Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-09
LONG-AG0 ANECDOTES
EVENTS RELATED By A CORNER
SENATE PAGE.
Senator Pearce Impaled by Mrs. Hale's
Parasol-When Pomeroy Was Cap
tured by Border Rufians.


the employ of the United States Senate.
first as a page and afterward as one of the
assistant doorkeepers, his entire term of
service lasting more than a third of GEN.
fury. Naturally Mr.. Raglan has fund of
interesting "reminiscences, and to few
friends one evening last week he related
quite number of them
When 1 made my debut as one of the
Senate's pages said he, that branch of
Congress met in the old chamber that is
now the hall of the United States Supreme
Court. There was no gas in those days and
the chamber, as well as that of the House
of Representatives, was lighted by an Inn
mense chandelier of oil lamps that were
pendant from the middle of the ceiling. /
witnessed incident one day that came
very near being deplorable tragedy. The
gallery was just over the vice presidents
chair and in the front there was an iron
railing. The seat of Senator James A.
Pearce of Maryland was in the front row
of desks and almost directly beneath this
railing 'On the occasion / refer to Mrs.
John p. Hale wife of the senator from
New Hampshire, with party of ladies oc-
cupied the first range of seats in the gal
Jerry. Mrs. Hale was holding her parasoi
over the rail when it slipped from her hand
and fell with its sharp point downward
right upon the head of Mr.. Pearce. He was
rendered unconscious by the shock and so
great was the excitement that proceedings
IN the Senate were suspended. The wound
bled profuSely, and the senator was taken
to one OF the committee rooms to receive
surgical attention. Mrs. Hale, in great dis
treSS, left the gallery to ascertain the re-
suit OF the accident and was profuse in ex-
pressing her regrets. Her husband rendered
his earnest apologies to the Maryland SEN
ator and Mrs. Hale wrote him a letter ex-
a hn
An Unpleasant Incident.
While speaking of Mr.. Pearce l am re-
minded of another Incident that was not
very pleasant. l was called to the door to
take the card of gentleman to the senator
and of course went promptly. Mr. Pearce
seemed somewhat disgruntled that morn
ing and he scowled he looked at the card
Go back and say to that gentleman he
said, that l won't see him. l decline to
be bothered That was a rather harsh
command to me, but l repeated his mes
sage to the visitor. who became very ndig-
nant. He simply said, You can say to Mr.
Pearce that will see him in the state and
then he went away Not many minutes
after that Mr.. Pearce came to the door and
asked for his visitor. When told that he
had left, the senator said, L was too hasty
l would not have that happened for 81 OOO'
Senator Pomeroy of Kansas was quite a
character in his way" continued Mr.. Ragan
This incident, am about telling you did
not come under my Observable but was
told to me by a Missouri man who was
present when it happened. 1t was during
the time when fierce war was being waged
between the free state men Of Kansas and
the border ruff1anS who were principally
Missouri men. The feud between these two
factions eXcelled in bitterness any enmity
between the north and south. 1t was war
to the knife and the knife TO the hilt' as
the old saying is. Pomeroy was a vigor-
GUS leader among the free state men,
though | do not know If he was among its
soldiers. He was active enough In the free
state cause, however. The Missourians
were under the command of David r. Atch-
iSon, who was at one time senator from
that state, and was also president pro
tenn. of the Senates One day a party of the
border ruff1an element captured Pomeroy.
They did not know who he was, but they
took him to Gen. Atchisons quarters. The
border ruffian chieftain did not know Pom
eroy either, but was eager to catch him and
string him up without benefit of clergy.
w hen the Kansas man was brought before
his enemy that gentleman sang out, Well,
who are your Pomeroy was not in uni
form nor had he any weapons about him.
He looked like preacher, and when Atchi-
son Numbered out his query Pomeroy's
quick wit served him well. I am only a
meek and lowly servant of the Lord he re-
sponded, and Atchison promptly yelled
out to one OF his men to turn that preacher
out If he had known who that meek and
lowly' man was 1t would have been the end
of Pomeroy.
Familiarity Called "Old Beans"
"One day / was sitting at my door on the
southern side of the Senate chamber" said
Mr.. Raglan. when a fine-looKing, breezy
sort of man came up, and handing me a
card, said:
Send that in to Old Beans, if you
please
Who's that? said I.
'' I thought everybody knew Old Beans
said the stranger, It's Senator Pomeroy
We fellows in Kansas love him. He came
out there one day from Boston with barrels
of beans when everybody was nearly starved
to death, and 1t is only in affection we call
him Beans He don't mind it..
Il took his card to the senator who ap-
peared in a moment and seemed delighted
to see the man who alluded to him as Old
Beans
"Pomery was very careful man and a
things wasted. One day he came out at my
door just as / was biting off a big chew
of tobacco. He stopped and looked at me a
moment. Young man. said he don't YOU
know you are splitting away farms?
Once" said the ex-page Congress had
prepared a book containing a number Of
maps. Some plans were being discussed re-
garding change of some kind in the city
and old maps were very valuable There
was quite a demand for them. l asked a
senator for one of these books and he kind
~ computed with my request Ihere was
another page with whom I was on very
friendly terms. In these days he is known
as general John M. Wilson and was engineer
officer of the board of District Commits
sioners. Everybody knows and respects
him. This young man became aware of the
fact that 1 was the happy possessor of one
of these coveted maps and told me that his
relative-an uncle l think-Dr. Marin, the
well-known druggist, was trying 10 buy one
That aroused my cupidity and 1 made a
double quick march to DIR. Nairn's drug
store and sold my book. DIR. Marin gave me
one of those little gold dollars for it. About
three days after that the senator who made
me a present of the document called me up
What did you do with that book of maps
] gave you? he said.
Il told him that / sold It.
WHO to?' said he.
II told him that / sold 1t to DR.. Marin
for dollar. Then received lecture that
I have never forgotten. Yes, he said I
saw the maps in DR.. Nairns store this 1t
cost the government more than that for the
books l was told and then I was made to
open my eyes upon the discourtesy of SELL
ing a gift. l told the senator I never did
such a thing before and never would again,
and that closed the incident. The donor
was always a good friend to me- and /
have long ago forgiven General Wilson for