The Saint Paul globe., 1901-03-03
BARRIERS IN washington
HOW GOVERNMENT OFFICERS
FROM THE PRESIDENT DOWN
ARE SHAVED
DEAN OF ToNsoR1AL CORPS
John w. Dabney, a. COlOred Man,
Attends to the Presidents Face
The Nest Modest of
Men.

Over little shop In an F street base
ment here presides a man who has per-
haps pulled the noses of more distin-
guished men than any other man In the
country, writes the Washington corre-
spondent of the New York Tribune.
Withal he has pulled them gently, and
has for years been a great faVorite of
the men who have thus been aSSailed by
him. The man in question Is John w.
Dabney, coiored barber, who is the spe-
cial barber of the president of the United
States and of twoscore other public men
who, like ordinary mortals, must be
shaved, and delight in having that duty
well done, and with due regard to their
own comfort and convenience.
There are three sets of official BARRIERS
in Washington--the executive, the senate
and the house Of representatives the
dean of this corps is, of course, the man
who shaveS the president and looks after
his hair and scalp. Dabney is one tf
the most modest of men. He is not talk
active, and if the man under his care
wishes to sleep during the operation per-
formed on him he is permitted to sleep.
1t must not be inferred, however, that
President Mckinley does not know how
to handle the razor. He shaves himself
every morning, and Dabney is only an
official barber when the presidents hair
/ needs trimming and when his scalp re-
quires attention. There is a BARRIERS
chair at the White house, but it has fall
en- into 0isuse. The president sits in an
ordinary easy chair while Dabney spends
the time required to properly dress Mr..
McKinleys head and shave him. The
presidential face is somewhat tender and
demands some care. His beard grows
stout and must be handled gingerly
In the chair the president is one of the
most pleasant of men, He talks freely.
and discusses the current matters of the
day, save politics. That he carefully
eschews. He enjoys the operation, chats
entertainingly, and after his head has
been rubbed and the scalp treated the
president expresses his satisfaction and
goes about his arduous duties refreshed
and contented
Then Dabney returns to his shop and
waits on ordinary mortals or makes the
rounds of the houses where he is daily
expected to care for the hair of the wom-
en- of many official families For thirty
years he has welded the scissors and
razor, and twenty-three years of that
time has been spent in Washington
Among those whom he has served or is
now serving, besides the president, are
Secretary Root, Secretary Long, Vice
President-elect Roosevelt. Senator Frve
son, Justice Harlan, Gen. Miles, Admiral
Dewey, Senator Hoar, Senator Carter
Gen. Clarkson, Henry Watterson Gen.
Tracy, former Secretary of the Navy
and former Senators Murphy and Smith
Among the well known men now dead
who were habitues of his shop were
James G. Blaine, Secretary of state:
w. w. Corcoran, philanthropist; Secre-
tary Window, Of the treasury; Secretary
Rusk, Senator Farley, of California, and
senator voorhees,, of Indiana In the
palmy days of Chamberlin's, Dabney
was called there almost eyery morning
to attend to senators and members of
the house and was popular with all of
them. He was often intrusted with the
personal affairs of bachelors who were
about to become benedicts
Discussing the habits of great men In
the chair, Dabney said: Mr.. Roosevelt
was always chatty. He discussed any
tention-poltttcs, prize fights, sports. re-
!1gion, or anything that people were talk
ing or thinking about. Blaine and Cor
coran were retlcent. They had little to
German and French ministers liked their
own peculiar foreign hair cuts express
ca their satisfaction when well served
but did no talking. Secretary Root likes
good attention, is pleasant and agreeable,
but reserved, as Secretary Long is man
OF lew words at all times, and fewer still
when in the BARRIERS chair. Former
Vice President Stevenson had a pleasant
Wold whenever he entered the shop, took
! everything good naturedly and was cas-
lily pleased Few men are testy when
unoer the scissors or razor if you OILY
study. what they like and endeavor to
give it to them
Since his appointment as the White
House barber three years ago, Dabney
inent officials. but from the wives of
cabinet officers and others in congress,
and social circles, whom he has attended
for halr and scalp treatment. One inter-
est1ns thing in connection with his work
is the fact that he refuses to use any
of the numerous so-called remedies for
the scalp in the market. He uses his
own compounds, and the secret of them
is jealousy guarded by him.
In the legislative branch Of the gov
eTnment there is q staff of nine Official
BARRIERS. Three are on the senate side
Of the capitol and six on the house side
On the house side three men are assigned
to the Republican cloak room and three
to the Democratic. On the Republican
side Alexander Thomas is foreman. He
I has worked there for thirty years, and
| has an ineXhaustible fund of stories of
mer who have passed in and out of pub
lie life in that time. He is sixty years
old, and native of MARYLAND. Savoy,
one of his assistants, has been in the
house shop for twenty-eight years and
| Robinson, the other is comparatively a
newcomer, having been there only six
! years.
| ]. W. Evans, of Ohio, watches over
the hirsute adornments on the Demo-
cratic side of the house. He has stood
f. guard there for sixteen years, while his
! chief assistant. Williams, has pulled a
razor over the faces of Democratic states
men before and after election for twenty
| years. The other assistant, Barton, is
| from Iowa, and is still a novitiate, hav-
ing been on the governments payroll only
! four years.
The house employees, secretaries, ETC.,
have permission to use the house shop
up to 10 o'clock in the morning After
that hour members begin to stroll in,
and raZors and shears fly swiftly until
long after the house meets. With shaw
/ Ing done at government expense members
| are all anxious to be shaved daily
The senate shop is more exclusive. It
is not within the precincts of the cham
| Der. Down on the basement floor is a
room elaborately fitted for the BARRIERS
| OF this shop is j. L.. Hickman, who has
presided in this same shop for thirty
four years. He has known every man
personally who has been In the senate
IN that. time, and understands well all
their idiosyncrasies and wllims Hickman
! can make senatorial head that is dull
and achy. at 10 o'clock bright and really
| brilliant by the time the senate meets.
His two assistants, Sims and Williams,
| have learned their lessons thoroughly
under the old master, and have served
! long years each Each senator has his
favorite among the three, and when he
walks into the shop and finds some col
! league ahead of him he will patiently
abide by the rule of next" that prevails.
and wait until his own barber can serve
him. The senate BARRIERS are fortunate
| individuals. They draw a salary of S75 a
month whether the senate is in session
| of not. This is a yearly rate and in the
| long recess one barber attends the shop,
| the three men arranging their vacations
among themselves. In addition to this the
wealthy men of the senate-and this In
/ ri loo f6I1r- Of f11A 1<15r