Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-09
FIFTY YEARS AGO
i THE STAR

Considering lthe al count Of space occupied
by discussions OF the changes in depart
mental WORDING hours nowadays whenever
which appea1ed in THE Star April 2. 1855.
suggests thai the interests of the govern
ment clerks were not as closely watched
then as at present:
I'VE understand that the Secretary Of the
Treasury has directed that from this time
the LIST OF APPLY to the LIST of October next
all the employees In the several bureaus of
MS department shall be at their several
desks and posts at a. m. daily, remaining
until pm. This is the usual summer sea-
son custom In all the departments In this
city. The order embraces directions that
journal of the time each clerk arrives at
his office In the morning shall be kept.
There is some growing. of course, over this
regulation which. by the by, Is always well
received by such clerks as are determined
faithfully to discharge their obligations to
the government. We presume that other
heads OF the departments have issued
similar ORDER
Sunday. April I, was clustering. dusty
day. and Mondays Star contained this d.
verting comment on the weather:
mot few hats were blown of the heads
of the incautious of the male gender, who
were in consequence afforded fine oppor-
tunity of showing the extent of their speed
in pursuing the rapidly retreating castors.'
sometimes made close connections. as in
the case thus noted April 3:
I'VE hear that our old and so highly re-
garded fellow citizen, Junius Boyle u. s.
just returned from the East Indies, wrote
from Tahiti Sandwich Islands, for mem
Der of his family to meet him in New York
on the 31st of March, on which day his ship
actually arrived there, having made the
voyage around the Horn in the interim.
The Southampton touched nowhere between
the Sandwich Islands and New York"
The Star was not quite accurate In 10.
group 1t is one of the Society islands. sew
erai thousand miles due south of Hawaii.
In view of the large num-
N"ee'lne Der of meetings held in these
Raided. days by colored citizens of
the capital, this account of a
raid in SO makes strange reading now:
Last night information was given to the
police that a number of male colored per-
sons were meeting in secret conciave IN the
cellar of a house in D street between 9th
and 10th streets. Accordingly police
posse proceeded thither The entire
party were escorted to the watch-house.
Capt. Birch read to them the law
which prohibits free or slave blacks and
mulattoes from assembling unlawfully or
meeting in secret. The captain hav
ing asked them whether they had anything
to say, one of the blacks requested the ex-
"
on the desk. which consisted of the Holy
Bible, Seneca's Morals and Life in Ear
nest Among the private papers was one
In the form of a subscription for the pur-
ard, the value set on her by her owner be-
ing $780, To the liberating fund Hon. Ger
rit Smith paid $50 and Hon. w. H. Seward
So; Hon. J. R. Giddings was down for 81.
but the cash was notspaid."
Several of the twenty-four prisoners were
released, four freedmen were sent to the
workhouse. one slave received six lashes,
and the others were released on payment Of
the fine and costs-$55S each.
Washington was greatly
successful shocked on the 4th of April
Forger. to learn that Col. Lewis Lit
tepage Taylor Of Missis-
sippi, for some years clerk in the treas
notes behind in the hands of friends. money
lenders and business men, who had been In
duced to take them as security for debts
and loans on the strength of their supposed
Endorsement by Jefferson Davis, then Sec
rotary of War. The Star said:
1.-The ante room of the Secretary of War
presented a lugubrious scene shortly before
noon today, there being half dozen of
Taylor's victims seated around awaiting
the opportunity to verify the Endorsement
of Gen. Davis, If possible. We understand
that he pronounces all such paper bearing
his name to be forgeries.
-. .. From WlaL we learn before SOluS
to press. we shall not be surprised If Tay-
Ior's forgeries amount to quite SIS, 00O."
In venturng to account for this mans
fall The Star said:
gambling is alleged as the cause of his
crimes 1t has brought many men of more
frmness, promise and original character
than Lewis Littlepage Taylor. before him,
to the commission of as bad deeds
Some of the citizens of Washington well
remember the public school teachers whose
" follows.
of April 5. as representing successful can
didates for certificates: Mary A. Mirick,
Ellen E. Janney, A. v. Bates. Marcia ).
Baker, Laura r. Hilton, Frances T..
Hoover, Eliza r. Ward, Ellen l.. Hawkins,
Lucy Ellen Moore, Mary A. Brush. Eliza
beth Ellen Ashdown, Rachel A. Adams.
Henry Henshaw, Minnie Turpin and Annie
V. Shaw.
However far back the Gus
Egg tom may have run beyond
p;oL;no 1855 1t is certain that pick
ing" eggs, which obtains
even now in Washington to some extent
Just before and after Easter, was In full
blast, On the 9th of April The Star said:
1.-The boys, as in former years. were ex-
tensively engaged In and around the market
house in the exciting and ancient % busl-
ness of picking eggs. In fact, all over the
city the male Juveniles are thus employing
their spare time. Eggs were selling at
eighteen cents a dozen.
There was assuredly no connection be-
tween that innocent juvenile sport and the
state of affairs thus descripeu III tue saiAe
issue:
within three weeks past we have been
Informed of a large number of thefts per-
petrated by children, some twelve and
a bad index to the future of those young
ones"
mn DrnIIUNmn