davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25

Smith to &C." And Colonel" Smith imag-
ines he has at least a part ownership in
the house and is happy
Needs of the Profession.
Probably in all the avocations in the
category Of intelligent labor there is
none so arduous. so vexatious, or re-
quiIing a keener insight into human ma
ture and an omBipresent smile and good
nature as that OF the hotel clerk. Aside
from the marvellous memory. as remarked
upon by visitors from abroad, he must
deal with men Of all sorts and conditions
Of temperament and temper. The art
Of playing pater to a family OF from 500
10 1909 members. housed beneath one
roof and dining practically at one table,
IS more than training and like gsniuses
In all other lines hotel clerks are born,
not made. This, Of course applies 20 the
dspper. genial young man, for he is al
WAYS young though numerous years h.
may have passed in the service, who is
found behind the counter OF the larger
hotels in the great cities. The fussy
ploWmsn Of the Palace House" in the
small town may care for his three guests
per week with labor and diligence. but
The metropolitan knight OF the blotter
handles 300 per day aud waits for more
iected the likenesses Of 300 600 men and
memory which enables him to call any
one OF the number by name when he en-
tiers With grip and belongings. He assigns
soc guests to rooms IN a few days and
should the question be asked where Mr..
White" Was CHARTERED. be would reply
without hesitation "45t" He knows just
when TO say. Sorry. but we haven't a
room vacant though the house be only
half filed and the applicant well dressed
and with abundant show OF wealth. He
is q diplomat. a calculating machine. a
mental wonder. and possesses a newspa-
per mans capacity for all work and no
play without becoming dull He meets
every body and is liked by those be meets
in an atmosphere OF favoritism be shows
none He Is Democrat Republican. Pop
uiist. or Socialist as the guest pleases. and
he runs the gamut Of all religions and
al unbeliefs. lie makes the jaunty
sport aud the stately bishop feel at
home In turn and sleep peacefully under
the same roof. He will give you a tip
on the card at New Orleans. or complete
a forgotten portion OF . verse from the
Scriptures He knows everybody and
The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25

ping at the house and in nearly every
case can tell interesting tales Of the
guests, or could il they chose. Some Of
these gentlemen are accomplished lin
gusts and are OF great service TO many
foreigners who visit Washington. As
rule they work in turns. one being on
duty on Monday. while the other works
Monday night. He who worked during the
day on Monday is on duty Tuesday night.
and so on through the week. There is no
day Of rest in the year. Sunday is as other
days while Christmas and holidays only
mean increased business and harder
work. It is a thankless task as a rule.
Promotion Is slow and labor is incessant.
One of the best known Of the local hotel
clerks, as well as one of the most popular,
is Mr.. Hamilton P Burney, of the Airing
ton. Mr.. Burney's name is familiar to
thousands OfstravelerS and prominent men
He has been behind the counter at the Ar
lingtOn for fourteen years, and is one Of
the youngest among the old clerks. He
began the hotel business with the Claren-
don Hotel. at Saratoga, n. Y. in 1882, and
while there read law and was admitted to
the bar He then went to the Leland
Hotel. in Chicago: then to the old New
York Hotel, in New York after which he
came to Washington. He has in his four
table persons.
J. o. Breast who acts. with Mr. Bwney
for the Arlington. is widely and favorably
known to the travelling public He is a ma
tive of this city
A. j. Tuthill, Of the Shoreham has been
behind the desk at Mr.. Devine's hosiery
since the latter took charge in 1890. He
has had wide experience, having been for
years with the Leland House and the
Sturtevant. in New York City and the
Long Beach Hotel. at Long Beach. n. Y.
He has large acquaintance, and has done
much to make the Shoreham prosperous.
Mr.. Tuthill has been in the hotel business
for fifteen years.
George W. Leach. chief clerk at vii
lard's, has had wide experience in the
hotel business. and has filed every posi-
ton except that Of proprietor. He is prob
ably the dean Of the local hotel clerks. and
has watched the growth of the Capital
through the certain gauge Of the hotel reg
lister. Mr.. Leach began his duties behind
the the blotter in 1876. He was at the
Riggs House for sixteen years. under the
of Plummer & SpofIord with
The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25

