The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-15
STUART ROBSON AS A PAGE.
"Reminiscences of some of the Noted
Men of Nearly Half n Century Ago.

From the Philadelphia Times.
Few who have seen Stuart Robson in MS
clever acting in the Walnut Street theater
during the present week know that he was
at one time a page in the halls OF con-
gress. Speaking on the subject, he SAID:
Il was page i'm the Thirtieth and Thirty
first congresses and clearly remember
events which then happened, while ! read
lily forget many important occurrences IN
my mature life. 1t was not an easy tnlns
in those days for a boy to get such an APP
pointment. / had a great struggle before
/ was successful and, after all, was APP
Dointed by accident. / was born IN An
napolis and raised I'm Baltimore. My par
ents had no political pull whatever, and
their means were 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 dozen
things my mother of dozen more. FINAL
ly hit upon place in the capitol as page.
Reverdy johnson, who was then a promi-
nent man, was distant relative or ours,
and he gave me letter to some friends IN
Washington. On my arrival there round
more than 100 boys all with more influence
than had, clamoring for the dozen places
to be filled. Yet / held on to what little
grip my letter gave me, and one day Sc
cured jeff Davis as one of my sponsors.
His letter to the doorkeeper of the House
was not over-earnest, but 1t was great
Kindness to a boy without influence. either
itol day after day, and | must have been
a nightmare to the man with the appoint
ing power. | was 50 persistent that he
finally promised me that | should go on as
a substitute when any of the boys were
sick. / have often heard II said that great
events turn upon small hinges. II was so
in my case. One of the boys was reported
sick one morning, and | heard of II early.
/ Immediately collared the doorkeeper and
reminded him of his promise. / was just
in the nick of time, for he had made the
50 nr0Unign TO dozen other bOVG. and
they were on the lookout as well as my
self / 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 1
must have had a hundred eyes that day,
for no member called a page from any
part of the House that / did not see and
Immediately make break for him.
wanted to do all the work, and the rest
of the boys were quite willing to let me
do as much of it as could. Howell Cobb
was then speaker of the House, and Rob
ert Toombs and Alexander II. Stephens of
Georgia were members. Mr.. Toombs had
signed my application.
Il naturally kept my eye on him that
fateful day, and never missed an oppor-
tunity of jumping to his desk upon the
slightest provocation. Late in the after
noon he and Mr.. Stephens were at their
desk, and talking TO them was a very
large gentleman with the biggest feet /
ever saw on man. OF course such a
thing as that never escapes a boy, and
all the pages We're observing those feet.
Finally member sitting directly behind
Mr.. Toombs clapped for a page. ! imme-
diately made for him, and In passing this
ponderous man with the big feet, / STUN
bled over him. ! suppose | 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 goingY'
''Mr Toombs laughed heartily, but /
was in anything but good humor over the
incident j 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, whom, as / afterward learned,
was Gen. Winfield Scott, left the House,
and Mr.. Toombs called to 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 will give you half a dollar.
IT thought he was making sport Of me,
and was about to turn and leave him
for my post, when he said;
You are new boy here, aren't your
Il explained to him that / was only on
duty for the day. and reminded him that
he was on my petition for a regular place.
els that so2' said he. Well, / will go
right to the doorkeeper with you now