Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-13
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR


the people was d PROPOSE
Sross-Sountfy ion to build wagon road
Road. from the Mississippi to
j the ocean. In The Star
of May 8, 1856. appears the following mat
ter on this subject:
We hear that huge petition is on the
way from California, praying that Congress
viii forthwith cause a good wagon road
to be constructed from Missouri to the
Pacific. The state of things on both the
New Granadian and Nicaraguan isthmuses
should be enough to warn Congress, Ii
seems to us, of the vital Importance of
promptly doing all they can constitutionally
do by way of insuring convenient and safe
intercourse between our Pacific possessions
and the rest of the Union. The project of
Mr.. Herbert similar In its essential fea-
lures to that of Mr.. Phelps or something
OF the sort, Is the key to the solution of
the difficulty. This provides for an over
land mail, with stations not more than a
convenient days ride apart; the land neces-
sary for the stations only to be donated to
the contractors or settlers upon II. Were
such a plan carried out. in one year after
the first effort to carry the mail In that
way there would be line of hardy settlers
upon the route, sufficient to afford ample
protection to travellers and to furnish them
with supplies for themselves and beasts.
Nothing has so astonished us among all
the funny things done by Congresss-o of late
years as It's failure to consummate some
such plan for insuring the safety and con-
venience of the overland trip to California
and Washington and Oregon territories"
X
In The Star Of May 6, 1856 appears an ar
ticle which sets forth the ideal of a Wash
ingtonian of experience in
mooei the matter Of senatorial ca
Senator. pacity
"a clever young gentle
man." says The Star, who has sedulously
attended the sessions of one house of Con-
gress or the other for the last twenty,
thirty or forty yearS-we know not which,
for the memory of man runneth not back
to the date of his first appearance on the
stage of GENERALIZATION in Washington-has
summed up for US his impressions of what
a model senator should be- We gladly give
the readers of The Star the benefit of his
views In the premises because we know he
is in dead earnest. He writes as fol-
lows:
ga model senator always attends the
prayers of the chaplain; and when that
reverend functionary invokes blessing ION
all in that body he responds with hearty
Amen being conscious that he Is emil
nently worthy of such special distinction
During the reading Of the journal he ar
ranges his papers in the order in which
they are to be called, and never rises In
fit of moody abstraction to inquire what is
the order of business. He never seeks to
present a petition make a report from
a committee out of time, nor was there ever
an instance known of his having attempted
to thrust In any species of business after
motion was made to go into executive ses-
sion, because he knows that by so doing
he Will mar the harmony of the record
He would as soon commit felony as sin
against good taste by either commencing
or continuing a speech after o'clock.
Last, and not least, he was never known to
profane the Jewish Sabbath by sitting on
that day, or on Fridays, unless on press
ing occasions, being fully aware that two
days given to the duties of the committee
rooms are of more essential service to the
country than whole months of legislative
sessions spent in clamorous controversies.
n
On the Sth of May, 1856 fatal shooting
ARRAY occurred in the dining room of Will
lard's Hotel, h h
Killed by created one of the great
To,,rass,,,o, est sensations of that
period In Washington.
In part the account of the affair as printed
in The Star Of that same day, runs as
follows:
To-day shortly after IL am. P. T Herbert
California member of the House of
Representatives of the United States, went
over to breakfast al Wizards Hotel, where
he takes his meals, and sent a boy from
the breakfast room for his breakfast,
ton of his breakfast was set = be-
fore him and the boy then told him
that at that hour 1t would be necessary
for him (the boy) to get an order from the
office to have breakfast sent UP from the
kitchen. Herbert told the boy to clear out
and used profane language to him and to
Thomas Heating, a waiter, who stood near.
The answer Of Thomas Heating was not
comprehended by our informant, an eye
witness. Herbert, on being answered by
Thomas, rose and struck him on the neck
behind with his fist. Thomas Heating
seized a plate and threw 1t at Herbert
Herbert seized a chair and threw 1t across
him with 1t. They then clinched and fought
Another Californian, whose name We have
not heard came in at the door and ran to
Herberts assistance, and also struck
Thomas Heating with a chair. Patrick
Kea ting, the brother of Thomas (and the
steward of the house,, at that time coming
into the room, ran to his brothers assist
ance and seized Herbert, who Immediately
drew a revolver. The other Californian at
that time was striking both the Keatngs
with a chair. AS Herbert drew his revolver
Patrick Heating seized 1t by the BARREL
and they struggled over 1t for some mo-
ments until the French cook of the house
came in and separated Herbert and p
Heating, who let go his hold Of the pistol
barrel Thomas Heating and the other Cal
ifornian were mingled In that particular
part of the fray between Herbert and Pat
rick. After Patrick let go the barrel of the
revolver Herbert seized Thomas (who had
clinched him and was struggling for the
pistol by the collar, and, putting the pistol
to his breast, shot him through the lungs,
killing him in five minutes.
Herbert, escaping from the hotel, after
ward gave himself up to the police and was
later In the week, after examination, re-
leased on $4,000 bail.