Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1896-02-15
TURNING TIME BACKWARD.
How the Day Is Heightened in the Unite
Statea Sonata.


States Senate.
Capt. Isaac Bassett, the veteran as
sistant doorkeeper of the senate, who
died recently, first turned back the
finger of time on the face of the big
clock in 1914. lie has told how it hap
pened, and his own account of it is
more interesting, perhaps, than it can
be made by deliberations:
ut was on MarGhsi 1914, that first
turned backward tne hands Of the SEN
ate clock. The senate then, in what is
now the supreme court room, was con-
sidering and voting upon an appropria-
ton bill, when it became evident that
the bill could not become law before
the hour of noon. Some one suggested
to the president pro tempore- Senator
William Il. Mangum, of North Carolina
that the hands of the clock might be
SO. manipulated as to lengthen the Of
fetal day. l was sent for and was or
dered by Mr.. Mangum to put the hands
back ten minutes. The senate clock
then was tall one, and remember
very distinctly climbing mp to it's face.
The time thus manufactured was suf-
flcient and the bill became law. Only
on rare occasions was there any med
ding with the clock to within the last
90 years. Since then the hands have
been turned back at least once in every
congress"
Capt. Bassett had learned to regard
the old desks and chairs of the senate
as historical relics in his personal care.
He knew the history of each one, when
it was made, who was its first occu-
pant and by whom it had been used
since it was first employed. He also
knew the yandals who haunt the cap
itol and who would rend and carry
away the desks of famous men if they
could but find them. Capt. Bassett
would not impart the information he
had, but he had private marks on desks
and chairs registered in a book closed
to everybody. Mr.. Bassett would pre-
fer to see the chairs of Cass, Calhoun,
Clay, Webster and other great states
men burned where they stood than mu-
tilated by the relic-hunter. The desks
uIc luulc VI Ouo uSbt indho5huy, diiu
after the pattern first used when the
seat of government was established at
Washington. Every desk made for the
senate is still in use. Some of the
original chairs also remain.
During his long term of service Capt.
Bassett has been absent when the SEN
ate was in session only 80 days, and
20 of those days had been lost on ac-
count of illness during the last five
years. To be absent momeItt when he
should be at his post was distressing to
the veteran. "When sickness keeps me
indoors" he has said, "in spite of all
my endeavors to be cheerful, am
simply miserable. You cannot under
stand how feel. After SO years Of
service the idea that the senate is in
session and am not there seems awful.
! can picture to my mind the vacant
chair, and of course feel confident
that nobody can perform my duties sat
isfactorily."
Capt. Bassett had private nook in
the senate room of the capitol which
few people ever heard of and fewer
still had ever seen. 1t was near the
room of the senate committee on the
library and would be very dark little
den but for the gaslight. In that room
is lot of historicala and antique articles,
each of which has a volume OF remi-
niscences clustered around it. He had
the old sunff boxes used by senator's
when the boxes were kept in the inches
OH each side Of the vice presidents
chair; and as they were retired and
replaced by new ones Capt. Bassett
kept the old ones and labeled them.
He also preserved piece Of the cane
which Preston Brooks broke over the
head of Senator Summer. He kept all
Of these things for description in a book
dehth.--San Francisco Call.