i told the man be need have no fear
OF having the incident repeated in our
place provided he wanted 10 write the
name. He said he would think about it
and asked TO be shown to his room 50
] saw no more Of him until late in the
night. He then asked me If / had an
atlas. He studied 10 minutcly for "A
few minutes. measured distances with
his two hands. like a farmer, and then
he called me and pointed out the name
o. a town. ] asked him il that was his
IA is the name an right he replied
but ] don't know whether the town is
slim there IT is The BONNIE town you
ever see and when I left 81 was CROWN
so fast that farmers in the adjoining state
were burnin their fences TO keep the town
from GROWN Iigh, over EN-
That's what I call home enthusiasm. I
never knew a Chicago man who would beat
that"
Signatures That Advertise.
Other clerks tell Of men who register
simply L. $. A." EST. Louis men are be
ginning 10 register st Louis. L. P
which means Louisiana Purchase. and is an
advertisement for The proposed exposition
And Buffalo men write Buffalo 1901.
which is also an advertisement for the
Pan-American show" said Clerk J. o.
Breast at the Arlington
Il doubt h there Is better place to
study human nature than behind The desk
here said Chief Clerk Leach, al Wizards
In a hotel a man is pretty sure 10 show
the traits Of character which dominate his
life. You can see all grads Of persons.
from the delightfully."- agreeable and pleas
ant 10 the unpleasant and almost detesta-
bic. There are q great many guests at
hotels who from some popularity are fl
tiugly called 'hends' The mail dend is as
bad as any OF them as he is always Ger
tain there are letters for him. l have
watched him very close on account Of his
feverisb anxiety about his mail the mo
meut he registers an hotel Il seems as
though he PUSHES 10 the desk every five
minutes and enquiries il there IS any mail
for him Frequently I have stood by the
desk while the clerk was sorting the mail
purposely 10 study him. He continually
says; That's mine sure or Isn't that
mine % With some Of them the thing has
almost come 10 be mild insanity"
The Man Behind the Register.
There are probably 125 hotel clerks EN-
ployed in Washington and they form a
body OF elean-cut, intelligent men. who
would do credit 80 any community. With
long and Wearying hours they are always
fresh and good natured and ever ready to
obiige. They know those who are stop
The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25

ions. wrote the following In letter to his
proteer IN New York; Once having
reached the nOrthermost point We don't
care where the wind carries US. OF course.
we would rather land in Alaska near the
mackenzie River where We would likely
s ii american whalers who are favorably
disposed toward the expedition. II wauId
we'll " %
A point in favor Of the genuineness of
THIS last alleged message is that the pig
cons taken by Andree in the balloon were
all south flying birds and that the spot
where the message is supposed to have
been posted is almost due north of juneau
where Mcdonald claims to have found it
\ point which is not in favor of its truth
fulness. however, is that Andree wrote bis
first message on white paper with the
words "Andree Polar expedition" printed
at the top Of each page.
The paper on which this message is
written is Of dark hue, though il may
have become discOlored from exposure.
It is possible that Andree lost the original
The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25
INTERVIEWS AND INCIDENTS.

eyes, we take all sorts of pictures. from
pet poodle dogs to snarllug mastifs, from
newsboys to statesmen. from blushing
brides to happy and oontented matrouz.
but OF all things else, said a prominen,
photographer Of this city TO a Times nan.
deliver me from an obstreperOus girl Of
anywhere from three to six years old. One
II those family pets. you know. who has
always had her own way, and been ruler
in the household ever since she was born.
Now, had an experience with one the
other day" he continued. she came up
with her Tetinue, consisting OF her moth
er, nurse, grandmother. and two or three
aunts. This youngster was as pretty
child as ever | saw, and she was as terri
bic as she was pretty. She was delighted
at the idea OF having her picture taken.
and everything would have gone through
In apple-pie order had not her eyes rested
upon handsome statue of the Saviour.
have in my studio. This youngster must
The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25

