The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-02-10
COLUMBIA CLUB STORIES
THE ATMOSPHERIC OF THE BUILD
ING CALLS THEM FORTH.
Seated I'm Luxurious Longing Chairs
h Raconteurs Are Easy
Victims Of "Reminiscences.

stories related. Inere seems TO De some
thing in the atmosphere of the splendid new
building or in the beautiful, comfortable
and inviting lounging and rest rooms that
acts as a stimulant to the memory of the
raconteur. Almost any evening one can
find about the great clubhouse a
group of choice spirits RECALLING each other
with bits of interesting Renaissance, excel
lent stories and witty repartee.
For example, a few evenings ago Otto
Hasselman felt 1.-The influence" and related
the story of how an angry reporter over in
st. Louis once had a terrible revenge upon
his paper for firing him.. 1.-The young
man in question:" said Mr.. Hasselman,
was a fellow who had been dealt with very
leniently, but he seemed unable to learn the
business, n finally one Saturday night he
was told that he could get hts money Mon
day morning and that he need not report
again for duty. He at once set about TO get
'even,' and this is how he succeeded. He
wrote a little paragraph about smallpox be-
ing very prevalent in St. Louis and spoke
OF the efforts that were being made to
quarantine against the disease. Somehow
or other that little item got past all of the
editors and copy readers and appeared in
the paper. / forgot to mention that 1t was
the st. Louis Democrat, a Republican pa
per, by the way, Notwithstanding its name.
Imagine my CONSERVATION on Monday to be
greeted in my Office by something like a
score of prominent st. Louis business men,
advertisers in our paper, who jumped on to
me and gave me the most terrific tongue
flashing that ever a poor man received.
They said: DO you want to ruin us all by
advertising to the world that this city is in
tested with smallpox? We will take our ad-
vertisements out of your fool paper. We
don't want anything more to do with you
l hastily seized a paper and looked for and
found the offending paragraph, and then 1
understood the situation. 1t was indeed
horrible. Here were the biggest business
firms in ST. Louis threatening to withdraw
their advertising patronage. 1t looked like
sheer ruin. 1t did not take me long to
guess how the item came to be in the paper.
and explained the matter to the men, but
they were too angry to listen to me at the
time. Before 1 got the thing Strengthened
out it had cost the Democrat between 50, 900
and $4,000"
do you see that eagle up there?" said
DR.. Franklin w. Hays, pointing with evil
dent pride to a magnificent specimen Of
the bald or white-crested American eagle
which occupies a prominent position in the
sumptuouslya appointed Columbia Club cafe.
"Weli. that bird has an interesting story
connected with it. The Montana Club, n
very select social organization of Helena,
Mont. once took a notion that it wanted a
real bald eagle TO serve as an ornament IN
It's beautiful assembly hall. For several
years the members cherished this desire,
Until 1t became almost a monomania. They
wanted q specimen of the bald eagle be-
cause it is the true American eagle, the
'bird of freedom And they also wanted to
procure the best specimen that could re
found One day word came tina In one OF
the towering crags that overhang a canyon
near Helena a magnificent American eagle
had been seen. Hunters by scores fockcd
to the place to capture the coveted prize.
The lucky individual proved to be Harry
Palmer a member of the Montana Club
Palmer is also a native of ndian and a
member, of the Columbia Club. When IL
came to deciding to which of the two organ
izations he should present his prize Mr..
Palmer was naturally torn by conflicting
emotions, but love for his native State and
for the Columbia Club finally triumphed
and he gave the magnificent bird to us.
That is how we happen to own the finest
specimen of the American eagle that is
mounted and exhibited anywhere in this
country" The eagle referred to by DR..
Hays is indeed a beautiful specimen. It's
plumage over the head and down to the tips
OF it's wings is snow-white, giving the head
The appearance Of badness. The rest Of
The plumage is notified black and brown
TO tho tail-feathers, where the beautiful,
lustrous white again puts in its appearance.
The resignation of DR.. Joseph A. Milburn
from the pastorate of the Second Presby-
terrain Church, which he has held for ten
years. came as a disagreeable surprise to
many members of the Columbia Club, where
DIR. Milburn is held in u~ncommonly high
esteem. The opinion has been freely ex-
pressed during the past few days that the
departure of DR.. Milburn will be a great
misfortune and loss to the city. There
has not been a minister In Indianapolis for
years who has succeeded so admirably in
getting into touch with the best people o.
the city outside of his own church as has
Mr.. Milburn,' remarked a prominent club
member.
IneTe Is scarcely Il topic VI CONVERSATION
that escapes the "grist' of the choice sp;r-
its that enjoy the hospitality of this club
day by day. Thomas G. Harrison. the
''boy preacher" who recently held a series
of old-fashioned revival meetings in this
city, was served up hot" the other night
by a prominent lawyer. "I went to hear
Harrison one time" said the gentleman in
question, land it was when he had more
show of claim to the title boy preacher
than he has now. / think it was about
nineteen or twenty years ago. He
had been conducting a series of
religious meetings for several weeks
and one night my wife asked
me If / did not want to go and hear the
young man who was creating such. a sem
sation. Well, 1 got to thinking and it oc-
Cured to me that. inasmuch as 1 had invested
Sc in that church and hadn't received much
interest from it. ] would go to hear Mr..
Harrison. OF all the harumscarum pulpit
orators and religious mountebanks of whom
1 had ever heard or read. he was decidedly
the worst. Why, the fellow jumped and
hoped and skipped about livelier than A
cricket or a flea He even leaped to the pull
pit stand several times. The grimaces he