Omaha daily bee., 1897-05-09
GOSSIP ABOUT NOTED PEOPLE.

| James Minot OF Concord, N. H.. has been
elected commander of the Department OF
| New Hampshire Grand Army of the Re
public. When he was 19 years OF age he
enlisted in company A, One Hundred and
Fortieth regiment, New York volunteers
and served with his regiment in the field
| until May s. 1864 when he was permanently
disabled in the battle of the wilderness and
taken prisoner remaining in the confederacy
| to the following September. For more than
| thirty years he has been in the banking
| business, and is now a director Of the
| Mechanics National bank in Concord, where
| he resides
Horace Plunkett told a good story In the
| House of Commons the other day His
| family, he said, had for generations been
| divided into two branches, Protestant and
| Catholic, respectively; and 1t had been the
habit OF the Protestant members OF the
family to swear that all the property was
theirs in order to preserve 1t from confsca-
tion. But toward the end of the last century
the practice was interrupted, one old gentle
man declaring that standing on the brink
of the grave. he could not take the response
bility of telling such lie. IF he had been
younger he might have acted otherwise"
Grant, in company with some other gen
erals, once attended McVicker's theater, in
st. Louis. to hear Max Maretzek's cDera of
SLEEPY Hollow" They occupied McVicker's
private box, to which a withdrawing room
was attached. where between the acts Gen
eral Grant could enjoy his cigar. While he
was putting away awaiting for the curtain to
rise on the last act MCVicker thought he
would get an expression from him concerning
the merits of the production He seems to
talk easy enough" said the manager to him
self. 'lll see what he thinks of the piece,
anyway" So in his quiet way he sauntered
up to Grant and said: General, how do you
Ia, -. H.. 1,
from his mouth and blew away a great
cloud of smoke. well" he said, "if that
fellow gets the girl and the $4,000, it's all
right" showing that his sympathies en-
braced the economic, as well as the senti-
mental features of the situation.
The bronze statue OF Stephen Girard,
which is to be unveiled in Philadelphia this
month, is of heroic size, and will rest upon
pedestal of gray granite nine feet high
making the total height of the monument
eighteen feet. On the front OF the pedestal
in addition to the name OF Girard and the
dates of his birth and death, is cut in
granite a small bas-relief representing the
ship Water Witch. 1t was through the build
ing of the vessel that Mr. Girard became ac-
quainted with Mary Lum, whom he later
took as his wife. The emblem he charac-
terized his mascot" having it reproduced
on the railing around his country house. On
one side of the pedestal will be handsomely
executed bronze medallion representing
Girard's career as mariner and merchant"
Upon the other side of the pedestal the
phianthropic view Of his life is exemplifed
by a reproduction in bronze Of the main
building Of Girard college. On the rear will
appear brief description of the gift, cut in
granite, and the words, "Philadelphias
greatest phlanthropist."
Numerous stories about the late Congress
man Holman are cropping up. Twelve years
ago he was chairman of a committee to in
vestgate alleged Indian abuses. In the
course of it's journeyings the committee Wis
tied Reno. Colonel E. " Sumner of the
Fifth cavalry, was in command of the fort
and as the distinguished party entered the in
closure, he caused a salute to be fired. The
cannon roared, and there was great demon
straton. When the colonel came forward
to greet the visitors, Judge Holman said
Colonel, what is all that cannonading for?
What's the occasion of it?" 'It is salute in
honor of you gentlemen" explained Colonel
Sumner "Then stop it, stop it right off. 1t
is useless waste of public money, sir, and
I cannot permit it," said the great objector
with alarm depicted on his countenance,
Sorry Mr. Holman" said the colonel greatly
taken aback," but those guns have got to be
fired off. The regulations require it," The
Judge grumbed and declared that it was
scandalous shame to burn up public funds
that way.