The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-08-12

A New York paper prints the follow
ing story: The little old cabin in which
Vest lodged during his first year in
Washington as the servant of his coun-
try IS still pointed out to sightseers.
When he first came to the capital city
about the only man he knew was his
friend, Joe Blackburn of Kentucky,
and to him he applied for assistance
in finding an inexpensive lodging place.
Blackburn stecred him to an apartment
which Vest soon discovered was over
an undertaker's shop. Vest was not
naturally superstitious, but the grew
some sights he saw and the sounds
that fioated up through his window
from the work shop of death were any,
thing but inspiring to a man who had
only one acquaintance in the city. He
voiced his discomfort in the ears of
his friend.
Now, don't say that" protested
Blackburn. Why. you are almost as
gloomy as the last man who occupied
this room. All" sighed Joe. Poor
Jones'
What about him?" asked Vest,
prlcking up his ears.
He's dead now answered Joe. II
remember the last 1 saw of him.
came up in this room to see him one
evening at dusk. / knocked and got
no answer. Jones and 1 were cronies,
so 1 did not stand on ceremony, but
walked in. ran up kerfiop against
Jones legs"
"What?"
Yes, poor Jones was dead. He was
hanging from the chandelier, right
over where you are sitting now
That was enough for Vest. The very
next morning he started out, deter
mined to take the first lodging he could
find to escape from his present quar-
tiers. What he found was the little
cabin.
One day when Vest was in the law
business at Sedalia, an old soldier
drifted into his Office and very blunt
ly said: Il want to sue by admins
| traitor
Vest looked up at the man hurriedly
and seemed assured that the fellow was
not crazy. Still he had his doubts
| and asked what he meant by such an
extraordinary thing as suing his adj
ministrator.
well. 1 am dead" replied the fell
low.
"Dead?"
Yes, 1 am supposed to be dead, at
| least the courts have declared me SO
and all my property has been adjudi-
Gated and divided up between my wife
dIlu CuliuTeu.
Then the visitor told how he had left
home for the village store one day
during the beginning of the Civil War.
A regiment of Confederate soldiers
passed through; he caught the fever,
rode off with them and remained in the
army until after the war, not having
communicated with his family during
that time. They. supposing that he
had died. appealed to the court and
dispossessed him of his property.
1t is needless to say the soldier was
restored to his rights through the
courts.
The words which Mr.. Vest spoke in
the Senate chamber after the death of
Senator Morrill, of Vermont, might APP
propriately be spoken at his own bier.
In the course of his eulogy he said:
1T is said that death is the great
enemy of our race; but under certain
circumstances this is not true. When
the young, vigorous, ambitious and
hopeful are stricken down, we stand
shocked as If before some unfinished
painting or statue, where the pencil
or Chisel has fallen from the nerVeless
hand of a great artist but when life's
work is done, when the task is finished
and we simply await the inevitable
end, death is oftentimes a friend"