The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-11-09
DISADVAN AGES OF
 TRAVELLING |NCOGA|TO
Government Official Registers
 Under Assumed Name
AN IMPORTANT MISSION
A Trifing Incident Almost Reveals the Identity of 2 Man Who Had Po- iitcal Re isons for Keep
 ihc Quiet.

prominent government official ar- rived in Birmingham a few days ago, registered at one of the well known ho- tels, held a conference with several lead ing politicians from this and other states who had met here by appointment, and departed as quietly as he came. There is nothing curious about such a pro- ceeding except that in this instance 1t is known that the government official registered under an assumed name. There is always some mystery attached to persons who travel incognito. Royalty and secret service men frequently do so and this government official evidently found 1t a most convenient way to evade conjecture and newspaper interviews-the very things he wished to avoid while on his important political mission.
 He walked into the lobby of his hotel and was just about to register when a man whom he had not seen in several years addressed him by his real name. He stared at him incredulously. He had not expected to be recognized the mo- ment of his arrival in a town way down south. He was thinking in several lan- guages how small the world is after all when he suddenly assumed a confidential air and said to the man who had spoken to him.
 My name's Kelly" And he wrote Kelly on the register.
 He sat about the lobby, too his meals in the cafe, smoked at the tables as long as any other guest in the cafe. No one suspected for a moment that he was on a mission of deep political sig nificance. He was in daily correspond ence with party leaders, in daily con- ference with those who met him here to look over the political situation in the south. He was here to determine the strength of several presidential candi- dates, or of one in particular. Who was he? how long did he remain? where did he go, and whom did he meet here?
 There was a luncheon party in the cafe where the distinguished guest car ried out his incognito scheme to finish. Just he was surprised to have his identity discovered by a person who used to live on his street, just so he would have been astonished at the Sherlock Holmes proclivities of a woman at a luncheon table.
 Most of the men. nowadays smoke in the cafe regardless of the presence of ladies'" she remarked. Look at that man over there, for instance, ''-and she pointed to a table where two men were having their coffee. One of them was smoking a long, black cigar. He ap- peared to be overly tall, with broad, heavily set shoulders.
 There are other men who are smok- ing said a member of the luncheon party. What attracted you to that man as a particular transgressor?'
 He is interesting looking" answered the woman.
 'IIe is not only interesting looking' the man went on; but he is the most interesting-I may say, the most inn portant person in the cafe!'
 He looks it!' said the woman. He looks like a parsonage"
 The man at the other table suddenly pushed his coffee from him, arose from his chair, and still holding the cigar in his mouth, passed from the cafe into the lobby.
 The man told the story.
 That man." he said, is national figure. You read about him every day in the newspapers. He stands pretty close to several presidential possibilities If his presence in this city was known there would be no end of speculation among the politicians. The newspapers would be filled with interviews-there would be something doing'-but he knows how to avoid publicity, lie is travelling ncognito and but few persons here know of his real identity"
 And a luncheon party sweeping out through the cafe, passed into the lobby and stared with as much curious in terest as if the President himself had come south to ascertain how many peo- pie were opposed to his accepting 0 third term.
 Kelly" said the reporter, to whom the story was told, and went to scruti nize registers. But of course Kelly" was fictitious, too.
 Governor and Mrs. William Dorsey Jelks have issued invitations to the mar riage of their daughter, Catherine Shorter, to Mir Edwin Tripp Conner on the evening of Thursday November 21. at St. James Episcopal church, Eu- faula A reception will follow the cere- mony MT. Conner and his bride will be at home in Eufaula after December l5.
 Mrs. John Cartwright will spend Thanksgiving with her daughter, Miss Elizabeth Morris, at the Shipley school, near Philadelphia.
 Mir and Mrs. Hugh Morrow and Mir. Marshall Motion will leave today for Bayou LaBatre on fishing trip a
 Miss Nellie Gregg will entertain at luncheon today at the Country club in compliment to Miss Fulghum, Miss Webb and the debutantes of the winter.
 Gen. Louis V. Clark continues quite i'll at St. Vincents hospital
 The condition Of Maj F. T. Taliaferro, who is ill at St. Vincent's, is considered