The Washington times., 1895-02-11
CLOAK ROOM AND GALLERY.

1t is not alone in the cloak rooms of the
House and Senate that all the good stories
are told. There are II number OF excellent
raconteurs amoag the newspaper corre-
spondents, and occasionally. when the pro-
ceedings on the floor. are dull ard spiritless.
the boys gather about blazing fire in the
press gallery and relate for each others edif-
cation the humorous incidents connected
with their daily work. group OF news
paper writers were thus employed recently,
and some OF the stories told by them are
good enough to print.
"Some years ago." said one man, II was
representing prominent Western newspaper
There was q probability of war between the
United States and Germany, growing out of
the com pllcations in the Samoan Islands. and
the journal In question was interested in
everything relating 10 the subject Late one
night they telegraphed me to SEQ Secretary
Bayard and ask him what he would do in the
event that certain things were done by Ger
many. / knew that Bayard would not be in
terviewed upon IN hypothetical question, but
sent my assistant up to his house with instruc-
tions to get story if possible He returned at
midnight and wrote out brief dispatch con-
taining the little Bayard had said, which was
really not worth telegraphing. L looked 1t
over and concluded would expand 1t d trifie
! by adding an imaginary interview with Francis
| l.. Wharton, who was at that time the Sole.
| itor OF the State Department and the author
of 'Whartons Digest OF International Law
l was careful not to quote Wharton rs saying
| anything that would compromise him, and
when had finished the fake / tlattered
myself that / had done the thing SO
automatically that Wharton would not object
| ii he saw 1t. | went home little later with
/ the consciousness OF having discharged my
/ whole dutu n m M md slent the Sipen of
/ ths just. When picked up the papers the next
morning was Mortified to see that Wharton
had died suddenly the night before, after q
! briel illness. | expected. OF course, that my
! paper would make and awful row about the
matter, for at the very moment | was attrib-
uting certain sentiments to Wharton the poor
man was struggling in the embrace OF death.
/ j suppose that no one at the home
| Office noticed the curious fact that Mr..
Wharton had been interviewed in his
last moments, and to this oversight L
was indebted for not being dismissed. But
| II taught me Il lesson, and have never
| faxed a dispatch s.nce."
Il had a funny experience with Senator
| Eyarts once" broke in another man. 'Ju-
| lius Chambers was the managing editor OF
! the New York Herald. He tclegraphed ne
/ one day that a certain rich individual IN New
| Haven, Conn. had died and left a bequest OF
| 100000 10 Yale College. with the under
standing that the sum be expended in the
! erection of a new dormitory. Coupled with
| the bequest was the condition that the old
fence in the campus. where the students used
! TO sit at night aud sing their college songs,
was to be torn down and the dormitory built
on the spot.
Chambers was n Yale graduate and felt that
it was a great outrage to destroy this fence,
! which was hallowed 10 the memory of so
many generations of Yale men. He wanted
me to see the Yale alumni here and get their
views about il. During the afternoon | saw
| William G. Whitney, OF New York, who was
! then ClevelaDds 8 Secretary OF the Navy; Fred
Dubois, of Idaho, who is now one OF the
! leaders OF the silver forces in the Senate:
J Senator Dawes of Massachusetts, and a num-
Der of others. All the people L spoke with
/ loudly condemned the trustees Of the college
for accepting the bequest with the conditions
imposed. That night / went up to Senator
Evarts' house to talk with him about the
matter. After l had explained the situation
Senator Eyarts said:
:" We'll. what would you have me do about
it,?
Il told him what the other alumni had
said and added that hoped he would also
say something that would give the old buffers
| oftrusteeS the devil.
- Il am very sorry.h replied the Senator,
solemnly. while the ghost of "a smile played
over his intellectual face. but | don't just see
how l can, ahem, give these old buffers, as
you call them, the devil
"'Wny not?' / asked.
{. Because continued the Senator, with
grave poiiteness, I'm one of the old buffers
myself
You all remember Window, who was Har-
risons Secretary OF the Treasury" queried
another member Of the group. Window
was one OF the most charming men | have
knnKyn "a no ns n Oil ri In
the ordinary affairs of life and made an idea
Cabinet minister. One day the report was
sent broadcast through the country that
WINDOWS eldest brother had died in the poor.
house at 81 Louis. l was assigned by the
city editor OF paper was connected with tC
see Window and ascertain what truth there
was in it. 1t isn't very pleasant TO ask n dig.
niiied Cabinet minister If his brother
had diedGin the poorhouse. and so wher
| called at ithe Treasury Department
sent for WINDOWS private secretary, and ex.
planning nv dilemma, requested him TO lay
the matter before the Secretary, at the same
time showing him a paper containing the
article. Windows secretary was Charlie
Henley. who for years previously had beer
/ one of the executive clerks at the White
House. and who was one Of the incest mer
in the world. Henley obligingly offered &c
execute the commission. and are entered the
| Secretary'S room There was a moment
broken by the sound OF hearty laughter
"'Where is G.?' heard Window say.
"Heniey explained that l was in the mex
room.
"'Call him in said Window.
''When | entered Window was shaking witt
laughter. This dispatch, said he. contain:
two serious errors. In the first place my
brother did not die in the poorhouse. and il
the second place, he added with q humorou:
twinkle of the eye, i never had u brother
II ma1e my apology for troubling hin
about so personal matter. and the incident
passed from my mind Not so with Window
1t had evidently made a ludicrous impression
upon him, for few weeks later when 1 me
him at an evening reception and stopped fol
moment to exchange word with him, ht
said, turning to Mrs. Window:
'f'My dear, l want to present to YOU thC
only modest newspaper man l have ever me
in thirty years experience in public life, anC
then he told her the story
s'You all rem ember,' continued the SAINT
speaker, what great stickler Senator Ed
munds was for preserving the secrets of ex
ecutive sessions. He was equally uncom
municatiye about the occurrences at commit
tee meetings. My relations with the Senator
were very agreeable, and meeting him ont
day just after a session OF the Judiciary Com
mittee, OF which has was chairman. / asked
him if it would be an improper question Il
inquire what they ha done that day.
"'Improper? Nor bit of it. nv dear boy,
he replied with unusual cordiality, but h,
added. solemniy. 1T would be very imprope
If told you.' And then he strutted off dowl
the corridor with the air OF man who Tel
that he had said an awfulIv olayer thiner