The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1900-11-15


,~o~
DR.. Johnson once met the village post
man trudging along the dusty road on
not summer afternoon. The postman
observed that he had still mile to walk
just to deliver one newspaper. MY
goodness!" exclaimed the sympathetic
doctor, I'D never go all that distance
for such trife. Why don't you send
1t by post?"
When Bob" Taylor was Governor OF
Tennessee, he was noted for being as
tender hearted as q woman, and the
way he pardoned out convicts was
something awful. He was waited upon
by a committee of the Legislature, whe
very fatty and in no uncertain way told
him that his wholesale pardoning
must stop" "Gov'nor Bob" looked at
the committee, tapped bell, asked for
his pardon clerk, and when he came
said: make out pardons for every
man In the penitentiary." The clerk
bowed and withdrew. Then the Gov
ernor looked at the committee, who
were staring as II they thought he was
going mad. Gentleman" he said, final
ly, Il am Governor of Tennessee, and
IL this committee or any other ever
again seeks to interfere with my con-
stitutional right to pardon, I'll sign
every one of these pardons which the
clerk is making out. Good-morning."
Secretary of State Hay is one Of the
most patient Of men. He likes to be
helpful to newspaper correspondents,
and receives them freely in his office
and gives them such information and
hints as the proprieties will permit.
Even the representatives Of the sensa-
tional or yellow papers are treated with
courtesy, though naturally with due
caution. Imagine the Secretary's sur
prise one afternoon during the heat Of
the Chinese crisis (says Walter Well
mani, when he was up to his ears in
work and anxiety, to hear from the lips
of William, his faithful messenger,
these words: "Mr. Secretary, the New
York - wants you to step to the tel
ephone." Mr.. Hay gasped, caught his
tongue in the nick of time, recovered his
diplomatic urbanity, and replied: Say
that the Secretary expresses deep re-
gret that just at this moment he is very
much engrossed in important work"
Unfortunately what he said under his
breath could not, under the rules of the
telephone exchange, be sent over the
wires.
The king of Naples, in the plenitude Of
his absolutism, paid one day visit to
the NeapOlitan prisons, in order to see
for himself what sort of men his GRIM
inals were, and whether they really de-
served the punishments they were I'M
dergoing. what is your sentence?" he
said to one. Fifteen years, your Ma
jesty." "And what had you done?
Nothing whatever" "Quite innocent?"
Entirely SO, your Majesty" And
your" he asked another. Thirty years,
sire. Victim Of false accusation"
-"And your" to a third. ''In for life,
my King" "And what had you done?'
Everything you can think of, my
King: theft, burglary, highway rob-
berry, manslaughter, murder. l only
wonder they did not sentence me to
DEATH" What is your name" asked
the King. "My name." replied the first
class criminal, "since have been here
has been 912." After finishing his tour
of inspection, the King said to the Gov
ernor: "All the prisoners here seem to
be perfectly innocent. There is only
one bad man among them-No. 912
You had better let him out, lest he cor
rupt the Others"
Many of the newspaper biographers
Of the late Prince Alfred, Duke of SAKE
Coburg- Gotha, overlook the fact that
he was one Of Americas small list of
royal guests. Several years ago, while
a midshipman in the British navy, he
made a brief stop at vaHcouver's ISL
and, and was entertained at ball CIV
en- by the Governor. He was very much
struck by the appearance Of a girl who
seemed to be the belle of the assem-
blage when he entered the room, and
learned by inquiry that she was the
daughter Of the Governor, whose wife
was a full-blooded Indian. The prince
asked the honor Of dance; but the
girl, having been educated at a finishing
school in Portland, Ore. held her head
very high, and, not knowing the
princes social station, responded that
the Governors daughter was entitled
to dance with officers of higher rank
than midshipmen. The prince took the
rebuff good-naturedly. His time for re-
venge came when one Of the Governors
suite, not knowing Of what had hap
pened, begged his royal highness' per
mission to present the Governors
daughter as a partner for the next
waltz. The Prince politely declined,
remarking that "his mother would be
deeply mortified to hear that he had
danced with a squaw."