when Paul B,ouet was asked what he
Considered the most wonderful thing in
America. he replied. The American hotel
clerk. and in reciting his reasons for this
statement the observant Max OReH"
said that he loved to stop at hotels in this
country simply TO watch the clever mcn
who preside over the registers 10 welcome
the coming and speed the parting guests.
lie related his experience as one who had
been in this country five years ago. had
made q round OF many cities. and then re-
turned 10 Europe On coming back to the
United States every hotel clerk in every
hotel where he quartered. five years later,
greeted him with a cordial word. How
have you been. Mr. Blouet, Let me see
you would like your old room. l suppose.
'FRONT.' SHOW the gentleman to $50. BY
Ire way. here is a Ij.tIe package you left
behind last time you we're here" And
gl0uet he himself declares. found himself
in each case in the same room be had oc-
cunied five years ago. while the package
contained some useless manuscript on
lecture long forgotten. such memories
b. writes. why the whole bus load Of
travellers. from Vancouver to Tampa. were
al greeted by name and shown the same at
tention as myself" Even John Smith.
Montreal. is made happy by the memory
that he on some occasion so far distant
that the oldest and most decreDid bell
boy" had forgotten it. had desired a room
with a bath. but the house was too crowd
ed 20 allow Of il then. All Mr.. Smith"
rha rbaorfuf clerk said I'VE have a hath
for you this time. Front. Show Colonel
The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25
A FLORAL MIRACLE.


CFr5m the New York Commercially
The most magnificent floral effect [ ever
saw in my life" said Robert y. Wilson, of
the Morgan Line was in Texas. They
have a flower there called the rainiOwer
he botanical name Of which is the cC0pe-
ria II usually blooms three or four days
after rain / was through the country
to look after some land for a friend. ana
the thing hat struck me in that particular
locality was the utter barrenness Of the
whole landscape There was low piece OF
land. Of ten acres or more that was GOV
cred with low. black vines that were de-
cidedly uniuviting Four hours later, after
a heavy thunder shower, | passed this
piece Of land. and it was absolutely Gov
cred with what seemed to be the prettiest
flowers had ever seen II was one enor-
nous bouquet. and the fragrance from II
was almost intoxicating.
Il could scarcely believe he evidences OF
my own eyes. but there il was. what
seemed to be an unsightly waste trans
formed as if by magic into bower OF
bloom.
Il made enquiry OF the natives and
learned that once in long time the rain
flower bloomed in a few hours after a rain,
though ordinarily the blossoms did not ap-
pear for three or four days, and then
usually came in the night"
The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25
FEAsTs IN SOUTH AMERICA.
Spectacular banquet Functions In
daII.ed in in Various Cities.

dAiEPb ln az various cities.
G'rom thc Ner Orleans Times -Demorrlt.)
There is no part of the world" re-
marked an experienced traveller in the
lobby Of the St. Charles last evening
where luxury is carried to more fantastic
lengths than in South America. In Rio
Montcyideo. Santiago de Chile. Lima. Bue-
nos Ayres. and a lot Of other cities you
will find people Of immense wealth whose
lives are devoted solely and singly TO the
pursuit Of pleasure. They stop at nothing
to crafty the most extraordinary Caprices.
and their whole round of existence is
fevcrish and unaagging pursuit Of new
sensation. | was present. some years ago.
at a bachelor dinner given by young arts
tocrat Of Santiago de Chile as a farewell
to his cronies on the eve of his marriage.
ID was he most extravagant and spectacu-
lar function | ever attended. With every
course the host introduced some surprise.
For instance when the fish was served a
curtain was drawn at one end of the room
and We saW a Stage set with startlingiy
realistic sea scene. lugger tossing on the
waves and the men on board hauling in a
net. 1t was as good piece of stagccraft
as 1 ever saw in any theatre. 4 bear :
head was brought in by crowd OF serv-
ants dressed as wild Indian hunters and
the ices were served by girls costumed as
Oriental dancers As a finale there was
a grand ballet on the stage which had been
used for the sea scene. There is no telling
how much the dinner cost, but il was got
ten up without any regard for expense.
'One Of the residents of Monteyideo has
a subterraneau dancing hall which is fam
Gus in that part Of the world. but which.
strange to say I have never seen de
scribed in print. II is fully sixty feet I'm
der the surface Of the ground and is reach
ed BY a great iron cage similar to those
used in mines. The sight Of such "a SUI
perbly decorated and brilliantly illumi
mated apartment after a descent Of the
dark grimy shaft is iudescribably start
ling The owner Of the estate is an ecceu-
tric nitrate millionaire, who spends most
Of his time i'm Paris"
The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25

