New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-05-08
PERSONAL STORIES.
Sole SurviUor of Tzeo american
Congresses.

armed there were numerous fist fights. and the
country at large feared more serious trouble or
the 237 members of the House in that 34th Congress
only one survives. He is Judge John V. Wright, OF
Tennessee now attorney in the General Lana
Office Washington. Galusha A. Grow, Speaker
of the House during the Civil War. and Russell
Sage the last of Judge Wrights colleagues 10
survive.
Judge Wright has had career Of more than
ordinary interest. a few weeks ago he returned 10
his native county In Tennessee, which he had not
visited for twenty-five years, and made speech
on the hfty-f1fth anniversary of his hrsl SpcccN'
when running for the Democratic nomination ioi
Congress He was only twenty-four years old at
the time. He received the two-thirds vote OF the
convention, but some one made the point that ne
under age before the result was ahho"hceu'
and another man received the nomlhauoh' wv
years later he nominated ana electeu' a'A
served for six years in Congress at Washington
While still a member of the Federal Congress he
was elected TO the Confederate Congress- Tennessee
having seeded from the Union. lie Went u
Richmond and served in the Confederate con-
gress until Lees surrender. Judge Nfieht anu
Judge Roger A Pryor, formerly of Virginia but
now OF New York enjoy the distinction of being
the only living men who served in both congresses
during the existence OF the rival American FepuO
lies one with it's capital at Washington ana ire
other WITH its capital at Montgomery After INC
war Mr.. Wright made a judge ana III 1888
he was nominated for Governor of Tennessee by
that wing Of the Democratic party when was or
posed 10 population OF the state DEBT mo III
vision OF the Democratic party caused the eIecuoh
a Republican. and that Republican Governor
Hawkins appointed Judge Wright 10 the Supreme
Court of the state. During Mr.. Clevelands first
administration Judge Wright came to the service
OF the Department of the Interior. where ne mas
been ever since. He was chairman Of the commas
sion which went from st. Paul to Washington ana
Oregon in the sos and made treaties with the
Indians, which resulted in the opening TO settle
ment of many OF the Northwestern States
So far as Judge Wright has been able to hscer-
tain. he is one of the seven survivors Of the
Congress of the Confederate States. or these
seven four are from Tennessee, John Y. Wright
Arthur S. Colyar. John d. c. Atkins and Joseph
B. Heiskeu: two from Virginia. John Goode ana
Roger A PRYOR and the other IS from Alabama
George w. Jones. Judge Wright VIII be eigAy
wears Old In June and is the youngest of these old
southern legislators Colonel Coyer, who is eighty
eight is the oldest
When Judge Wright came TO Washington as
member Of Congress he brought letters from MS
father 70 Senator Sam Houston, OF Texas. and to
Thomas H Benton, of Missouri. who had just re-
tired from the Senate. These two men introduced
Mr.. Wright into the ways OF Washington ana ne
now talks of them Familiarity as II they had quit
the corridors Of the Capitol only yesterday Judge
Wright's connection with public life covers great
period OF time. perhaps, than that OF any other
living American. His memory Is photographic ana
he Is as vigorous a man OF sixty, 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.
Colonel John Goode. formerly OF Norfolk. Va. but
now lawyer of Washington. one Of Judge
Wrights surviving colleagues OF the Confederate
Congress, served several terms in the United
States Congress after the OF reconstruction.
He has recently published book OF recollections
which recounts many interesting stories OF politics
and with which he personally connected
lie likes 10 tell story connected with the CEN
tcnniaI celebration the surrender OF Lord Corn
wallis to General Washington held at Yorktown
on October 10. 1881. Colonel Goode was the MEM
Der OF Congress from that district and in charge
of the ceremonies \ British naval officer left his
ship at New York and came TO Yorktown incog-
nito TO see the Americans celebrate the victory
which lost the thirteen colonies 10 the English
crown Yorktown had changed little In the
century since General OHara handed CornWals's
sword TO General Lincoln and It was not a pre-
possessing place. At the dinner the identity Of the
naval officer revealed. and he called upon
10 respond TO the toast ITO Mcrre England" In
his speech ha declared that he glad he came.
because for the first time he understood what had
puzzled him from his boyhood-why CORVALLIS
surrendered. After seeing Yorktown" he said.
Il realize that there IS only thing that could be
done and that is TO surrender and leave It"
While all the rest Of tho country was making
war on hawks and owls which farmer devoutly
believes to be his enemies, DR. A. X. Fisher,
assistant OrnithoIogist I'm the United States De-
partment OF Agriculture. calmly and quietly
collecting evidence in favor OF his feathered clients
Every day for long while he visited the tower of
the 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 devoured animals birds gather in a
bunch In each owls stomach. and around these
bones the fur collects until neat fuzzy ball an
inch in diameter. filed with broken bones
] result digestion. Owl
gitates this bail and only the meat is left In his
digestive apparatus.
From these balls DIR. Fisher collected his evil
dence Under a microscope they showed that each
owl had eaten chiefly mice and rats that Il had
destroyed few helpful birds, and had consequently
done much good and very little harm In the world
From this and other evidence collected different
parts OF the country DR.. Fisher has presented a
line of defence for tho owl and the hawk that
surely ought to help in their preservation and pro-
lection.
To William r. Smith, head of the National Bo-
tanic Garden in Washington belongs tho distinc-
ton of having the largest collection Of Burns's
poetry in the world. Mr. Smith has no less than
six hundred different editions of favorite ar-
thor's work the books ranging in value from $1,000
and $500 down to the cheapest editions His library
is really two rooms divided by an arch and II 10
in the first that the Burns treasures are kent
in quaint bookcases with high pointed doors while
photographs paintings engravings and sketches of
Burns and of Scotch scenes adorn the walls To
each of his young friends who marry, Mr.. Smith
gives copy of Robert Burns's poems
If all in the United States were as jealous
in their efforts to preserve facts verify state
ments Mrs. Caroline Hanks Hitchcock of Cam
bridge Mass, has been. there would be fewer
In national history. Mrs Hitchcock is a
member of the famous Hanks family that has been
known in Massachusetts, Virginia and Kentucky
for rs fort ba