Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-03
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

had passed q law positively
OueAs ana prohibiting these encounters,
the Law. prescribing severe penalty
for all who engaged in them.
In The Star OF August n occurs this para
graph:
ION Saturday night two young men and
one who might have been their parent enter
ed the trial room Of the guard house rather
hastily and anxiously inquired II the cap
tain was in. Being answered In the mega
tive the elder gentleman remarked that his
companions were DESTROYS Of preventing a
duel between two Of their friends. The
challenge had passed and a hostile meet
ing would certainly take place II the law
MorseH was sent for and arrived. but he
discovered that the witnesses had gone In
search OF him. The justice waited ana hao
| short conversation with the elderly gen
tleman, who also retired shortly after his
conversation ceased. The witnesses nave
not yet returned to the guard house. and,
1t is supposed never will be caught In that
trap again. One Of them made a remark,
rather fncautiously, which If 1t had been
made on oath before a magistrate would
have given all the parties in the affair an
opportunity to learn trade under the IN
struction of certain United States agents.
If we mistake not all the parties to an
affair of honor in this district are liable
to indictment under the congressiona. anti
dueling law. 1t is generally believed by
those acquainted with what took place on
Saturday night that more wine than blood
will be spilled in the settlement of the diff
ficulty."
The people of Washington were contribut-
ing to funds for the relief of the yellow
fever sufferers of Norfolk and that vicin-
ity. and on the 28th OF August The Star
said In this connection:
I'VE find it impossible to ascertain the
precise amount of money which has been
forwarded from this city in aid of the
sufferers In Portsmouth and Norfolk, but
conclude from the result of our iuvestiga-
tion,; that at least $500 have been sent
from this point. This is sum larger
in proportion to population. we apprehend
than has been collected for the cause in
any town or city out of Virginia, and for
credit indeed 1t has been subscribed with
a liberal hand by persons OF all religions
and all parties. all of whom deserve like
praise for their good deeds in this connec-
tion, for they have fairly We'd with each
other in seeing who could accomplish most
by way of swelling this valuable fund"
Fifty years ago the women Of America
were sadly addicted to the hoop-skirt habit.
Quips and jibes on this sub
Hoop feet were common in the
Skirts, American press. In The Star
of August % appears ex
tract from an out-of-town paper illustrating
this tendency. The Star said:
1.-THE Buffalo Republic tells the following
story about the hoops: We were permitted
for the first time in our life to accompany
a handsome young lady day or two since
through our principal streets, she being
daintily dressed and wearing hoops. Hoops
think of that. you local editors who have
never come In contact with anything better
than cotton duck skirts grass dittos.
Hoops! But there was a drawback in this
flood Of happiness. We could not get near
er than four feet of her, and consequently
the conversation consisted of uninteresting
scraps Of commOnplaces, conducted prfnci-
pally in screams and helloes. During our
passage toward the young lady's domicfle a
small dog attached to a small tin pail In his
fright ran against her and disappeared in
the folds of hoped silk.
There he was, and what to do she knew
not Finally the dog became quiet owing to
the darkness in the region where he had
disappeared. and the hooped lady started
refectively preceding her to inform the
servants Of her catastrophe. She arrived
there perfectly safe,. and after few min
utes, during which time shovels, tongs and
a firebrand were pushed under the pavilion,
the dog was ousted from his place of ref
uge and shot from his lair like a ball from
a musket. The last seen of him he was
executing some very interesting pirouettes;
with the tin pan accompanying him around
the corner. The lady was not at all embar-
raised by her unexpected companion. except
that an occasional sound from the tin pan
would attract the attention Of passers-by.
who looked in vain for the cause. So much
for hoops.
The steam railroad accident had not be-
come so common fifty years ago that 1t was
to be accepted as one Of the
Railroad frequently paid penalties of
Disaster. civilization. Consequently
when train on the New Jer-
sew railroad running from Philadelphia to
New York ran into a horse near Burlington
and was ditched. with a loss OF twenty lives
and the wounding of seventy other people.
the disaster was regarded as one OF the
great tragedies OF the time. Wasnlnston
was deeply concerned In the disaster De-
cause of the presence OF local people on the
train In The Star of August 30 the follow
ing paragraph was printed:
"When the intelligence reached this city
Yesterday afternoon that terrible accident
had occurred on the Philadelphia and New
York railroad much anxiety was maniesteo
on the part of many of our citizens FOR the
safety Of friends who they supposed mignt
at that time be travelling on the road. 1t
was not however, until late hour OF nlgnt
after 10 oclock-that the particulars were
received, and they were confined prlnclpaily
to the agents for the public press we no.
tice in the list Of killed Harry Rush OF
Georgetown College, DR.. William Whelan OF
the bureau of medicine and surgery OF the
Navy Department. ana DenniS " hedHe "
Washington. Those are the only persons
specified in the Geographic dispatches as be-
longing to this neighborhood. though doubt
less there are friends of others Of the killed
and wounded residing hereabout, who are
deeply distressed In consequence Of the SAD
event, while the public at large must be
painfully affected at the intelligence.
It appears that Mr. OKeane was not kill
ed though he was seriously wounded and
that DR.. Whelan. chief of the bureau OF
medicine and surgery, was only wounded.
Capt. Boyce of the United States navy
however, well known in Washington, was
killed and also his daughter Emma.
yesterday morning at about am,
saws The Star of August 81, 1.-The hounds OF
Mr.. Talbert residing on the Eastern branch.
near this city, snuffed the scent Of one OF
the beautiful elks kept by Clark Mills, the
artist, on his farm near Bladensburg, that
had got away in some manner The chase
then began, and the animal was hunted
some thirty miles over the country by the
dogs waking all sleepers within a mile OF
the route of the chase, and inducing sports
men to Join In considerable numbers Their
impression was that his elkship was won
derfully fine buck that had escaped from
the grounds Of some unknown gentlemen.
In the course of the morning the animal
was brought at bay by the dogs. after hav-
Ing crossed over (swam) the Eastern branch