The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-15
| ROBSON'S EARLY DAYS
The Noted Actor Once a Page in
the House of Representatives.
He Ventures the Relief That the Can
't"i b"ys Heceive Too Mich Money
for Their own Good-P-of. Morse
ns Target for the Messengers,
Gibes-Inferesting "Reminiscences.

| Stuart Robson. the comedian who is fill
ing very successful engagement at the
| Columbia Theatre this week. was page
in the Thirtieth and Thirty-frst Con-
| crosses. In view OF his own experiences
he does not believe either end of the Cap
itol a good place for boy. Said he in his
dressing room at the Columbia yesterday
| during u wait between the acts of She
Stoops to Conquer
Il have tried to keep track OF most of
the boys who We're pages with me in Con-
gress ano | am very sorry to say that
most of them have turned out rather bad
| ly- One in particular / now have in mind
A few years ago | was visiting the Mary
land penitentfary with Manager Charles
Ford of Fords Theatre, Baltimore. The
prisoners were being taken to dinner and
We stood and watched them as they
passed. One strapping big fellow attract
ed my attention by winking at me as he
| walked by.
Hello. Robson. he said: how are you?
Remember me? I'm Leonard Gray
Il instantly recalled him as one of the
lads who used to answer calls from Con-
gressmen during my boyhood career on
the Hill. Mr. Ford enquired about him
and was told that he was a life prisoner
The cause was a murdered wife.
THE trouble with the Congressional
pages. in my humble opinion, is that they
| are paid too much money. We used to get
| ~ a day, and in my own case / had to
turn this money over to my parents. But
the extra money is what does the mis-
! chief. 1t was nothing unco mmon for me
n ma Ea of ht-aa ffnr
dollars almost every day and on one oc-
casion that / recall particularly well
made SO
THE Clay Compromise bill was up be-
fore the House, and each side was doing
| everything in its power to get out full
| party representation Mr.. Douglas was
among the missing, and was nowhere to
be found. Messengers were sent to hunt
for him at all of his known haunts, but
each brought back the same answer. Mr..
| Douglas was not there Finally / heard
a Congressman say: I'd give $40 to know
| where Douglas is
| That $40 was very alluring to my
youthful mind. On several occasions l
| had carried notes for Mr. Douglas to a
hotel on the Avenue, where very quiet
game was carried on, and il suddenly oc-
CURED to me that he might be there l
mounted one of the horses that were for
| merly kept for the use of the messengers,
and. galloping up the Avenue, was at the
| hotel in few minutes. | went up to the
room to which l had carried the notes,
and asked of the colered man who an
swered my knock: Is Mr.. Douglas here?'
| Deed he isn't replied the porter:
what made you think he was here?'
| Well. am looking for him 20 let him
| know that the Clay Compromise bill is
| about to be passed and he's wanted at the
| House.
MY remarks had evidently been heard
within the room, for instantly there was
a shutting of feet and showing back of
| chairs, and | heard Mr.. Douglas exclaim:
| The deuce you say; bet me get out OF
! here.
Five minutes afterward Mr.. Douglas
was in his seat and | was claiming the
| ten dollars.
Il suppose they have the same number
! of 'cranks about the Capitol nowadays
| that they used to have years ago." con-
tinued Mr.. Robson. Il VIII never forget
| one in particular that used to haunt the
| corridors during my Capitol career We
/ boys had a vast amount of fun calling him
names and being chased by him. He was
a dlgnifed gentleman, genteelly dressed,
/ but to our minds-and We were not the
| only ones that SO regarded him--he was
| a typical crank with a claim or something
| like that before the House. The nuTner-
Gus chasings he gave me and the other
pages fixed his features indelibly in my
| memory You can imagine my great sur
! prise when / saw the same man some
| years after in Chickering Hall, New York,
| on the plat form and surrounded by some
| of the greatest men of the hour. What
! couldn't understand at first was the
| reason for the Difference with which they
J all treated my Capitol crank.
| The occasion was celebration in hon
/ or of Prof Morse. the inventor OF the tel
| egraph. Speaking to a gentleman at my
side, ! enquired:
| Who is that man on the platform"
| indicating the one had known about the
! Capitol corridors.
| That's Mr. Morse
You can guess what my feelings were.
| Stills, my one consolation was that we boys
| were not the only ones around Congress
| who regarded Morse as crank. during his
! work in getting a bill through Congress
! to test his invention'
Mr.. Robson secured his first employ
ment as a servant OF Uncle Sam through
| sheer persistence He came to Washing
| ton with letter of Introduction from
Reverdy johnson. Of Maryland, distant
| relative Of his mother.
Says the actor: Il managed to secure
| the assistance Of Jefferson Davis and Rob
| ert Toombs, and one morning | learned
that one OF the pages sick and that
there was a vacancy, Mr.. Toombs had in
troduced me to Mr.. Horner, the Door
keeper OF the House. who had promised he
would put me to work at the earliest OPP
portunity ] reminded him OF his word
| but he put me on with the excuse that he
had so many previous Obligaii ions to take
care of that he could not do anything for
me. | hunted up Mr.. Toombs and reported
the matter to him. He grasped my hand
and taking me to the Doorkeeper, said TO
that official:
d" You ted me you would give this boy
n piacs the first chance you had Now, why !
don't you do ii %
&" Ny dear Mr. Tomnbs. cannot do it, |
he answered. I have too many other prom |
ises that must luDk after first !
&" The deuce you must replied the big |
Georgian. You'll either put this boy on |
now or I'll have yGn put out.
No matter upon what subject Mr.. Rob |
son may be asked to talk. he invariably |
gets around TO the late Robert G. Inger- |
soil Three times during his CONVERSE |
tion with a Times reporter the comedian |
switched the discussion around to the |
great agnostc J.
Il first heard of Mr.. Ingersoll in Peoria |
one Sunday night many years ago, he |
said, Il was playing there. and. enquir |
ing of the hotel clerk if there was any |
thing of interest going on in the town, |
told that a man named lngersolI, who |
was quite a good lawyer, was TO lecture |
but. to quote the hotel man, you won't |
care for him much-he pitches into God |
too much Anyway. thought | would |
like to hear him. and by the middle OF !
the lecture | was simply entraneed with |
the lecturers language anG his lucidity |
in presenting matters.