Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-02

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and twenty years exemption, and he put
up $4,000 hotel. 1t has paid him steadily
ever since"
THE United States government pays me
to be courteous and pleasant to every
body" said doorkeeper of the House,
but sometimes 1 want to fight. Every
few days some fellow comes here and
sends in his card for a member. We go
in and look for him. but don't find him.
We report the fact to the caller. oh, come
off, he says: didn't 1 just see him from
the gallery about ten minutes ago? He Is
sitting right in there reading paper We
try to convince the man that in the space
of ten minutes a member might have got
ten a half a mile away, but the fellow will
insist that we didn't half try to find his
friend Then's when / want to take him
between the eyes. Fools are always plenti-
full around these doors, but the specimen
l have spoken Of is the most annoying"
X *
A party of Joke-telling members had
gathered in the cloak room of the House.
They began talking about how much money
some Congressman are said to save out of
their salaries.
Six years ago." said one Of them, when
tHe dlldHce craze was sweeping over the
country, a western state sent an alliance
man here. 1 know positively that he saved
every cent of his salary. and lived off his
mileage and stationery account. His mile
age amounted to about $500. and he went to
his home and came here on free pass.
One day he went in search of room
with a friend. They found room. but the
proprietress wanted s. a month for it.
Great Scott! said the statesman, SO a
month for room. can rent whole
house in my state for that His friend ex
planned that 81 was cheap, and that he had
better take the room. He finally agreed
and started off. The landiady seemed to be
matter, explained that she wanted her rent
in advance.
=" Gewhilikens.' the statesman again
CALCULATED, pay you in advance, and me a
Congressman.
oh. pay her. said the friend; don't you
know, they never trust a Congressman in
this town for room rent or a board BILL -
The party of jokers laughed, but one of
them said lit was not necessary to go back
SIX years for an instance of that kind
1ou can find few here now" said one.
X X X
They were telling mosquito stories They
had prevarcated right along, to the amuse-
ment of the listeners and each was about
to run out of yarns. Each felt that 1t was
time to get in his best story.
Why, down in Georgia." said the Georgia
man, Il was spending the night with a
friend near big swamp. After 1 crawled
in bed 1 heard a crashing noise near my
head, and turned around to find that a
mosquito had been perambulating through
the hallway. had gotten mad and had
driven his bill through the ceiling into my
room. 1 jumped up. seized monkey
wrench and braided the bill on the inside.
Then 1 walked through side door, seized
a shotgun, loaded with buckshot fired the
whole load into that mosquito and went to
bed again. Later on l heard another noise
Going out to investigate 1 ascertained that
the mosquito had broken his bill off and
had gone out of tine house minus part of
his probing apparatus. Three days later 1
saw that same mosquito eating chicken
which it had caught
Church, said the other man. and of
course, You had to tell the whole truth
about that story, but I'll tell you what is
a fact. Down in the Florida everglades
there Is mosquito which beats yours 1
was hshing on creek one day, when l
heard an awful buzzlng noise overhead
Looking up saw a mosquito flying along
with a half-grown colored child under one
wing and a grindstone under the other
Occasionally he would whet his bill on the
Srindstone and take bite off the child
To show you that this story is true will
cross my heart"
The third liar had prepared to say some
thing, but he saw the threatening looks on
the faces of the crowd and desisted.
X
Gen. James H. Walker, who commanded
the Stonewan Jackson brigade after the
death of Gen. Jackson, and who is now
a member of the House from Virginia
talking to Star reporter Of incidents of
the war, said: zone of the bravest men in
the war was Corp. Cheshire of the thr-
orir,io irfo
boy when made one of the color cotporals
for meritorious conduct, but frequently
spoke of his ambition to be promoted to
color sergeant of the regiment. AS the regi-
ment was going into action on the 9th of
June, 1862, the color bearer was shot down.
Corp. Cheshire, throwing away his musket
grasped the falling colors and refused to
yield them to any one, saying the colonel
had promised them to him In the event of
a vacancy. In the midst of the hottest fire
of the most bitterly contested field of the
war, when men on both sideS were taking
shelter behind trees or lying fiat on the
ground, the colonel passed along the lire
ard found the brave color bearer standing
erect a little in front of the line in the open
space, holding the colors aloft, conspicuous
mark for the enemys bullets. The colonel
touched the boy and pointed to tree near
by. which would have sheltered him. The
officer passed on, but in few minutes re-
turned. to find the young corporal dead
shot through the heart. He had fallen
forward on the colors he so priced and
loved, and the bunting was dripping and
heavy with the blood of the young hero
who disdained to take shelter from the
storm of shot and shell, even when directed
to do so by his colonel. His body was lifted
from the colors, which were given to
another, and the color bearer was buried
on the field, in an unknown grave. The
flag he carried was riddled with bullets
and three bullets had gone through the
flagstaff. The cool courage and self-posses-
sion exhibited by Corp. Cheshire was never
excelled"
T-n