sentatives. and the contact has made the
men behind the biotters skilled in the care
Of the famous. To them The pondereus ST.
preme Court is a group OF lawyers who
pay good rates Tor apartments The Sen
ate Of the United States in their estima-
ton. consists OF courteous. well-dressed
men. who come from many States. who are
assigned to rooms disappear. and then
other new men register TO take their places
Representatives are SO many and so varied
that, while in another city the Congress
man might impress and be as good as a
dozen guests here he is only one. and is
regarded much as is the champagne drum
mer or the Indian agent who make period
ical visits
The hotels of the National Capital
care for a more cosmopolitan group each
day than do those Of any other city, and
The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25

everything. but his knowledge is ever
ovsriaxed by The thirst for information
displayed by guests.
Experience in NashinEton.
Because Of its importance as the Capital
a. the nation, and because Of the enormous
floating snd transient population. Washing
ton. as hotel city ranks up at the head
81 the list. with ffty-fve hotels and
apartment houses Of such size aud impor-
tsnce IS 10 be classed as such, al least
twenty Of these are large modern hotels.
while twelve Will compare fayorably with
she hotel service in almost any city. and
here the hotel clerks receive experience.
Here they come in contact with the great
IN al ranks OF prominent national repre-
The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25

=
The three city school buildings Of Eureka. Kan ,
are connected by telephone. at used to be nee
esary, SAYS the superintendent. TO have a teach
ers' meeting every day or two for the discussion
Of current work in the schools. Now. however,
The teachers keep in such close touch with each
other by OF the telephone that meetings
are necessary only every two three weeks
think it probable that may dispense with the
meetings altogether"
The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25
The Andrec Pigeon Message.

papers and substituted this II this mes
sage was found in the manner related by
Mcdonald, then Andree achieved his llfe's
ambition. though at the cost OF his ii @.
Whether il was written by the only man
that ever crossed the North Pole the
world will probably never positively know
The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25

polltsn. He has made many friends and
has been in the hotel business many
years. John Wheeler, who presides over
the Office at the ST. James, is another
well known and very popular member Of
the army OF local hotel clerks.
There are in addition to the above many
experienced and accomplished clerks in
the smaller hotels and the apartment
houses in the city. They form one OF
the most interesting groups ever gath
cred in any profession and are a credit
to Washington.
The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25

Three smart Young men and tuIee nice girls
All lovers true as steel
Decided in a friendly way
To sp.ud the day aWneeI.
They started in the early morn.
And nothing seemed gmi-s;
And when they reached the lcafy lanes
They In IKE
rode tvoS IhlSI
They wandered by the vfrdIut dale,
Beside the ripping uli,
TIN. 4,5p sAon- brightly all the while;
They heard che song birds trill-
They sped through mary "a woodland glade,
The world was iuii of bliss
Ard when they rested in the shade
They at lnINos hsethis.
Tie sun went down and evening came,
lot too soon, they said;
Too long they tsuied on the way,
The clouds grew black o'erhead.
Down dashed the mini They homrWard aeW.
Till one unlucky miss
Slipped sideways-cfashi Great Scot,
The lot
Wereallna xeduplikethisi
--Caiifornia Curio
The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25
II Was the Hives.

From the Catholic Standard and Tmes)
Teacher Your recitation was extremely good.
Joluuuy The gestures were particularly natural
y here did YOU get them.
I,huny-tit uhatT
Teachcr-The gestures.
JOHNNY amt got the gestOoIs. us Invest
The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25
THE MAN AFTHG REGISTER
Hotel Clerks Who Garry Many
Mental Photographs.

A Part of Their Business to Know
the Travellers throughout the
land-A Profession Requiring
,nurt~~, and Friendship 10 All.
Mcn Behind WashInEton Counters.
The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25

