davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The San Francisco call., 1897-01-31

ing the night. Colonel Poston explained
apologeticaily that the Mexican had been
forming the nucleus of an indigenous 20
illogical collection.
az leJ him keep his pets in the yard
here" said the colonel, "but last night
some one liberated all OF them and now
he is ruined"
At the lar end of the yard is long low
adobe house, all but one small room OF
which is tenanted by weaving spiders in
wintertime and by tarantuas on the hot
days. That single tiny room is at once
the kitchen anG boudoir of Arizona's first
Congressman-a learned, cultured gentle
man, lawyer, traveller. author, explorer,
soldier. His reception-room is larger. 1t
takes in the whole yard. And, sitting
here in the afternoon sunlight Colonel
Poston smoked his pipe and explained
what everybody else in the Territory has
been explaining for ten days past-lhat the
recent wet weather is the most remark
able thing in the known history of Ari-
zona winters. Only the information
comes with better grace from Colonel Pos
ton, for he speaks with larger knowl-
edge; and it carries more of conviction,
for the colonel has no corner lots to sell.
The last years of three-quartefs of GEN.
tury are closing on the life of Colonel
Poston, who might, with due regard for
the eternal fitness OF things, be called the
father of Arizona. He came here in the
fifties, when $4,000 wild Indians roamed at
will over the Territory, and its only white
inhabitants were handful of settlers
ha bo 10
He was born in Hardin County, XIV. in
April of 1926. At II years of age he was
placed in the County Clerks Office, where
he remained for seven years. Here he
learned the rudiments of the profession
that became his vocation, when ten years
later at Nashville he was admitted to the
practice of law by the Supreme Court of
Tennessee.
But the law was not to claim him en-
tirely, and the requirement of fortune
was not his highest am bition. When the
United States gained California he joined
the argonauts and came overland to the
Golden State. In 1850 he arrived in San
Francisco and was honored at once with a
tirst-class clerkship in the Custom house.
He served four years in this position,
which fact alone entities him to much
fame in San Francisco o-particularIy from
the Iroquois braves-as having served in
the Custom house before the advent of
Jerome.
When the treaty between the United
States and Mexico for the purchase of
Arizona was concluded Colonel Poston
headed band of thirty adventurous souls
who set out to explore the new Territory
They embarked at San Francisco and ar
rived at Guaymas in January, 1854.
Through Chihuahua and Sonora, up into
Uncle Sans new Ell Dorado, marched the
explorers. After examining the Territory
and taking specimens OF its mineral
wealth, Colonel Poston returned to Cali
fornia, and thence across the isthmus
to New York, Philadelphia and Washing
ton. He spent the year 1855 on the At
lantic seaboard, enlisting interest for the
The San Francisco call., 1897-01-31
PEN PICTURE OF Il STHTESMHN
The New Sonator-Eloct Of illinois and His
Big Happy Family-The Wife Who Has
Been His Inspiration and the
Children Who Hre His
Pride and Hope.

two, three or four big enough or little
enough to remind him of some one OF his
interesting circle in the big city which
was lust beginning to know him and his
persistency. The Saturdays and Sundays
at home he taught his family the game OF
politics, and it thereupor happens that
the mother, the boys and the girls IN 1t
know the State leader as "Clarke OF Mat
toon, or Cannon of Danviile."
Papa came to the hardest and most i'm
portant fight in his life, and, following out
the plan of other years, he wanted Mrs
Mason close at hand for advice and lnsp1ra-
uon. She went to Springfield. The girls
wanted to go. too. They had helped fix
up the list of delegates, and knew all
about the preferences of the men from the
country districts. There are lot of small
chiIdren-or at least smaller children than
the big girls-and so they were compelled
to stay home and keep house. This is the
way papa and his family get along. They
all work together. Papa is the king, and
all the other eight are the kings men and
the kings ladies. 1t is always papa against
the world and hurrah for papa! United
they stand; division brings tears-the
sort of division which took Lawrence and
Edith in their infancy.
Papa took Lewis with him, Lewis being
a young man and the confidential lieuten-
ant in the long struggle. He is % and a
lawyer fresh from the Kent school. Ethel
was left at home because she is the dean
The San Francisco call., 1897-01-31

