The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-02-05
TURNING TIME BACKWARD,
Cow the Day Is Heightened in the United
States Senate.

Capt. Isaac Bassett, the veteran as.
sistant doorkeeper of the senate, who
died recently, first turned back the
ilnger OF time on the face of the big
clock in 1914. He has told how it hap
! pened. and his own account of it is
more interesting, perhaps, than it can
be made by elaboration:
1T was on March /, 1914, that first
/ turned backward the hands of the SEN
ate clock. The senate then, in what is
/ how 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 empore-Senator
William L. Mangum. of North Carolina
that the hands of the clock might be
so manipulated as to lengthen the Of
fetal day. / was sent for and was or
dered by Mr.. Mangum to put the hands
back ten minutes. The senate clock
then was a tall one. and L remember
very distinctly climbing up to its face
The time thus manufactured was suf,
ficient and the bill became law. ONLY
on rare occasions was there any med
ding with the clock to within the last
60 years. Since then the hands have
been turned back at least once in every
congress"
Capt. Bassett had learned 10 regard
the old desks and chairs of the senate
as historical relics in his personal care.
lie knew the history of each one, when
it was made, who was it's first occu-
pant and by whom it bad been used
since it was first employed. He also
knew the vandals 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 desl,s
and chairs registered in book closed
TO everybody. Mr.. Bassett would pre-
fer to see the chairs of CaSs, Calhoun,
Clay. Webster and other great states
lnen burned where they stood than mu-
tilated by the relic-hunter. The desks
are made of the best mahogany, and
after the pattern first used when the
Washington. Every desk made for the
senate is still in use. Some of the
Orig inal chairs also remain.
Turing his long term of service Capt.
BasBett has been absent when the SEN
ate was in session only 80 days, and
90 of those days had been lost on ac-
count of illness during the last five
years. To be absent moment when he
should be at his post was distressing TO
the veteran. when sickness keeps me
indoors" he has said, lin spite OF all
my endeavors to be cheerful, / am
simply miserable. You cannot under
stand how l feel. After 63 years of
service the idea that the senate is in
session and am not there seems awful.
1 can picture 10 my mind the vacant
chair, and of course l feel confident
that nobody can perform my duties sat
isfactorily."
Capt. BaSsett had a private nook in
the senate room of the capitol which
few people ever heard of and fewer /
still had ever seen. It 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 a lot OF historical and antique articles. |
each of which has a volume of remi- |
niscences clustered around it He had |
the old sunf boxes used by senator's !
whtn the boxes were kept in the inches I
on each side of the vice presidents /
chait: 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 Sumner. He kept ali /
OF these things for description in book |
which he intended 20 publish before his
death.-San Francisco Call.