The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1903-04-18
MR. ROBSONS START.
Fsnous Comedian Began Lie as
Page Boy in Congress.
owed HIs ADpoIntnsnt 70 Roberi
Toombs ana ne Fact That he
Btambled over Gea- scOtt'H
Ample Feet.
rspscial washington Lettsr.l

rsneeial WASHINGTON Letterl
Two times q are s.. II you don't
believe it, you can count il up on
your fingers.
The difference between the Thirtaeth
congress and the Fifty-seVenth con
gress. is q congresses; and, as eaeh
congress endures two years, the dlt-
ference in time between'the THIRTEEN
and Fifty-seFenth congresses y %
years.
By this simple method Of calculation
we reach the conclusion that stuart
Robinson, the comedian, is growing
old; in tact,-is already a old man, for
he tells the narrator that he was
mage boy in the Thirtieth congress-
He Is now nearing his SEVENTEEN year.
No one would believe it to see and
hear him on the stage. It would in
deed be easy to make one believe that
his voice was only born last night or
early this morning; it is such a little
bit of a thing.
81 was a page in the Thirtieth and
Thirty-frst congresses says Mr.. Rob
son. 1T was not an easy matter In
those DAYS TO secure such an appoint
ment, and / had q great struggle be-
fore success came. 1 was born in An
papolis, and raised in Baltimore. My
parents had no political pull, and they
were too poor to have any influence so
cially. Father and mother and each
thought of q dozen different things
which might or ought to do, to help
the family along. Finally L went to
distant relative named Reverdy John
son, then a prominent man, who gave
me a letter TO friend in Washington;
and csme to this city. Nobody had
hired a hall for me, and my name was
not on the bill boards. The hOtelswere
not begging for my patronage. No
body seemed anxious 20 see me or hear
me.
well, after many ups and downs Of
q few weeks, 1 secured from Mr.. Jeter-
son Davis q letter to the doorkeePer
of the house Of Representatives. With
that letter as my sole reliance, wait
ed on thedoorkeeper, camped in has Of
fee, followed him to his home, nagged
his family, and finally secured his
promise that should be appointed as
substitute for the first boy that should
be absent sick. The very next morn
ing a boy was reported sick. Icollared
the doorkeeper just inthe nick Of time.
He had made the same promise to
about so other boys; but all Of them
had homes in Washington, while had
none. I was the first to demand the
temporary appointment, and 1 secured
Il. When the house met, I was ordered
on the floor, and must have had q
hundred eyes in my head Every time
anyone called for q page, was first to
answer the call. 1 wanted to do all
the work, and the other boys seemed
/ quite willing to let me do it. Howell
/ Cobb was speaker Of the house, and
Alex d. Stephens and Robert Toombs,
of Georgia, were members. Inasmuch
as Mr.. Toombs had signed my applica-
ton, kept my eyes onhim all the time,
and never missed an opportunity OF
jumping to his desk TO serve him.
Late in the afternoon while Mr..
ToOmbs and Mr.. Stephens were con-
Versing, there came in an awful big
man, a giant with the biggest feet ]
had ever seen. thought them the
biggest feet in all the world. While ]
was looking at those feet a member
back Of Mr.. Toombs claPped his hands
for q page, and Immediately rushed
IN his direction. In passing that pom