@%ENATOR ELECT MASON of Hi
nois has a family which runs up
@SE in years like the rounds in step
ladder. The heads of the children when
standing in a row make series OF
steps equal in nun Der to those which
lead into his stone house in Washington
boulevard, says the Chicago Times Herald.
The right of the line is held by the first
son. Then there is a bunch OF three girls.
This brings the height down to the num-
ber of inches claimed by papa, and two
bows come about to his shoulder. The
ninth child is a boy-a bit taller than
papa's knee-the sixth and eighth having
died some years ago. The big son likes
law, the three girls like music, the two
boys like skates and the baby likes
chickens.
Men who know Mr.. Mason-and every
body must now forget the other titles and
call him mister-are not surprised at his
home. All the people in il inherit his ma
ture and inherit all the graces of the
mother. There is a corner on sunshine
under his vine and fig tree. Papa plays
the hand organ, Lewis plays. the flute,
Ethel plays the piano, Ruth plays the vio-
lin. Winifred plays the guitar, Willie
plays the mandolin, Rod plays the banjo
and Lowell plays anything he can get his
hands on. This is the Mason orchestra,
and it appears as often as papa gets in
from the stump, or as frequently as it ap-
pears that the neighborhood will stand 1t
The San Francisco call., 1897-01-31
THE FFTE OF Il NOBLE GENIUS
Hrizona's First Delegate in Congress, CoIot
mel Charles D. Poston, Now Ending His
Eventful and Varied Career in Sol
itude and Poverty in Rude
Hut at Phoenix

new possessions. In the following yea
he came back to Arizona, bringing with
him big company and funds for opening
the silver mines. This was dangerous
work in th ose days, for the Apaches were
untamed and the Federal troops were few
and far between posts. Two years later
General Heintzelman, the president of
the company, came out and relieved
Colonel Poston for season, but when the
Civil War broke out Poston was in charge
of the com mpany's business in Arizona.
with plant that cost million dollars.
Now the few troops were withdrawn for
more important service, and the Mexicans
and the warning Indians made sad havoc
of things in Arizona. Colonel Poston left
the country in ruins and crossed the con-
tinent with. only one companion, Professor
Pumpelly. Repairing to Washington
Poston served on the staff OF his old
friend, General Heintzelman.
| In 1868 President Lincoln appointed
Poston Superintendent of Indian Affairs
for Arizona, and upon the organization of
civil government in the Territory he was
elected as the first delegate to Congress.
After his term in Congress Colonel Pos]
ton made tour of Europe, and after th6
Paris Exposition of 1867 he wrote 'Eu-
rope in Summer Time" book that once
had large sale and was numbered among
standard volumes. Returning to Wash
ington he resumed the practice of law in
partnership with Judge Bolts of Califor-
MIA. at the time of the Burlingame Chi
nese embassy Mr.. Seward commissioned
him to visit Asia in the ostensiDle interest
Of immigration and irrigation, and ne was
The San Francisco call., 1897-01-31

also especially commissioned to bear dis
patches from the Chinese embassy to the
EN- peror of Chin6.
One of President Grants last official
acts was to appoint Colonel Poston Regis
ter of the Land Office in Arizona and, like
an Arab, he returned to the desert and
was lost to sight for ten years. In after
years he served as consular agent at No
gales, Mex, then as military agent at Ell
Paso. Subsequent to this he devoted sew
eral years to promoting measures for the
reclamation of the arid lands of the West
by National irrigation. In 1890 he was ap-
pointed agent of the Department OF Agri-
culture at Phoenix. But now he has
almost outlived his usefulness. He has
neither fortune, position nor pension. He
is member of the Society of the Sons of
the American Revolution, president of
the Arizona Historical Society, councillor of
American Institute of Civics, and whole
lot of other things that are entirely hon.
orary. He has long since been a widower.
He has grandson at Stanford University
and another in San Francisco. HIS only
daughter is married to a sergeant in the
barracks on Angel Island. He has, in
truth enough to eat and drink and smoke.
He has q calm conscience and a useful
past that is not unpleasant to contem-
plate His body is not so vigorous aslit
once was, though the real man Within
him is as keen and active, perhaps, As
ever He was telling me about the ruins
and strange things of Arizona, and the
conversation drifted from the petrIfed re-
mains OF the cliff dwelIers to the primi-
tive crematories of the Yuma Indians.
"The first cremation 1 ever saw" he
said, ''was in 1868 on the banks of the
Colorado River, just above Yuma. The
next one 1 saw was on the banks of the
Ganges in 1885,"
"Were they the same? ~
'As to smell, yes; couldn't tell the
difference"
"But were the methods of cremation the
same?" 1 asked.
mot exactly. On the Ganges. where
fuel is scarce, several bodies are disposed
of at once. On the Colorado, where tuel Is
plentiful, they build a separate bonfire
for each corpse"
He is q bright and entertaining conver-
sationalist, but he seldom talks now. He
sits out here in the sunshine. under the
wonderful Arizona skies, ana thinks and
thinks-I wonder OF what?
JAMES II. GRIFFEs.
The San Francisco call., 1897-01-31

