Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-16
FIFTY YEARS ago
=
In THE STAR

In The NAk
Every now and then an enterprising
newsgatherer of the southwest prints a
story about the camels of
Texas Texas and Arizona, descend
Camels. ants of herd of those ami
mails imported long ago from
the east with a view to their use in the
arid parts Of the United States as beasts of
burden. This experiment was anxiousiy OBJ
served by residents of the region west OF
the Mississippi. as there was then no pros
pect Of irrigating the dry lands and no one
regarded railroads as practicable across
those long stretches of sand. In The Star
Of December 10, 1856. is the following para
graph which bears upon this project:
Lieut.. D. D. Porter, commanding the
United States storeship Supply. writes to
the War Department on the 14th uitimo
from Smyrna that he would sail for the
United States on the 18th (the next day),
and expected to reach the mouth of the
Mississippi by the Goth of January-there
to turn over his cargo of cameis to an Of
fcer Of the War Department. prepared
with steamer to receive them and take
them to Texas. Lieut.. Porter had on board
the Supply forty-four camels, six of which
were presented to the government by the
sultan. The remainder were purchased by
Lieut.. P.''
The camel experiment failed. The climate
was suitable and the animals throve on the
food they found in the southwest, but the
sand of the Texas and Arizona deserts did
not agree with their feet. Its alkaline quail
fty caused inflammation and the cacti add
ed to the miseries of the transplanted crea-
lures. They died of gradually, but few
Of them survived, and it Is related that
specimens are even now encountered by
tourists and herders in out-of- the-way
corners Of that region.
Great excitement prevailed in Tennessee
over report that the negroes were pre-
pairing to rise against the
Negro whites. In The star Of De-
Revolt. cember Is, 1885, is this dis
patch from Cincinnati:
"a gentleman direct from Tennessee has
Informed the Evansville Journal that the
whole region from Memphis through
GAINESVILLE Duer and on to Cumberland
was in the highest state of alarm in regard
to the movements Of the negroes. The
jails In all the counties were crowded
with the blacks; the county courts were as
sembled in each county, and vigilance COM
each neighborhood and township. Eight
more negroes had been hung in Duer max
Ing nineteen in all. No overt act had been
committed, but the proof of insurrectionary
designs was said to be conclusive"
Another dispatch. printed in a later issue
of The Star under date of Louisville, said:
''The city council OF GAINESVILLE, Tenn,
has instructed the recorder to notify the
no slave will be permitted to come to the city
to remain more than two hours, unless ac-
companied by some responsible white per-
son, under a penalty of twenty lashes.
Slaves having masters passes are exempt
ed. At Gallatin, Tenn, some twenty-five or
thirty negroes have been arrested, suspect
ed of being concerned in the conspiracy.
The citizens have appointed committee to
examine the matter"
A still later dispatch from Louisville said:
"A correspondent of the Journal, writing
from Campbelville KY, says that a negro
boy disclosed a plot Of the negroes in that
neighborhood to rise about Christmas. The
boy said he overheard the negroes say they
intended to make war on the.whites about
Christmas and If he would join them they
would make him rich. The negroes are re-
ported to have horses. guns and pistols"
What a MERCY hoopslstfs went QUIZ of
vogue before the days ok close quarters In
r - - our cities! Imagine store
Hoops In Full of hoop-skirted women
q Crowd. nowadays! Think ,ef f street
in the afternoon during the
holiday rush with every feminine costume
contrived of crinoline! Even in 1856, when
Washington was far from being the crowd
ed city it is today, on occasions, the hoops
were troublesome as an item of street at
tire In the Star of December II, that
year. is this complaint from one signing
himself observer"
Being naturally of a retiring DISPOSE
ton. I dislike to come before the public.
but justice to my kind compels me to vio-
late my feelings The Inconvenience of
crossing the avenue now Is severely felt
by those unfortunate individuals who have
not the extreme felicity Of wearing hoops.
Since those mighty barbados have been
the mode a crossing will accommodate
one at time: and as they are almost al
ways occupied. the sterner sex are COM
PEELED to take the street. As winter ap-
crease. Now that the subject has been
brought to their notice. I hope the city
fathers will take immediate measures for
relief" g. -.
any suggestions or propose remedies for the
palpable nuisance. Despite his wall, 1t seems
the hoops continued for several seasons
to monopolize the crossings and to crowd
mere man to the wall.
~
In those days few newspapers devoted
their best space to the news or comments
on the news. but gave up the
First Page first page, in whole or in
Matter. part, to advertisements. Some
large city papers have con-
tinued this practice to the present time
The Star abandoned it little more than
thirteen years ago. and for that period
has printed nothing but news on the first
page. In the issue Of December 1S, 1855,
Is to be found brief paragraph. which
is in effect an apology to the readers or
,Tha star for putting news and editorial
matters on the first page. 1t runs thus: