Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-11-08
BRYAN AT CLOSE RANGE,

hean the home of Hon. William j.
Bryan and corps of newspaper
woree,s for month or more, and they
make an inter esting family in their
peripatetic abode.
Since he last saw his home in Lin
coin, Neb., Mr.. Bryan has Travelled
nearly $1,000 mIles, or a distance
greater than one half the circumference
Of the aarth. The Rambler IS Wagner
car, we'll arranged for the purpose of
this trip. 1t contains a good-sized
atateroom or bedroom amidsbips fer
Mr.. Bryan, where he can be entirely |
private and ir which there is wide
and comfortable bed. Adjoining it 10 a |
private layatory and small clothes |
closet. Communicating with this room |
is smaller stateroon with desk and |
an upper and lower berth. This IS the
workshop and sleeping room OF Mr..
Rose, the private secretary of Mr.. Bryan.
At the rear end of the car is kind
OF drawing room, with comfortable
sofa and sleepy hollow chairs. The sofa
can be converted into bed and above
it an upper berth can be let down At
the opposite end OF the car is the
kitchen and then the diningroom. In
| this diningroom are six upper berths to
| be let down, with no lower berths
| under them and no fixed seats. This
gives space for the extension dining
table and handsome dining chairs. At
one end of the apartment are pair of
up, or and lower Eerths on each side.
arranged like those in an ordinary Pull
man sleeping car.
Except while meals are being served
the dining table is pushed to one side
and usei by the newspaper men for a
desk. There are several tyrewriters,
and their clicking is almost constant.
There are two excellent colored men on
the car, who serve meals three times q
day.
The correspondents are oil mumbers
of the editorial stalls Of their respective
papers There is an agent OF The Assn.
ciated Press, with a stenogrnpher and
Typewriter, who makes full reports OF
the speeches,
An agent of telegraph company is
also or the car, who makes ample pro-
vision ahead for the prompt dispatch of
business, telegraphipg for additions,
operators to meet the train in towns
where there is 10 be much work. lie
: takes charge of the special dispatches
as soon as they are written and saves
the trouble of looking up telegraph
offices in strange towns.
The newspaper people see little OF
Mr. Bryan, except when he is speaking.
: which is a good part of every day, and
at meals. At other times he is in his
: stateroom resting between speeches,
a rsceiving local committee or dictat.
= ing letters and kilograms to his secre
! tary.
q As soon as he finishes sreech
Y either from stand or from the end o
= the car. he is hesat by crowd whic!
y rushes to shake his hand. On one occa
:. sion he begged people to release hi
{ hand us soon as they had shaken it, re
marking that some seemed to wish t.
IT retain It ~ a souvenir, while he wanted
to keep it to sign bills with.
The crowds ordinarily are absolutel
e without mercy. AT places where Mr.
Bryan alights from the car among tn
thronR there IL such q rush to get n
d him that it looks to those standing o.
Z the car plat fofm as IL he were In tn
u midst Of n street fight. No one but
man OF extraordinary physical strengt
could endure one of these brushes. A
Ia some places he is protected by the locs
in police, but such places are few.
v. 1t is only upon exceptional occasion
~ that he Gan enjoy meal without ir
d, terruption. Often the car will stop d
s. l0-minute talk place just as his sou
r. has been served to him and lie has
b. rush off. If the train happens to sto
ts at station while he is at q mca
people ON the outside bang on the viii
dows and often try to climb
through them If they are open. The
yell and bang until Mr.. Bryan leav,
NJ, the table to come out and shake hand
NV He returns to the table wet with re
of spiration and resumes his meal as
he nothing had happened.
q. His good humor and kindness a
ia nexhaustible. At meals he sits at I'll
nm head of the table and he is the life
10, the party, full of funny incidents whic
nd have occurred during the day al
be laughing with Inexpressible glee ov
he his own stories or those of others at Il
lid table.
nle He is not rrrde and does n
ort obtrude his views and scruples upt
nv others. Conversation around the tab
zen is free and unrestrained. But M
,te Bryan is strict moralist. No o.
ION would venture 10 tell story which
tc any degree ''otf color" in his PIE
tn euce. He is total abstainer from
iIs. alcoholic drinks, although he never sa
he anything about 1t except to decli
ed, quietly or by a gesture when any
an offered. On the car none is served
of meals.
viii Mr.. Bryan is kind and most consi
low crate 10 the eolored servants. and tn
, ID almost worship him. Meals ard sles
,ch ing hours are, Of course, irregul;
srs Often meeting doss not end a
an people disperse until late in the nigl
of and generally there is short tt
,le. arranged for early 10 the mornir
cutting the sleeping time short at be
Of ends.
rhe Mr.. Bryan submits to al kinds
nos hardships imposed upon him by lo
iii. committees without murmur. On
the recent trip through West Virginia
IN was due at a certain village at m
of night. committee asked him to
ia. out of bed and show himself to
people who might be gathered the
linn lie said if il was conside' cd necess;
rial he would do 1T. But when Priv
;ch Secretary Rose heard about it he III
emf in his might and protected Nj. Br,
\ of from the imposition.
Dad Mr.. Bryan has been newspaper n
De- himself and he appreciates such wo
p.rs He is solioitous about the comfort
IONS the cores pondents and is unlailng
vith his courtesy to them All who b.
lred Geen Win hIlu are ms oeVoted fflen
Some represent newspapers which
milf hostile 10 him and some which
mad friendly. But there is no distinct
nile on the car. Many of them are ol
A than Mr.. Bryan, but all speak of |
and las 1.-THE old man.
o 10 The business OF these silent worl