guilty in personating our distin-
Sulshed Senator, Hon. Stephen b.
Elkins. Wherever he went he was
accompanied by an admiring escort
OF editors and rendered that homage
usually conferred upon men of dis
tinction. On every hand he
came In contact with people anxious
to meet the West Virginia states
man. Two incidents only can be
mentioned. One morning mem.
Der of Congress from Minnesota
approached him and said: "Sena-
tor Elkins, | em indeed glad to
meet you ~ That afternoon in the
Streets of Cairo. an Arabian woman
was attracted by his handsome
carriage and distinguished personal
appearance. When told that he
was Senator Elklus, she threw her
great, braWny arms around his
proud neck. and passonatcIy ex
claimed: ooh, kiss me. dear ~
Of course the laugh was on NOEL
downey, and from that time on the
high office of Elkins had no abiding
place in his mind.
When the Senator meets that
Congressman in Washington, he
will nc doubt be surprised to hear
that he met him at the Atlanta Fix
position. Harry Snyder further
relates in his paper, the Shepherds
town Register, that several mem
bers of the Georgia Legislature
were presented to the Colonel as
Senator Elkins, and some of our
party declared that the papers there
even made mention of Senator Ell.
kins beng in the city, taking in
the Exposition. 1t was fun to see
the Colonel trying to. dodge the
admiring crowd that followed him
around out at the Fair and protest
ing with the boys that "there was
no chestnuts in Vest Virginia this
fall" but they insisted on passing
him off for the Senator all the time
he was there. 1t was rather costly,
too, for the Colonel sometimes. For
instance, in the barber shop at the
hotel, the tonsorial artist put on so
many fourishes when he went in to
get his countenance scraped, that it
cost him a dollar before he got out
Of it. But Of course that was moth
ing for millionaire.
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