nTHGNIX, ARIz., Jan. %, 1897.-The
10 ingratitude of republics has no bet
AS'$ ter example than that afforded by
the case of Colonel Charles D. Poston in
this city. His Is a melancholy instance
the closing of long life of public service
almost in solitude, entirely in poverty,
amid scenes of squalor, in a wretched
adobe hut on the outskirts of the capital
city of the Territory that owes to his en-
ergy and daring no small degree OF its
present fame and prosperity
Charles D. Poston-the name has an un-
familiar sound to the present generation.
And yet so noted O man as w hitelaw Reid
drew rein before the humble adobe hut
one day last week. The ragged neighbor-
hood marveled to see the stylish equipage
and none guessed that the seedy old man
who crossed palms with the great ed itor
had played even larger part in the making
of history. For the neigh bo1hood is Mexi-
can and the old man lives in such seclu-
sion that many of the Caucasian inhabi-
tants scarcely know of his existence. But
the whole Territory wears on the tip of its
tongue the information that Whitelaw
Reid has his winter residence in Salt
River Valley. And now that the incident
is over and the two great men have met
| though one was in shining affluence, the
other in dull penury-Den remember il
to the lasting credit of Whitelaw Reid
| that he could lose sight of his own great
| ness in paying tribute to the genius of one
whose life has almost gone out.
When pushed open the rude gate yes
terday spry Mexican lad was searching
| for two rattlesnakes that had escaped dur
The San Francisco call., 1897-01-31
Irving Went to Sleep.

The venerable John II. B. Latrobe tells
me, writes DR.. John Morris in the Balti-
more Sun, that in 1882 Mr.. Irving paid a
visit to Baltimore and was the guest OF
the Hon. Louis McLane the father of. the
Hon. Robert NJ. McLane. ex-Minister to
France. Mr.. Latrobe arranged dinner
party in honor of Mr. Irving. He invited
the elite of the city to meet the distin-
guished author. Among the invited were
such welI-known people of the day as
Johh P. Kennedy, Charles Fenno Hoffman,
both authors; Christopher Hughes (Kit
Hughes) Charles Carroll Gather of Cover
nor CarrolD, Mr.. Bonaparte and many
ladies we'll known at that time.
Mr.. Irving led Mrs. Latrobe into the
dining-room, and sat on her right. Mrs.
Latrobe was a very beautiful woman and
Mr.. Irving, up to certain point, appeared
to be charmed with her beauty and grace.
However, her graces and beauty must
have palled, for before the dinner was
over Mr.. Irving went fast asleep. The
memb bers of the dinner party, who, OF
course, kept their eyes fixed on Mr.. Irv-
ing, discovered simultaneously that their
hero was nodding-a sincere, earnest,
heavy nod. A general smile passed
around among the assem- bled guests.
There were routs in those days, but our
people were too polite TO carry off the
Sieur Godfrey in the midst of his slum-
bers to the AdeIphi, the fashionable resort
of that day. Shade of Sancho Panzal Was
not the creator of Rip Van WinkIe enti-
tied to sleep, even the sleep of the Seven
Sleepers?
The San Francisco call., 1897-01-31

