The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-03-17
STU4RT ROBSON As A PAGE.
"Reminiscences of Some OF tho Noted Mon
of Nearly Half II Century Ago.

Few who have seen Stuart Robson in
his clever acting in the Walnut Street
theater during the present week know
that he was at one time page in the
Tails of congress. Speaking on the
subject, he said:
81 was a page in the Thirtieth and
Thirty-first congresses and clearly re-
member events which then happened,
while I readily forget many important
occurrences in my mature life. II wcs
not an easy thing in those days for q
boy to get such an appointment. J had
great struggle before 1 was success
full, and. after all, / was appointed by
accident. I was born in Annapolis and
raised in Baltimore. My parents had
no political pull whatever, and their
means We're not abundant enough to
make them influential socially The
necessity of doing something to add to
the family store therefore came upon
me very early in life ! thought of a
dozen things, my mother of a dozen
more. Finally hit upon a place In the
Capitol as page. Reyerdy Johnson,
who was then a prominent man, was a
distant relative of ours. and he gave me
letter to some friends in Washington.
On my arrival there | found more than
one hundred boys, all with more influ
ence than had, clamoring for the doz
en- places to be filled. Yet / held on to
what little grip my letters gave me,
and one day secured Jeff Davis as one
Of ,1ot Iie lat IN, In
keeper of the house was not over learn
est, but 1t was a great Kindness to a
boy without influence, either socially or
politically, / haunted the Capitol day
after day, and ! must have been a
nightmare to the man having the APP
pointing power. I was so persistent
that he finally promised me that
should go on as substitute when any of
the boys were sick. / have often heard
1t said that great events turn upon
small hinges. 1t was so in my case.
One of the boys was reported sick one
morning, and l heard of 1t early. | inn
mediately collared the doorkeeper and
reminded him Of his promise ! was
Just in the nick of time for he had
made the same promise to a dozen boys
anu hllty Hclt cit the lOohpul ats> MSil csp
myself / was ahead however, and
was sent on the floor Of the house to
take the place of the sick boy. 1t
seems to me that | must have had q
hundred eyes that day for no member
called page from any part of the
house that | did not see and immedi-
ately make a break for him. I wanted
to do all the work, and the rest of the
boys were quite willing to let me do as
much of 1t as I could. Howell Cobb
was then speaker of the house, and
Robert Toombs and Alexander I'll.
Stephens of Georgia were members.
Mr.. Toombs had signed my application.
II naturally kept my eye on him that
fateful day, and never missed an op.
portunity of jumping to his desk upon
the slightest provocation. Late In the
afternoon he and Mr.. Stephens were at
their desk, and talking to them was a
very large gentleman with the biggest
feet / ever saw on a man. OF course
such a thing as that never escapes a
boy. and all the pages were observing
those feet. Finally, a member sitting
directly behind Mr. Toombs clapped for
a page. I Immediately made for him,
and in passing this ponderous man
with the big feet, stumbled over him
suppose l must have hurt his bunions
terribly. for he gave me an awful
nudge in the ribs with his elbow, which
nearly knocked me down, and said:
You careless little rascal! Can't
you see where you are going?"
Mr.. Toombs laughed heartily, but
was in anything but good humor over
the incident. I completed my errand
for the member who had called, and
then took my seat below the speakers
desk. A few minutes later the large
man with the big feet, as I afterward
learned, was General Winfield Scott,
left the house, and Mr.. Toombs called
me- He was in excellent humor, and
said:
"'Son, there's another man over
there with big feet, and If you will go
and fall over them I will give you half
a dollar
Il thought he was making sport of
me, and was about TO turn and leave
him for my post when he said:
"'You are a new boy here, aren't
you?
i explained TO MIN tildt WAS pily
on duty for the day, and reminded him
| that he was on my petition for regu-
lar place.
as that SOP said he. Well, will
go right to the doorkeeper with you
now and have 1t fixed He took me
and went directly to Mr.. Horner, and
said bluffiy to him:
Why don't you give this boy a
place? Didn't recommend him"
1.-THE doorkeeper explained that he
was so crowded with applications that
he couldn't find place for me, but he
promised Mr.. Toombs that l should
| have the first vacancy.
| "One morning I found out that one of
| the lads he d been taken off by his pa
rents. l Immediately bounced upon
Mr.. Horner to keep his promise. but he
put me off, saying he was so crowded
with other obligations that he could not
| take care of me. / Immediately report
ed the facts to Mr. Toombs
The devil you say!' said the states
man from Georgia. I'll see whether he
! puts you on or not
''He took me by the hand and walked
directly over to where the doorkeeper
4