Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-02-15

at am awfully glad of one thing about
Washington spoke an aged colored VISITOR
few days ago, land that is, that it is the
only city where the colored man is re2og-
nized sufficiently to have a statue. Out at
Lincoln Park, the colored man, though
rather poorly dressed, has a statue, and
there is another one" pointing to the statue
of Chief Justice Marshall, at the main en-
trance portico. Il don't think, though, l
ever saw coioTed man as black as that
statue referring to the Marshall statue,
which, owing to the peHchant of its bronze
composition. in this respect being different
from any other in the city, seems 10 he get
ting biacker every year.
=
cit seems strange said Mr.. Frank
Hume, who has for years taken an active
part in pressing upon Congress the i'm
portance of building the memorial bridge
to Arlington, what passed the bill in the
Senate on Wednesday last. L don't think
the volume of good arguments that we
made in it's behalf or of the splendid in
dorsements of the project by Secretary La
mont had as much to do with the success
OF the bill rs did the uuagmire of mud on the
road just after the bridge is passed. At
the funeral OF Gen. Gibbon on Tuesday last
the road was in such a terrible condition
that o:le-half OF the military escort had to
be dismissed, and the either half had the
greatest difficulty IN reaching Arlington.
The artillery could not sgt through it at
all
''WeH. there were number of d;stin-
guished gentlemen there, and they saw
with their own eyes the necessity of some
thing better than at present exists. They
made up the sentiment which eyentuated
in the passage of the memorial bridge BILL
and we are thankful for the result. Secre-
tary Lamont says the bill Will likewise pass
the House for the simple reason that it is
necessity
4
Nearly two years ago a force of state
constablas OF South Carolina and a body
of citizens of Darlington, S. c., came to-
gether in . bloody conflict at Darlington
over the enforcement of the dispensary
law. Three constables and four citizens
were killed and the prospects of more trou-
bic induced the newspapers all over the
country to send correspondents to the
scene
The situltion became so critical that
Gov. TilI,1,an ordered out the state troops
and sent three hundred Of them to the
scene of the conflict. At the same time the
governor declared Darlington county I'M
Ger martial law and took charge of the
railroads ard telegraph lines in order 40
completely subdue the Infatuated citizens.
The same procedure was taken in the adj
joining county of Florence, the citizens of
which had talked of going to the assist
ance of those of Darlington.
In taking charge of the telegraph offices,
and preventing any but kilograms from
himself and his officers being sent, the
governor. it seemed at first to the news
paper correspondents. had intertered with
their business. The situation looked seri-
Gus, but the correspondents We're equal to
the emergency. Many OF them hired spe-
cial trains or fast vehicles and went to re-
mote stations to send off their matter, but
number of them decided a unique
plan for getting through the news. 1t was
nothing more nor less than the establish
ment of blind tiger or speak easy" Of
fhes. The regular telegraph office il
charge of a detail of soldiers, and nothing
could be s@nt through except what was
marked 20. X" by the commanding off,
Ger.
The correspondents hired a number of
operators and as many linemen as could
be procured. The wires were tapped by
1inemen and an office esta blshed in an old
deserted stable ia 4 remote part of town.
This was all done at night. The first night
the ScEeTq9 went through all right, but
It Eoised abroad next day that the
correspondents had gotten ahead of the
governor He was in Columbia, and WASH
q bit pleased when he heard OF the blind
tiger tie teleSTaphed Sen. Richbourg, in
command al Darlington, to suppress all
such future attempts The next night.
however. they worked the same plan, but
In another locality.
After that tke governor quit trying to
modest the news gatherers. but would not
let them send their messages through the
regular office. At Florence, fifteen miles
nom Darlington, the newspaper men ha
to resort to similar schemes. One OF them,
a former telegraph operator, tapped the
lines himself, and noc Only scnt, but re
ceiyed' valuable messages.
None of the plans could have been work
ed had not the telegraph operators al
along The line suck o the ne wspaper men,
They did not give them away and allowed
all news matter 20 pass with rush.
N:er the trouble was over the ;soverno;
laughed when told of the tricks of the cor
respondents.
The proposed observance of the serni-cen
tennial of the Smithsonian Institution dur
ing the present year will recall no doubt Il
the older citizens of Washington, especiaR
those who resided in what is now Soutl
Washington, the time when the entire NAL
was common, and the Smithsonian wa
the first building erected upon it. The oil
Washington canal formed the northern
boundary of the mall west of eth street
and 1t was spanned at that poirt and a
18th and 18th streets by very ordinar
wooden bridges. These streets were open
ed across the mall, having Indifferent mar
row brick pavements on but one side tn
carTlageWayS being Mother Earth F'ror
that portion of the mall between 18th am
18th streets was selected for the Sm;thson
ian. The fencing for the most part ha
been removed, and open to cattle ETC. AT
Iordihg good pasture. The grounds wer
used from time to time for encamD,n,,u
purposes by the local military and visit p,
companies. and the corner near 9TH stree
as a show ground for melageries and cir
cuses, while the boys found it a pieasan
play ground.
1t was proposed in Congress to authoriz
the purchase of the city hail from the col
poration OF Washington for the use Q
the institution and authorize the erectio
OF now city hall in front of the Genie
Market, but the bill failed.
x
Superstitous people can be found in n
walks of life. There is a southern Senate
who has overcome all his superstitious bt
lefS but ore. He will Fever make his ex
from room through any other door tina
the one that he entered by The other da
his committee held very important NEE
ing at which the Senator was presen
Immediately outside of the door of ti
committee room several newspaper men Ia
in wait for the committeeman to come OF
to obtain information as to the action {
the committee. The room has two door
only one of which is used, however as
thoroughfare, the other being used on
on extraordinary occasions. Two of II
COMM tteemen in order to give the slip
the newspaper men went out the unust
door. I.ut the SuperstitiouS Senator a