Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-05
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publican national convention in 1896 at ST.
Louis will remember that the boss or the
Indiana delegation was very interesting
and farmer-like individual. who was known
as Jack GOwdy. He had been chairman of
the republican state committee, and when
Indiana held it's convention he successfully
carried the whole state over to Mckinley.
and prevented even the incipient Harrison
boom. which some of the ex-Presi6ents
friends were trying to start. On account of
the huge chin whiskers which Mr.. Gowdy
wore he was called by some of the facetious
correspondents Dom Jack Gowdy." His
whiSkers were supposed, in measure to
resemble those Of Dom Paul Kruger, who
has recently occupied a large portion of the
cable space Jack Gowdy was appointed
consul general to Paris. and considerable
sport was made Of him at the time. and
some of the wags wondered what would be-
come of his whiskers. People who have
been in Paris and returned to the United
States say that the whisker question was
evidently solved very quickly, the consul
general has a clean-Shaven, smooth face.
He not only sacrificed his beard. but ne has
spruced up wonderfully, drives good horses
and there is no greater swell on the Bots
de Boulogne than he who was formerly
known as Dom Jack Gowdy" the republic
can boss of Indiana
x
An instance showing what progress pho
Biography is making came up in the War
Department recently. when the bureau I'M
der the charge of General A. W. Greedy
chief signal officer, desired certain pages
from an electrical engineering publication
and wanted them in different shape from
that in which they were published That
Is, 1t was desired to have them on better
paper and reduced in size to fit a portfolio
in which such things were kept. AS these
pages contained many engravings and pic
lures of electrical apparatus they could not
be reproduced readily in type and electro
type. and it was decided to photograph the
pages ready for the portfolio. This design
was carried out with great success, and the
reproduction of the printed matter and the
plates was done with great minuteness and
covered every detail Every line was shown
and all of the printed matter was read as
clearly as if on the original paper.
x
One of the most cultured and high-nind-
ed clergymen of Washington tells the fol-
lowing good story on himself: The gas fix
lures in his house got out of order not long
ago. ana a plumber was sent for The
plumber found the trouble down In the
basement. and was at work upon it, There
was soon a strong odOr of gas about the
house, and the clergyman thought he would
look down into the basement and see what
the plumber was doing. He opened the
door and started to go down, when he
found utter darkness before him, he
went back. got d lighted candle. and start
ed down again As he appeared at the
doorway the plumber looked up and shout
ed in vigorous tones. Go back, go back
or you and l will both be in hell in five
minutes 1t is needless to say that the
basement door was slammed and the can
die exunguished by the clergyman.
There are queer doings by Cupid some
times remarks an old resident, land it is
very we'll known that he is no respecter of
places. l know of quite large and re-
spectacle family of the District which
dates from a marriage when the head was
a prisoner in the Jail of the District. 1t
was nearly three-fOurths of a century ago.
when the Jail was about on a line with
street just north of the court house where
the little romance occurred. At that time
the citizens were liable to duty under the
old militia law, and a failure to attend
muster subjected the offending party to
the payment of fine or Imprisonment
Among other offenders was a rather good
looking young man of Quaker parentage
whose conscience would allow him neither
10 beaE arms OF acknowledge that the au-
thorltles had the power to fine him. Conse-
quently he found himself in Jail as recall
citrant debtor. Now, while some of the
prisoners were closely confined those whose
OnenSeS were founded on refusal or inabiI-
!ty to pay bills were given certain privi-
of which they were privileged to spend the
usual business hours, they reported and
spent their nights in jail-extended from
LIST to 10Th streets east and from the canal
TO q street north. Now, being quite an en-
tertaining young man, much of his time in
the evening was spent with the family of
his custodian The latter had quite a
handsome daughter. who greatly assisted
him in the household affairs, attending to
the marketing and shopping. 1t was not
long before she became interested in the
young prisoner, and il is needless to say
that soon the young man was captive to
her charms, in fact. a prisoner under the
laws Of the land and the natural law of
love One morning. while he was ENJOYING
a walk and she en- route to the market
they met, had talk, mutual understand
ing. and when she had performed her err
rand. he had procured the necessary Ii
cenSe and the services of a minister The
result was the marriage at the house of a
friend, after which they returned to jaiI
The father forgave his daughter. and be-
ing averse TO holding his son-in-law as a
Jail prisoner, secured his discharge as such
and made him his deputy. The duties of
this position were SO satisfactorily per
formed that the son-in-law succeeded to
the Jailership- As I have stated. some of
the family are stfll living. and that some
or them have not been true to Quaker
teachings is to be inferred from the fact
that at least one served in the army dur
ing the civil war"