The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-03
what wise said 10 Roosevelt.

They were telling a story about the com
mlttee rooms yesterday setting forth
what John A Wise OF Virginia said TO
Theodore Roosevelt, says the Washing
ton Post.
Roosevelt" said Wise. after they had
mutually shaken hands and espresso
themselves as delighted 10 meet-they had
known each other a long time RoOse-
welt, IN your crusading and speechmaking
and the interviews you publish, you re-
mind me nightly of a story.
There was a man fell dead in Union
square one day and carted 10 the mOrgue.
No one knew him. Although later a party
took look at him and said that, while
by no means sure. he thought deceased
was man named Jones from Troy.
The officials wired the Jones family
at Troy, informing the JOneses that they
had the dead body OF the head of the
family. and asking what was TO be done.
The Jones family wired back:
'Enhalm father, ana put him In a
rosewood casket. We will be down in
New York tomorrow
Next day two Of Jones' sons showed
up at the undertaker's who had been
called by the New York officials to take
charge of the corpse and carry out the
wired directions Of the Jones family. The
undertaken was all smiles and subdued
urbanity. and received the two sons as
pleasantly as he might, and still be pro-
fessionally mOurnfuL The sons shook
hands with the man Of caskets, weeping
silently the while
Would you ike to look at the body
before l box it uD TO go back TO Troyg
asked the undertaken
Yes, the Jones sons thought they
would. As the undertaken removed the
bandages from the face of the departed
so as TO permit the grief-bitten children
a view, the lower jaw dropped gruesome-
~, and disclosed a set Of false teeth. At
this the younger son started cOnVulsiVely,
and pointing at the teeth. said:
" Brother, look here. That's not father
at all; it's somebody else. Father never
1t certainly is not father" said the
elder of the two and. of course, as II
isn't father. father must be alive and
we'll This is a joyful hour, brother; let
US repair to a saloon and become eX-
ceeding drunk in its honor
But. hold on shouted the undertak
err as the two Joneses, no longer bereav-
ed, were about starting away to act On
the bibulous suggestion of the elder hold
on; who's going to pay me for all TINS
good embalmlng fluid, and this excellent
rosewood casket?
Surely not we responded the
Joneses. We wired you TO embalm faith
er and confer on him a coffin. But this
is not father. We owe you nothing.
Whatever you have done for the poor
stranger who lies here, you must look 20
d m TO square. The Jones household will
not meet any bis of his contracting
Then the two JOneses went away, and
We're at once presently embarked on a
After they had left. the undertaken
turned to deceased and addressed him.
And it is here said Wise 20 Roosevelt,
." Now. see what you've done said the
undertaken Indignantly, as he shook a
reproachful forefiLgCr at the silent clay
before him Now, what you've up
and done. As the game stood you were
about to have a swell funeral, with a
grave in a high-priced lot. You were to
have o rosewood casket as your last
envelope, and your last resting place
would havs been adorned with a monu-
ment that would have been out Of sight.
And you up and spoil il all. Now, you're
going to get a pine box instead of rose
wood, and be carted away to a grave in
the Potter's field. there 10 sleep unwept,
unhonored and unsung. And why, ! ask .?
What las worked this serious and dismal
change in your fortunes? It's simply be-
cause you couldn't keep your id mouth
shut
And" continued Wise as he laid a
sympathetic hand on the young reform
er's shoulder "As / look at you, Roose-
Welt, and think how, one short year ago,
you we're the pet of party, you VINO are
to-lay an orphan of politics, fashion of
political founding whom everybody is
trying to leave on everybody elses door
step, and remember how your fortunes
We're changed. l cannot but think of that
individual who dropped dead in Union
square. You, like the corpse, might have
been buried proudly in the cemetery of
the republican party. Now you, like he,
will fill a grave in some Potter's field of
politics, and all because you, like he,
couldn't keep your mouth shut"