Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-24

During his lifetime opinions may nave
| been expressed to the contrary went on
| Mr.. Donoho but feel safe in saying that
| one of the most generous-hearted men that
| ever came TO Washington was Thad Stew
| ems. / myself was once a witness of his
generosity under peculiar circumstances.
| Stevens often spent whole nights at the
| gaming tables in the establishments of haz-
ard on Pennsylvania avenue. In that day.
| of course. gaming by public men by no
! means off color. and Washington was de-
| cidedly wide open. 1t was a day of high
play. when men of distinction would stand
! to be carried almost to the verge of ruin on
| the turn of card at the faro table Thad
| Stevens did not permit the gaming passion
| to command him. but he often played heavi-
| ly, i say.
| LAT dawn one morning he came away
| from Pendletons famous gaming establish
ment, after a nights play at the tables.
| He had quit about even. and when he
cashed in the dealer passed him one large
| bill. As he walked along Pennsylvania
avenue with a friend toward his lodgings
n came 10 an old beggar woman. noddng
on step. and drawing d ragged old shawl
about her shoulders. The old woman set
up plaintivc appeal for aims. Stevens
came to Il hae and went through his cloth
ing for metal money Coins he had none.
He thrust his hand into his trousers pocket
and drew forth the large bill that had
been given him by tho faro dealer In its
crumpicd state. and without looking at it,
| Stevens banded the bill To the old croue
| The friend with whom he was walking re-
| munstratod with him.
- Stevens he said. do you know the
proportions of tina; bill?
&" Yes. said Stevens. passing on. Then he
ADDED. laughingly: God moves in mys-
| FERROUS way His wonders TO perform. Be
yond doubt, she needs the money more
than ] do
An Anecdote of Lincoln.
81 once heard Lincoln allude to bullets,
went on Mr.. Donoho. in speaking of the
martyr President. 81 had a friend named
Hatcher, who lived in the north. but who
was a native Virginian and when the war
began he decided to join the confederate
forces He stopped in Washington and
called upon me. Despite the fact that he
was on his way 10 enter the confederate
army. Hatcher had great admiration Tor
President Lincoln. and told me that ne
would like call upon him l had often
met Mr. Lincoln, even in the DAYS When he
was a member of Congress, through NY
father. VINO was for about half a century
the business manager of the old National
| Irtelligencer. and l took MIR. Hatcher 20
the White House to introduce him to the
President Hatcher stood six feet three
inches in his bare feet, and he was
gaunt figure of man. l presented him
to Mr. Lincoln. not hesitating to say
frankly that my friend was about to join
the southern army.
How do you do, Mr.. Hatchet?' said
Mr.. Lincoln. cordially taking Hatcher's
hand.
Excuse me. sir. Hatcher said my
friend smiling at the mistake.
Well. it might fittingly be Poleax, said
the President. surveying Hatchers great
height. i believe You are taller than am
are you not?
The two men stood back to back. and
Hatcher had the President topped by an
inch or
"A grave expression crossed Lincoln's
features
My friend said he, addressing Mr..
Hatcher, L fear you will have but peri
lous time of 1t in the service to which you
are about to attach yourself. Men Of our
size were ever an admirable mark for bull
let's
Booths Package of Papers.
About a week before Lincoln was as
sassinated." continued Mr.. Donoho. u.
Wilkes Booth called upon my father at
the office of the National Intelligencer. He
carried under his arm a package securely
tied up and with written directions on the
paper covering.
Major Donoho' said Booth, Il wish to
make you the custodian of this package
and to request that you open it in a GER
tain contingency
There was something wild and uncanny
in Booths manner which my father did not
like.
II would prefer not to do that Booth
he replied.
Booth repeated his request. and finally
he almost entreated my father to hold the
package to be opened in certain contin-
! gency,' but 10 no avail. My father did not
like the business, and he declined.
Go upstairs and Mr. Gales he
said. Perhaps he will do as You wish
Mr.. Gales was the editor of the Nation
al Intelligencer. Booth had met Mr.. Gales
frequently. Mr.. Gales did not like him.
and Booth knew it. However. when he
found that my father would not keep the
package for him, he went upstairs and
made the same request Of Mr.. Gales. He
suffered a rebuff Mr.. Gales resolutely
fused to become the custodian of the pack
age. Once more Booth tried to induce my
father to take possession of tit contain
ed writings which would be of value, Booth
said over and over again-but my father
was forced to sharply refuse for the twen-
tieth time in the end. Then Booth sullenly
left the Office / have heard that the writ
ings contained in that package of Booths
came to light after the assassination of
Lincoln. but I have never been able to
verify that point.
President iincoln's HumOr.
II am of the opinion that Lincoln often
played the buffoon for the sake of relieving
| a heavy sadness on his heart" said Mr..
| Donoho. lone night, during the war. I
happened to be one of a party assembled
| on the rear portico of the White House.
| Mr.. Lincoln was there to review Gen. Bl.n-
kert's division, which about to d-part
| for the front | do not recall just why the
| review was held at night. but at any rate
Blenkert'S soldiers ce FRYING a torch. Lin
! coin watched the passing of the thousands
| of soldiers with of his arms flung
! around pillar Just couple of Off
| Gers had passed and given the sword sa-
| lutte. a Ven riloquistic voice. in the tone of
| a country pumpkin. was heard TO exclaim
| Whats all this abaout? l never heard
| nothin' abaout all this here,
I'VE all looked up, startled for the voice
| had unquestionably come from Lincoln.
| But there he was, with his arm still flung
| around the pillar. and the expression of
| gravity. almost of sadness, still on his
features.
Men of Full Habits.
| THE late ex-Secretary Dick Thompson,
with whom 1 studied law as a young man.
I was famous smoker but he was excelled
| in that respect by a Washington man OF
| my young days-a well-knuwn jeweler here,
| named Seraphim Mast. who was IN business
! with his brother. Cherubim Mast. Sera-
| phlm scarcely took time to sleep. he was so
| Unfortunately addicted to the weed ard his
| death WAS at length attributable to excess
| siSe nicotine. The man who could take. The
| hUSest drinks OF raw liquor and yet stand
| up under them-nOt alone stand up under