and not make protest. This is the only
way the household has to make life a real,
sensible satisfying joke.
Papa is notibetter fun in any mans hom e
than he is in his own. Mrs. Mason will
tell You this. 1t is insisted by both that
they were married because they concluded
they had the right idea on home and were
to join hands in making a home which
would be more than four walls ana a
place to 90 to when everything else was
closed up. He was as poor as Jobs turkey
when he asked Edith NJ. White in Des
Moines to be Mrs. Mason. He had moth
ing but confidence in himself, and he had
somehow-as men have q habit OF doing
led Miss White to think tbs sun rose and
set on him. He had been a schoolteacher,
but he predicted that the country would
hear from him. He said he would be a
good husband-as men have a habit of
saying III advance-and he meant it.
Papa did not do much besides getting
his name in the directory tor a long time
after he came to Chicago. He lived in a
coy fatal flats are cozy in the adver-
tisements-with four or FIVE rooms and a
pleasant, sunny" bedroom looking out
against q dead wall painted white. He
was doing court reporting and spending
his evenings reading jokes from the Joke
books. Mrs. Mason did not see exactly
what bearings the jokes had on the future
or how they were to figure in making the
country hear from the man she had mar
ried because she loved him. Papa studied
law when he had time, and one day the
town was electrifed-not-by l-oticing the
sign of a law firm of which Mason was
the junior partner and man equally new
the senior partner.
1t was along about this time that papa
was first called papa, and son came to
help papa's JOKES light up the sunny bed
room-with one window looking out upon
the broad and white dead wall. Mrs.
Mason kept a stout and confident heart
because she nad believed what papa said
when they sat huddled up on the sofa out
in Des Moines-one of those sofas where
there is always plenty of room in the day.
time for six and barely space TOR two when
the lights are low and the moon sits soft
glare through the curtains and the head
of the household is sleeping upstairs. Mrs.
Mason kept papa working for fame, and
there came a chance to go into politics.
This was the chance for the jokes and ora
tory, and papa went on the stump.
Illinois had never heard anything like
1t. He talked in all the schoolhouses,
town halls, lodgerooms and meetin houses
from Pecatonica 10 Peru and crosswise,
and slipped back to town to talk it over
with Mrs. Mason and jump the one, two
or three babies on his knee. There was
no place like home. 1t was the encour-
agement he got at these visits that made
the inspiration. and when out in the mud
and slush of Egypt he shut his eyes and
kissed other peoples babies because he
found under each roof that he visited one,
The San Francisco call., 1897-01-31
CTLIFORNIH FIELD IDYLS--WILD PLTYMHTES
The Naturalist at Large Tells Delightful Story About the
Sports Of Bird Beast and nsectJ heir Fr0cs and Their
Games-Some Animals With Solemn Ideas Of Fun
and Others Brmnin9 Over With GeefuIness

show of dignity, from the presence which
he evidently hated, but dared not attack.
Bland and serene, smiling as only a cat
can smile, Tom lay quietly watching the
kitten until the latter had got little
distance away. Then he arose. The kit
ten stopped and stood at defense. Not to
preserve its whiskers would il run, but
Tom merely approached and again lay
down, lazy and smiling, to enjoy the fun,
while the small furry fury continued its
retreat. Three times he did this, and only
ceased the teasing performance when his
master called him away.
Even spiders, the most solitary and un-
companionahle OF creatures, play, drop
ping down upon their silken threads, run
ming back and forth upon their webs, un-
mistakably taking recreation. Who has
not seen of summer evening a swift
hawk swinging afar through the sky, dip
ping, swerving, circling, then on motion
less wings sailing straight away toward
the horizon. not in search of prey, but in
the pure joy of motion, playing up there
in the ethere al freedom?
Happiness, Joy in existence, is the nat
ural heritage of every creature. We hui
mans have little remaining of it, because
most of US have sold our birthright for a
mess of pottage, oftener yet for the dry
husks of that which we mistakenly call
life. Even our relaxations are mere postur-
ing, from which we get not even as much
pleasure as the ground-squirrei derives
from his queer pulpiteering.
Poor human nature" we say, and talk
plously of "hiCher things than happi-
ness" l tell you happiness is one of the
high things of this life of ours. 1--WE may
always be sure, whatever we are doing
that.we cannot be pleasing II i'm if we are
not happy ourselves"
The San Francisco call., 1897-01-31

of the girls and therefore successor OF
Mrs. Mason in the rule of the home. She
is 20. Ruth was TOO busy at the West
Division High School and she watched
the battle from afar. She could not stand
it and one day called papa up by phone
just to see how things were progressing
and TO get changes for her list of papa's
men. She is 49, Winifred comes next.
Sire is IA and an amateur photographer.
William is like his father, whose name he
bears, and he has been on the scene o +
battle for two weeks. William has his
eye on the Presidency.
Pa pa likes Roderick because Roderick is
8 and more fun than barrel of monkeys.
Lowell is 81 and is making his beginning
speeches from the top of the highchair.
His lungs are marvelous-just like papa 8,
He and papa both play the hand organ
and have a mouth organ between them.
This completes the personnel of the
household, the full names of all the chill
dren being:
LEWIS FRANCIS MASON.
ETHEL WINSLOW MASON,
RUTH WHITE MASON,
WINIFRED SPRAGUE MASON,
WILLIAM ERNEST MASON JR.,
LAWRENCE GEORGE MASON,
RODERICK WHITE MASON,
EDITH WHITE MASON,
LOWELL BLAKE MASON.
Papa has lived in his handsome home
at the edge of Garfield Park for six years.
1t is probably worth 10000. 1t is in one
of the aristocratic neighborho DDS, and
there are but few better in w ashington
boulevard. There is a choice library,
many fine pictures and all the other
equipments of a home like papa's, and
homes like papa's are the best on earth.
There is great Joy in the house at this
time, and all those left at home are busy
telling the neighbors how it happened
and answering telegrams for papa, bring
ing congratulations from friends in Wash
lngton and every place else.
Papa has an album filled with all kinds
of pictures of his family. The group
shown in the picture reproduced with this
article was taken from this album, and
shows the family as it stood in $780, when
papa was Congressman. The place on the
end should now be taken by Lowell, who
dates since the photograph was taken.
Lawrence, the second from the end, died
In Washington. The snapshot picture is
OF Roderick feeding the chickens while
spending the summer in Patterson, N. Y.
! 1t was made by Ethel and Ruth, who had
the camera as present from papa.
The San Francisco call., 1897-01-31
Some Great Blondes.

