The Washington herald., 1907-05-08


Of Representatives which met in Decem-
Der, 1857. just fifty years ago. After
months OF fighting. the contest was ended
by the election of Nathaniel p Banks.
OF Massachusetts, 10 be Speaker The
members slept in the han for weeks, and
did not dare TO leave even for their meals.
Many of them We're armed, there were
numerous fsticuffs, and the country at
large feared for more serious trouble.
OF the 237 members of the House in that
Thirty-feurth Congress but one survives.
He is Judge John v Wright, cf Ten
nessee, now an attorney ia the General
Land Office at Washington. Gaiusha a.
Grow. Speaker of the House during the
civil war. and Russell Sage. the great
fnancier were the last Of Judge Wrights
colleagues 10 quit this mortal stage.
Judge Wright has had career of more
than ordinary interest A few weeks ago
he returned TO his native county in Ten
nessee, which he had. not visited for
twenty-five years, and made a speech on
the hfty-frst anniversary of his first
speech when running for the Democratic
nomination for Congress. He was but
twenty-four years old at the time. He
received the tw0-thirds vote of The con-
Yention. but some one made the point
that he was under age before the result
was announced. and the nomination was
given TO another man. Two years later
be was nominated and elected and served
for six years in the Congress at Wash
ington. While still "a member of the Fed
eral Congress he was elected 20 the Con-
federaJe congress, Tennessee having Sc
ceded from the Union. He went to Rich
m0nd and served In the Confederate con-
gress until Lees surrender. He and
Judge Roger A. Pryor formerly of Viz
ginia, but now of New York, eniCv the
distinction of being The only living men
who served in both congresses during the
existence of the rival American republics,
one with its capital "a Washington, and
the other with its capital al Montgomery.
After the wax Judge Wright was made
judge and I'm 1850 he was nominated for
governor OF Tennessee 10y that wing of
the Democratic party which was opposed
10 rcpudiati0n of the State debt The
division of the Democratic party caused
the election OF Republican. and that
Republican, Gov Hawkins. appointed
Judge Wright TO the Supreme Court 0f
the State. During Mr.. Cleveland's first
administration Judge Wright came 90 the
service Of the Department Of the Interior,
where Pc has been ever since. lie was
chairman of the commission which went
from ST Paul to Washington and Oregon
in the SOS. and made treaties with
the Indians which resulted In the opening
10 settlement Of many of the Northwest
eIu States.
So far as Judge Wright has been able
To ascertain he is one of the only seven
survivors of the congress of the Confed-
crate States. OF these seven. four are
from Tennessee. John Y. Wright, Arthur
5 Coiyar s1hn ID. C. Atkins and Joseph
p. HeisEel. Two are from Virginia. John
Goode and Roger 4. Pryor. and the other
is from Alabama, George ". Jones. Judge
Wright viii be eighty years old in June
ard is the youngest of these old Southern
Legislators Col Coiyar, who is eighty
eight, is the oldest.
When Judge Wright came to Wash
ington as member OF Congress he
brought letters from his father 10 Sena-
tor sam Houston, of Texas. and TO
Thomas IT. Benton, OF Missouri, who had
just retired from the Senate. These two
men introduced Mt Wright into the ways
OF Washington, and he now talks Of them
as Familiarity as il they had quit the
corridors of the Capitol but Yesterday.
Judge Wrights connection with public
life covers a greater period Of time, per
haps. than that of any other living
American. his memory is photograp phic,
and he is as vigorous as a man of sixty.
and keeps up with the things of to-day
without forgetting what has passed and
gone Altogether, he is a most interest
ing figure in Washington life.
Col. John Goode. formerly Of Norfolk,
Va, but now a lawyer in Washington,
one of Judge Wrght's surviving coll
leagues of the Confederate congress,
served several terms in the United States
Congress after the era of reconstruction.
He has recently published a book of rec
oIlecuons which recount many interest
ing stories OF politics and war with which
he was personally connected. He likes
10 tell story connected with the CEN
tennial celebration of the surrender Of
Lord Cornwallis 10 Gen. Washington, held
at Yorktown on October 19. 1881. Col
Goode was the member Of Congress from
that district and in charge of the cere-
monies. A British naval officer left his
ship at New York and came 70 Yorktown
incOEnito. TO see the Americans celebrate
the victory which lost the thirteen colo
uies 10 the English Crown. Yorktown
had changed but little in the century
since Gen. O'Hara handed CORVALLIS
sword TO Gen Lincoln, and il was not
prepOssessing place At the banquet the
identity of the naval officer was revealed.
and he was called upon TO respond 10 the
toast. "To meIrie England" In his speech
he declared that he was glad he came.
because for the first time he understood
what had puzzled him from his boyhood-
why CornwaIlis surrendered. After see
ing Yorktown" he said. Il realize that
there is but one thing that could be done
TO IT. and that IS to surrender and leave
g."
While all the rest Of the country was
making war on hawks and owls. which
farmer devoutly believes TO be his worst
enemies, Or. A X. Fisher. assistant
ornithologist in the United States DEPART
ment of Agriculture, was calmly and
quietly collecting evidence in favor Of
his feathered clients. Every day for a
long while he visited the tower of ia,
Smithsonian Institution in Washington.
where a colony of barn owls had taken
refuge. and under their eyrie he gathered
the queer little balls of fur and bones
that the owls cough up after each meal.
Some queer process Of assimilation makes
the bones of devOuTed animals or birds
gather in a bunch in each owls stomach.
and around these bones a fur collects.
until neat fuzzy bali an inch or 50 in
diameter filled with broken bones. is the
result of the digestion. Then the owl
regurgitates this ball and only the meat
is left IN his digestive apparatus.
From these balls Dr.. Fisher collected
his evidence. Under a microscope they