Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-18
COL. Dick THOMPSON
Recollections of Old-Time
Eoosier Statesman.
POWER IN HIS STATE
WASHINGTONIAN aWAS STUDENT
AT LAW IN HIS OFFICE.
Tells OF Their First Meeting in a
Tavern at Terre
Haute.
POWER IN HIS STATE

LAS it closely relates to Washington and
many memorable persons and personages
in the history of the national capital, it
may be permissible in the "reminiscences of
an old Washingtonian's life to revert to the
then wild and woolly west, where were
made and still are made congressman and
Presidents" said an old-timer to a reporter
of The Evening Star
I'm 1897 1 had just returned to Amer
lea; dropped anchor at Alexandria, Va;
visited my family in my native city, and
| Immediately fitted off to Terre Haute, Ind.
! An old friend of my fathers (they Were
| both old line whigs) was Richard w.
| Thompson, since we'll and widely known as
war horse of the republican party, ma
tive of Virginia, long a member of the
United States House of Representatives
and later Secretary of the Navy in Hayes
cabinet.
Dick Thompson was genial man
| abroad, full of personal magnetism. He
/ won golden opinions from all sorts of per-
sons, much like James G. Blaine, Sam Ran
dali or Tom Corwin. A finer specimen of
| manhood has been seldom given for a
model I lived with the family for many
years, and our affection was mutual.
I first met Dick at the Brown House
in Court House Square, diagonally opposite
| his law offices, where 1 settled down for
three years to the study of Blackstone
| Kent and the statutes. Dick and his
junior partner. each in his turn represent
ing the old sixth district in Congress, took
me in hand leisure or inclination or
friendly interest prompted, and cross-exam-
| ined me to their hearts content as to what
| L had or had not learned.
| Judge Law passed me, and Bob Hudson
| and several other aspirants, and we were
| met by sundry and other members of the
| bar We adjourned to the more potent bar
| of a Dutch saloon across the street, where
we allgexchanged smiles, greetings and con-
gratulations. Thus l was made a member
of the bar.
Il had put up temporarily at the Stuart
House. block below Court House square,
and had scarcely sunk into doze.
when l was aroused by delegation. They
had taken the house, and it was manifest
they wanted me. What was the good of
protest? They came up and |, of course,
went down in their custody.
| Nv mere We went, what we did, what we
| did not 'deponent sayeth not The ring
| leader of all this crowd was a raw-boned,
| slender youth, about twenty-five or twenty
| six years old; clean shaver and short
| haired; slim as a lat and nimble a
| greyhound. His name was Charley Dewey.
| Like all geniuses, he defied calculation.
Mathematicians could never reduce him to
| their exact science. He had no common
| denominator. He came to Terre Haute; he
| increased in radiance up to his zenith and
| jostled other orbits, and disappeared as
| meteoricaly as he had come. l always
much more than liked Charley Dewey. 1
should be sad to hear any tale of sorrow
| Il L
| again in this life.
| In Indiana l met and became acquainted
with Tom Hendricks, Schuyler Colfax,
| John z. Usher, Secretary" of the Interior,
and many other men who have taken their
| place in the history of our country. Newton
| Booth at the time of his unit imely death
| was about to become the third Vice Presi-
| dent of the United States from Indiana
| Booth went to California, became the at
| torney of the railroad interests. of the state,
was soon elected and reelected governor.
| Then he came to Washington as United
States senator. Dick Thompson advised
me to call upon him. and 1 did. 1 found
| him in his apartments in F street, and he
| gave me cordial welcome.
After parting with Booth 1 never saw
| the dear fellow again. He was scarcely
| over forty years old. He told me he con-
tempated marriage soon He died in the
| heyday of life and the budding of his use
| fulness.
Where He First Met Thompson.
"On first arriving in Terre Haute 1 took
up my home at the Brown House. There 1
first met Richard w. Thompson He was
| in happy mood and was relating to the
crowd number of funny stories and inter-
| esting incidents In his usual Irresistible
campaign style. He knew his audience and
| it adored him. AS raconteur 1 have
| known only one man to rival him, and
! that was Tom Corwin, whom I met for the
first time in Terre Haute. 1 met him often
| and knew him Intimately afterward in
| Washington. 1 was with him at the Ohio
state agency thirty minutes before his sud-
| den and, to the country, calamitous death.
| "Dick' Thompson related his stories to
| the intense and uproarious delight of his
| auditors, and before he went away shook
| hands fervently with me and invited me to
duced by Mr.. Thompson to his household
| Mrs. Thompson was charming woman.
| The eldest child daughter, was named
Harriet, after her mother. She was about
ht~f1 o1d onA O hoe
| than her mother. Then there was Dick
jr., and between him and Katie came Fred.
while I was pursuing the study of the
| law Col, Thompson bought a piece of
| ground toward the woods, In the west of
the town, and built himself a house, at
| which l was frequent visitor. When 1
Col Thompson 1 ives introduced to his
| partner, Harvey D. Scott, who soon sue
ceeded Col. Thompson as representative in
Congress from the sixth district.
| Harvey Scott at first sight struck me as
| too imaginative. Never was there a more
able representative Of any district of any
state in the Union. I wonder if he is alive.
| The program was that. In the order Of sue
| cession, I was to follow in the representa-
! ton of the sixth district. Scott became
| tired of it. and his law practice required all
his time and attention l mad been around
with Thompson, and had been made &C
quainted with all Of his constituents. Just
then fate stepped in and kicked the fun
milk pail over:
| little maid, and we had agreed we could
not live without each other. 1 left Terre
| Haute went back to Our dear city, married
her. and together we returned to Indiana
| We took up our residence in Sibleytown
| There our first child was born, Indiana
After a few years we returned to Washing
| ton. She would never consent to go back
to Indiana We haverbeen in Washington
| ever since And so vanished all my pros
| poets of advancement, and ambition We
celebrated our golden wedding last year,
| and 1 am more than csnsoled with the
thought that I yet have her by my side
| What are all the triunzph4of life compared
| with domestic happiness? sc
II must defer until slater some very in
| teresting "reminiscences concerning Vice
Presidents Hendricks and Colfax, Secreta-
ries Corwin Thompsen end Usher Repre-
| sentatives Harvey d. Scott, William X.
Edwards and others whom l knew well in
| hoosierdom.
| 1.-The death Of little Katie Thompson was
| sad Colonel Thompson was at the time
! representative in Congress from the sixth
| district and had taken residence near the
| corner of E and 10th streets northwest.