Here is a list of the famous blondes
of history or mythology: Lilith. the first
wife of Adam, was blonde; sc
was Eve, Venus, Daphne, Pandora,
Diana, Circe, Medusa, Ceres, Fiona,
Pomona, Helen of Troy, Phryne, A..
pasta, Lady Macbeth, Lucretia Borpva,
Blanca, Capello, Marie and Catherine de
Medicis, Ninon de l'EncIos, Nine. de
Chevreuse, Helen Jegado and Nine. Mont
bazon. There is some doubt about Cleo
patra and Mary of Scotland Shakespeare
makes the former blonde, anu if the lat
ter was not All out-and-out blonde, she
had at least auburn hair,
The San Francisco call., 1897-01-31

A rule has just been introduced at all
the theaters of Italy by which the per-
formers are forbidden, under pain of fine,
to receive flowers during representation,
or to notice in any way the presence of
the audience. This will now put an end
in Italy to bouquet-throwing in the middle
of a scene or at the end OF song.
The San Francisco call., 1897-01-31

Electricity, in its various applications,
is said to give employment to 5000, 00O
people.
The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1897-05-08
HOW TO YAWN.

Did you ever watch a dog cape? For
thoroughness and entire absence of affecta-
ton and mock shamefacedness there is
nothing like it, says Pearson's Weekly.
When a dog gapes he doesn't screw his face
irto all sorts of unnatural shapes in an
endeavor to keep his mouth shut with his
jaws wide open.
Neither does he put his paw up to his
face in an apologize way, while gaping in
ambush, as it were. No; when he gapes
he is perfectly willing that the whole world
shall come to the show. He braces him
self firmly on his fore feet, stretches out his
neck, depresses his head and his jaws open
with graceful moderation.
At first it is but an exaggerated grin, but
when the cape is apparently accomplished
the dog turns out his elbows, opens his jaws
another As degrees, swallows an imaginary
bone by sudden and convulsive movement
curles up his tongue like the petal of tiger
lily and shuts his jaws together with snap.
Then he assumes grave and contented
visage, as is eminenty becoming to one who
has performed duty successfully and con-
scientiously
The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1897-05-08
SENATORS AND SOLDIERS.

The days when senators AID represent
atives in congress were expected to frank
letters for private soldiers, recountcd by
Mr.. J. A. Watrous of Chicago in some
for congressional visits to the military
camps.
Mr.. Watrous says that Senator Timothy
o. Howe of Wisconsin once visited the
headquarters of his friend, General Rufus
King, and was at the first opportunity
heseiged by the soldiers with packages of
envelopes t" be franked
Senator Howe was one of the most good
natured of men, and immediately sat down
in the tent Of one of the captains and began
to frank envelopes by the hundred.
General King had made special prepare
tons fora dinner in honor of his guest
1t was to eclipse all the camp dinners that
had been given for a long time. Senator
Howe had been frank ing envelopes about
half an hour when the call came fordin ner.
lie went on writing, and General King
came to get him.
$50 on, King; I'll be there directly, "
said the senator.
Dinner was served. The guests had
arrived. No one ate, but after awhile the
colored cook was sent to tell the senator
that the meal was getting cold.
'Oh, tell them to 90 ahead" said the
senator, still writing madly on soldiers
envelopes I'm be with them as soon as
| can"
He finished the pile and rose to 90, but
just then two more soldiers came in with
fresh parcels and he seated himself again.
After he had signed them all he joined the
impatient company at a cold dinner.
'I'm sorry,' he said, ''but it made the
boys happy. They will make their friends
happy with all they will send in those
franked envelopes, and it made me happy
to do it,"