The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-07-09

cd ny Hundreds OF Members ct the
Fca.hery Tribc-0vation Accord /
ed tic Victor by the Spectators !
The bIackbirds of Washington yesterday |
held their annual election Of !
president OF emperor. OF king, or ruler, /
Or whatever the name of the biacilhird
poteutate may he. in the big grass oval
on the Executive Mansion lawn. back of
the White House and for half an hour
the members of President NIcKinIey's i'm
mediate domestic family remaining there
for the summer. witnessed 4 convention Of
birds beside which the Kansas City and
St Louis conventions We're commonplace
affairs
At the end of thirty minutes one proud
blackbird was decided to have received a
majority Of votes but whether the victor
was 4 Democrat OF Republican could not
he learned There was no doubt in the
minds of those who witnessed the unique
contest that the ruler was an Administra-
ton bird They pointed out that no bird
would have selected the Presidents lawn
had he been a political rival In addition
to this the COnqUerinE hero was very
strenuous. Undoubtedly. therefore. he was
an imitatOT and admireT Of Colonel ROoSe-
welt. the original strenuous man. 1t was
noticeable that the vanquished bird had
the sympathy Of the bIackbird crowd up
until the minute of his defeat. After the
result was known, however. all of the
birds cheered Justify for the successful
candidate. and there were tremendous
tapping of wings and shriH whistIing
among the electors.
There has been much activity in black
bird circles at the National Capital for
some time, but not even the ornithOIo-
gists at the Smithsonian Institution. who
know all about such things, were able TO
penetrate the secret. The old grey-haired
Waterman on the ellipse in the White
Lot. who has been a guardian OF the
southern approach to th- Presidents
house for many years, was The only one
who knew that the annual election of Of
ficers in the bIackbiTd community was
about to be held
Yesterday when, from the experience he
has obtained in many years study of the
birds Of the Mall, he concluded that the
date of the convention had been settled,
he looked up q reporter of The Times
and granted . pass into the convention
hall"
1t was shortly after o'clock last even
ing VIXEN the first of the delegates ar
rived. They came from the flats across
! the river, the favorIte feeding grounds
of the blackbird tribe and the air was
dark with their SNOWY black DlUmage-
They took possession Of President Nc
Finley's trees as though they knew he
was away from home and bore the
branches almost to the ground under their
weight Soon other bird delegates put IN
their appearance They few from all sec
items OF the District-from the north, from
the south, east, and west-and they were
I - TTa5r-. lie
had been. by the home birds. VINO build
their nests year after year IN the unmo-
! tested shTubbery surrounding the EXecu-
| tive Mansion Hundreds Of them were
there. chattering like real human dele
gates to z political convention, ana max
| ing so much noise that the servants OF the
White House were ast5niShed. The birds,
! no doubt, had been getting points from Of
I fetal circles for many days. and they car
/ Red of their programme in truly up-tO-
/ date twentieth century style
Most Of the birds retained their seats,
/ while others few about, presumably Urg-
/ ing their followers TO vote for certain
/ candidate. An old. patriaTchaI bird whom
/ the Waterman said was tiIr sergeant-at-
arms. futtered about, examining the ere
/ de.3tiaIs Of the delegates, and preserving
( order.
/ honors appeared supported on either side
/ by their henchmen. = few preIirninaries
were gone through with, whereUpon the
/ PRINCIPALS stepped into the ring, and the
( great event among the blackbirds was on
/ The birds chose their ruler after the Spar
! tan fashion, a trial by battle In fact, 1t
( was seen at the outset that the best BIZ
( PED physically would be hailed as the
! chief There were two contestaIts-tvo
! sleek. black nuscUiarIy built princes Of
the afr-and they stepped TO the centre Of
( the lot with chests swelling with pride
and amid the plaudits Of their respective
partisans IN the assembled multitude.
! Facing each other, they awaited the sig
nal from the seTgeant-at-aTms. There
/ was much twittering and gufTawing and
[ twisting in seats. but when the master Of
ceremonies stepped into the arena nush
spread over the assenblage, and there
: was that stiffness which borders upon a
( trag event With one foot lifted high
in the air, as though TO give emphasis 10
command the master Of ceremonies gave
the sign fer the battle 10 begin. Vicious
as young tiGreSSes the birds few at each
other, and fCT the ilTSJ round there was
nothing TO be seen IN the centre Of the
plot where the Marine Band plays every
Saturday evening but a rapidly revolving
bunch Of black fluffy feathers. The birds
finally emerged. circled, looking for an
opening. and got together again. peckine
and claWIug like professional pTlZenght-
eTs-
When the fight began the noise Of tht
bIackbirdS ceased All of the birds few
down from the trees and arranged them
. selves in a circle about the cOnteSta nts
They were numbered BY hundreds While
the mill lasted not cGITp nor rustic
brOke-the stiffness. The DiDe15 watched
intently, but not a cheer was given. i
could be plainly seen. however, that tn,
{ most intense interest was being taken II
( the outcome Of the fight, and probably tht
/ fear Of being ruled OFF the ground hal
much to DO with the order maintained
/ The two candidates fought back aul
[ forth. with neither gaining any advantage
/ All the rules Of modern puEilistiC warfare
I were observed. and not once was a fOu
1 called on either bird The sight was tn
1 mast CGmical which has occurred IL
/ Washington IN years
/ Finally the blaCker bird Of the two ais
/ slightly larger than the other. appeared
/ to be gaining she victory. lie pushed tn
and dealt q finishing blow to his rival
! both physically and politically
The fight was over. the bird emperor
! elected. and the circle Of bIackbirds SCI
/ UP a shout of glad accIair i'm. though il
/ could be plainly seen by an observer
/ that the defeated candidate had the sym
pathy Of the .'love-of-justlce'' element OF
/ the convention
The defeated blackbird did not wait fo
I coincidence when ne had been defeated
| When he could pick himself UP from tn
! grass he Strengthened q few feathers, aut
/ then flew rapidly away in the direction
of Virginia. The other birds gathered
/ about the emperor. who struttcd up ant