The Savannah morning news., 1902-07-06
a $500 A DAY GUEST.
called by His Recent Commitment
to an Insane Asylum.

called ny His Recent Commi TIM e N Z
to an Insane Asylum.
From the New York Evening Post.
Washington, June 22.-The doors of
the government hospital for the insane
near Washington opened the other day
to admit the only man ever entertain
ed by the United States as a guest of
the nation for nearly six weeks, who
made his host pay him $500 a day in
solid cash for the privilege of his so
ciety.
Tins man was Hallet Kilbourn, who
III the early seventies was a we'll
known land agent and Spectator in
Washington and member of what
was then styled the District Real Es
tate Ring but would now probably be
recognized as a Public Improvement
Syndicate. A committee of the House
of Representative engaged in investi-
eating some Of the acts of the combi-
nation subpoenaed him as a witness
and demanded certain information
contained in the private books of his
firm lie refused to furnish it, and
by vote of the House he was arrest
ed by the Sergeant-at-Arms, John @.
Thompson, and locked up for contempt.
Kilbourn carried his case to the
courts which decided that he was
clearly WllNll MS IiSIl III IeIuSHlS "
answer the questions put to him. His
release occurred about forty days aft
er his arrest. In the interval though
quartered most of the time in the Dis
trict Jail, he Jared sumptuously at the
expense of the House contingent fund,
taking exerices afoot or paying social
visits in a carriage-always, of course.
accompanied by an accommodating of
ficer. being served with the delcacies
n
the House restaurant; giving dinner
parties to his friends; and generally
killing time after the manner of gen
tleman of elegant leisure rather than
a cuprit in durance.
Still. as he expressed it. his feelings
had been seriously wounded, and the
party who wounded them must be COM
PEELED to apply tho salve of a fat sum
in damages. SO he sued Mr. Thompson
for $4,000 The District Attorney, aid
ed by private counsel, specially retain
ed, made a stubborn fight for the de-
Tense, but the jury returned a verdict
for $780, 900. The judge who presided.
though himself a subscriber to Kill
bourn's syndicate, declared the amount
excessive, and on the governments
motion set the verdict aside and grant
ed a new trial This time Kilbourn was
awarded 500 900. Again the government
appealed, and the second judge set
that verdict aside At the third trial
the verdict was for $37 500, and the
Judge who presided said that, though
the award was still in his opinion eX-
cessive, the litigation had already con-
sumed some years and tired everybody
out, so he would suggest as a COM
promise that judgment be entered for
$4,000 and both sides cry quits. The
advice was followed and the House of
Representatives paid the judgment
against it's sergeant alarms, as he
had acted only under its instructions.
The case had several comical fea-
lures, when looked back upon. Kill
bourn, for instance, had no real objec-
ton to showing his books, and after
his release made free with he facts
and figures they contained; he merely
insisted that the House of Representa-
tives could not force him to lay bare
the confidential data of his private
business. He had long been the good
friend of Thompson, whom be sued,
and their litigation did not impair
their friendship ,fins lily, some of the
men who TOOK tn" mCst active part III
throwing him into Jail and trying to
keep him there were old crones of his
each side being merely bent on es-
tablishing a principle. Kilbourn showed
signs of mental arrangement three or
four years ago, and went into retreat
for a while. but was discharged as re-
stored; and his friends hope that his
present attack may likewise yield to
treatment.
While on the subject of old Washing
ton characters: the news of the death
of Col. Dick" Wintersmith of Ken