Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-02
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

Yesterday morning the season for hunting
on the waters adjacent to this city opened
with many guns popping on
Sportsmen the fats of the Eastern
branch and birds falling be-
fore the hunters. This fact
lends especial interest to the
following paragraph In The Star Of August
70. 1856. under the heading Caution to
Sportsmen":
Our bird shooters In the excitement Of
the sport seem to forget the section of a
late act Of Congress which reads as fol-
lows:
That 1t shall not be lawful for any per-
son or persons to ride, drive or lead any
morse, mule or other animal over the wood
en- part OF the Upper Eastern Branch or
Jennings bridge at q faster gait than q
walk; or to discharge any gun or frearm
on or under the said bridge. or from the
causeway leading thereto, and all persons
violating either of the provisions of this
section shals forfeit and pay. for each Of
iense, a penalty of not more than ten nor
less than five dollars. to be recovered. in
the name of the United States, before any
magistrate In the county of Washington
and the District of Columbia, the money
when collected to be handed over to the
levy court. and by them applied to such re-
pairs and Improvements of the road leading
to the bridge as from time to time may be
required
I'VE learn that the necessity for the pas
sage OF this act was urgent; that at times
the gun-f1ring upon the bridge was so con-
tinuous as to cloud the bridge ana cause
way with the smoke of powder, and that
horses passing the bridge have been so
startled by the firing as to crouch to the
ground trembling with excessive fright"
TX
Mr.. and Mrs. William ]. Florence. who
were then among the most popular Ameri-
can actors, had just re-
mr.. and Mrs. turned to the United States
Florence, after long and profit
able season abroad and
were performing in Washington at this
time in 1856. Their bills drew large houses.
In The Star Of August q appears this no.
tice of the performance at the National
Theater the night before:
THE applause was continuous and most
hearty, indeed approaching at times to the
boisterous. Mrs. Florence, with great good
nature, yielded to the perpetual calls for
repetitions of her songs and Dances but the
additional labor thus imposed upon her
must have been most severe, especially con-
she had to sustain in the two pieces in
which she appeared, Irish Assurance and
the protean farce of 'MischievOus Annie.
In the latter of which she assumed six Diff
ferent characters.
Nothing but long practice in vocaliza-
ton, as hack drivers or hotel porters. could
have enabled sundry individuals in the par
quet and galleries last night to raise and
sustain such boisterouS and pertinaciOuS
demands for the repetition of almost every
one of the many songs and dances intro
duced. thus protracting the performance be-
You'd all reasonable limits. Probably 1t was
their first visit to any theater whatever.
and they felt solicitous to get as much as
possible for their money. Should these gen.
tlemen favor the theater with their future
presence 1t is to be hoped they will become
sufficiently acquainted with the proprieties
of the place to exercise a little considera-
ton for actors and audience"
~
The deadlock over the Kansas provfso in
the army appropriation bill continued to
hold Congress in extra ses-
Army Bill sion and to cause serious
Deadlock. complications in the gov
ernmental administration.
The following paragraph in The Star Of
August %. 1856. indicates that the capital
itself suffered from the lack Of army funds:
1.-THE War Department has felt compelled
to discharge the mechanics employed in the
Washington arsenal and, we take 1t for
granted. at all the United States arsenals
and armories in the country. The order to
that effect was communicated to those in
this city Immediately interested yesterday
afternoon. The appropriations for their
employment have been exhausted and the
department has no means at its command
with which to pay them longer. and will
have none until the army appropriation bill
shall have become a law. This necessary
step will, of course, produce much incon-
venience. If not actual distress, to many
worthy families. 1t is to be sincerely hoped
that the departments dilemma may be
cured today by Congress. In Springfield.
Mass, there ale at least thousand souls
who rely upon payments for such labor on
government account for their daily bread.
while there are also a large number of
tradesmen, outside mechanics, ETC., who
will be seriously cramped in their business
by the necessity which the House has inn
posed upon the executive branch of the
government in this matter"
Notwithstanding the hope expressed the
deadlock was not broken on shat day, or
for many days to come.
y
Conditions in California were still very
unsettled In The Star of August 80. 1856,
appears half a column of
News From news briefs covering events
california. in that part of the country,
culled from the California
paperS of the latest ODtalnaDle GATE. MOSl
Of the space is devoted to a description Of
the. killing of DIR. Randall by Joseph
Hetherington and the hanging Of the latter
by the vigilance committee of San Fran
cisco. The gallows was surrounded by
force of fully four thousand troops, serv-
ing in the name of the committee and defy
ing the regular forces of the state There
was no attempt at interference with the
execution which became famous in the
annals of the state Other items of this
budget of news are of interest now:
Three attempts had been made and frus-
trated within one week to fire Sacramento
CITY,
Highway robberies were becoming very
frequent in the interior. 1t Is said some
villains who were driven out Of San Fran
cisco by the vigilance committee have taken
to the road.
slight shocks of an earthquake were felt
on the Both of July at San Francisco.
Eat Los Angeles the people of Spanish
origin and the lower class Of native Cali
fornians armed themselves in opposition to
the authorities and the Americans general
ly. Mexican was killed by deputy
constable when the latter was executing an
attachment upon the property of the
former The constable was arrested and
released on bail. This offended the Span
fards who, to the number of several hum
dred made attempts upon the town. The
Americans rallied to the defense, organized,
and at last accounts both parties were
under arms"