The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-24
VISITS OF THREE WOMEN
THEY CALL ON THE ATTORNEY GEN
ERAL EACH THANKSGIVING.
Have Kept Up the Practice for Many
Years-A Mystery to the
Officials.

There are three women in this city who
have for many years observed Thanksgiving
among other ways. by visiting the attorney
generals Office. No matter who is in office
or to what party he belongs, the aged callers
come as regularly as the day comes around.
Two of them are the widows Of men whose
names the records of the Statehouse show
as having occupied prominent official posi-
tons. All three of them, however, are very
poor, and to those who happen to see them
now there is nothing in their appearance 10
suggest their former high position. Just
why two of them visit the office is hard to
tell. They always seem cheerful and pay
their respects with grace that tells of
early cultivation.
One of the women is the mother of Barney
Coyle, who has been for the last fourteen
years inmate of the county poor farm.
Mrs. Coyle comes TO the Statehouse only
once year, and always as nearly as pos
sible on the evening before Thanksgiving.
She has made these calls regularly for the
last ten years, and her method of procedure
is to walk up to the attorney generals desk
and feebly ask him TO call up Barney"
She came last evening and found Deputy
Merrill Moores busy with bulky legal rec
ord. She made her accustomed request and
in moment Mr.. Moores was on his feet
why, yes, Mrs. Coyle,' said he "of
course L WILL" He called up the county
poor farm and asked after Barney" and
found he was well. and hearty. His mother
asked to have him informed that she would
visit him on the first fine day." and then
walked out of the Office. Just why she
comes to the attorney generals office no
one can TELL but it is evidently a custom
that Will only cease with her death
another aged and forlorn caller at the at
torney generals office during the past fif-
teen or more years is the widow of Samuel
w. Parker, VINO, during the Thirty-second
and Ihlrty-thrd Congresses, served as a
representative from the Connersvile district
Nothing of her circumstances is known be-
yond the apparent fact that she is poor.
Once year she drops into the attorney gen
erals office. With the air of a queen she
BOWS to whatever official is in charge, in
PRODUCES herself and apologies for not hav-
ing paid her respects before, and with a
winning smile walks out again. to be gone
another year. No one even knows where
She lives, but her visits have been so regu-
lar that for years past they have been IN
voiced by retiring attorneys general to their
successors in the same way that all other
data IS turned over
The last one OF the trio of callers is Mrs
Max +. A. Hoffman, formerly of Posey
county, whose husband, during his life, oc-
cupled the office of secretary of state from
1869 to 1871. She is now reduced to the sell
Ing Of papers, peddling of brushes and other
work to provide herself with the necessaries
OF life. She, too, makes her regular Thanks
giving call at the attorney generals office
and is received with the same degree of ex-
pectancy as the other two visitors. The rea-
son for her visits to that particular office
is as ineXplicable as it is in either of the
other cases, bat judging from the regularity
with which they are kept up year after
year. they. too, will be handed over by sue
ceeding attorneys general as legacies to their
successors, along with unfinished briefs and
knotty points of law.