One OF the oldest inhabitants was talk
ing recently with a number OF gentlemen
concerning some Of the most interesting
events that the Government had under
gone since the close Of the civil War The
discussions naturally referred to the a.
sassinstion OF President Lincoln and TIE
trial and execution Of TIE COnspirators.
Some one in the party commented upon he
fact that John Surratt was the only enc or
the entire party directly accused Of par
ticipatiOn in the crime who had escauei
the penalty met by the others. This the
old citizen gave an explanation Of accord
ing as he said. TO the best lights before
him.
There is a general opinion" he remark
ed. that Surrstt escaped scot free be-
cause of a disagreement Of the jury His
torians have made it SO. and so I presume
il must stand as a fact, but ha said,
with an emphasis ON the but the d.
agreement OF the jury Wds only indire -
he cause of Surratt's escape. When a
jury disagrees. especially in capital case
the accused man is generally a subject
for a second trial. So 10 was in Surratt's
case. and he would have been tried again
but for the fact that Lawyer Bradley his
counsel. handed up to Judge Wylie, who
was the presiding judge, an uurepeaied
Maryland statute-and the Maryland s.ar-
that an indictment for crime should be- pr
scented within two years after tn oommis-
sion Of the offence. The statute Is under
date of 17gS. This had not been ne in
Surratt's case
The jury had disagreed in the case al
luded TO. as was represented by the gentle
man who related the incident and a new
Indictment was about 10 be framed The
case was occupying the attention Of the
court and t was in the dusk Of a Septem-
Der evening when Counselor Bradley found
the unrepealed law and read it to Judge
Wylie. who calling for the book became
satisfied that under the civil laws in OPP
Grafton in the District of Columbia. an in
dictment could not stand against the ac-
Cused. and promptly dismissed the case.
That seems to have been the main cause
of he abandonment Of the charges against
Surratt. though the direct cause was the
disagreement Of the jury II might be well
if some more explicit statement on this
matter should be given out
The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25
WOES OF THE HOTORNAN
stopping on the Far Side Brings
Its Burden of Sorrows.

Patrons OF the street Cars slow 20
Learn the New RuIe-ForRottea
sometimes by the Employees Them
seiVes-BIamed Roth ways by Cit
izens aRd Visitors 60 the city
The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25

Every now and then We hear" said a
man who fought in the civil war from
the first battle at Bull Run to the surren-
der Of App0mattOX, "of the passing away
OF the veterans. When / say veterans. %
he said, 4 mean the men OF both armies
Well, Of course the vets are passing away.
They can't stay on the face of the earth
until the Angel Gabriel sounds reveilIe on
resurrection morning. but we are hold
ing our own with the rest OF mankind no
were here thirty-ive years ago and my be-
lief Is that should there be a convention
called OF all the men who fought through
out the biggest war the world ever knew
there couldn't be a hall built large enough
anywhere to hold them. The average age
u the men who came out of the struggle"
he said. was not over twenty eight years.
and lots Of US are holding our own. We're
scattered all over this country from Maine
to California. There is no small contin-
gent Of men, who were on both sides 10
the Government departments here in
Washington. Congress has its fair share
of us. scores Of us are shining lights in
the courts Of justice Throughout the land.
No few are practicing physicians newspI-
per men. civil engineers, and. I'm fact. en-
gagged in all branches OF business Many
are in the pulpits Of the land and there is
no trade business, or profession that has
not q fair representation OF the veterans
Of the civil war. But they are not dying
out faster than those who were not en-
gagged in the struggle and who were living
during that period
The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25

What impressed me most in a visit to
the Capitol the other day" said a straR-
ger who. under the escort Of a member OF
Congress- was viewing The interior Of that
great building, was one figure in the old
House Of Representatives, now, 1 hear.
called Statuary Hall. There are some fine
statues in that chamber. | presume
though | am not posing as a judge of that
class OF artistic work, but to my mind the
finest Of all. both in design and execution
is the clock representing History Record
ing the Flight Of Time. l feel almost hu-
inflated to say that I had not heard OF
this clock befOre-for it must have fame
attached TO it-but l never had, and /
wonder that the thousands OF people who
had looked at it only for the purpose Of
finding out what time Of day il was had
not detected its grandeur as a work Of
art. The chariot the pose OF the Muse
with tablet in hand and the beautiful idea
Of the wheel uDon which the hours are
recorded. make this figure, in my estima-
tton. superior to any other inanimate
work under the great dome Of the ma
ti0n's legislative hall"
The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-25

have been a religious baby for she recug-
nized the statue Immediately and made a
peTemptory demand for it, L want my
Jesus, she shrieked. and bless my eyes.
if the whole family didn't suggest that she
be allowed TO hold ii for little while TO
keep her quiet. / couldn't see any reason
for submitting to her demands running
the risk Of having the statue broken, 50
| declined to accept their views Then
there was pandemOnium. The child yelled
and screamed like a demon. The women
in her train made remarks about the in
ability Of some people to pacify children,
and well. lost the job Of taking the
photograph"