The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1908-05-05
IA Famous Hotel 49 Years

was Stephens, M. Emo renting "a
the arm the land ana hls lntefest n
the building. and to that arm Win.
out a change. the lease has been q.
newed from time to time. from afsf
to last.
The original Hitchcock withdrew
from active part in the business for
time on account Of FL health. upon
recovering his health through travel
he rejoined the firm in active man.
agement. That was in 1879. and ii
was upon his return that very exben.
siye alterations We're made, which
gave the hotel It's reputation as be.
ing the handsomest In the world.
But long before that time the hotel
had assumed It's peculiar place In So.
clal and political history, which ii
never lost. 1t had been opened less
than year when It became the cen.
tire Of political interest in the United
States. This came about through
the entertainment there OF Stephen
A. Douglas in the summer OF 1850,
while making his campaign against
Lincoln.
It was not alone the presence there
OF Douglas that attracted SO much a q
tention, but the fact tina he made
from he balcony OF the hotel one OF
his. most. vigorous verbal attacks ON
Lincoln. The story of that speech
was told some years ago to a Sun re-
porter by William H. Carr. the clerk
in the hotel from 1860 to 1890. Said
Mr.. Carr. ::
''Mr. Douglas was accompanied by
his wife, beautiful woman who won
the admiration of everybody In the
house. Mr.. Douglas spoke from the
hotel balcony and the crush 10 hear
him was so tremendous that during
the speech people beneath the bal.
cony we're forced against the windows
Il of the corridor and the bottom sash
broke down with crash. The top
sash slid down and just escaped be-
heading some of the mass in the
struggle"
Even in those early days the hotel
had a bouncer, an official who Is now
called house detective. He was on
the job the night Douglas spoke and
stood at the toto of the stairs up
which people were crowding to reach
Douglas and shake hands with him
Three pugilists of the time, Billy
Mulligan, Yankee Sullivan and Tom
HYer, had listened to the speech, and
seeing chance for some press no.
tices-eyen then-tollowed the crowd
\ and tried to go upstairs and tell
douglas what a-fine orator lie was.
Tue first of the three to try to pass
the hotel sleutR standing on the
stairs was Mulligan.
The bouncer aid not ilEc Mr.. Null
lIgan's face. SC he seized the pugilist
i ~ the coat collar and the slack OF
\ his trousers and elected him ont into
the crowd On tie ay,lue, giving him
d a final kick at pa tag to teach him
no: to do such u thing ae;,in He
turned to deal on the same troat-
4 Met; to tIyer ami Sullivan. but they
! had fed Then some ala IA the
bonner WHO II was he had yanGuish-
4 ed, ana he hal to he relieved OF his
10. while he wen: 5a!k to the bar
! to accept one OF IN. hundred offers
.! refreshments HG needed the
IGSnk TO steady his nerves, he said.
That year famous guests began to
arrive almost every week. One Of
tatsc was Cant John Vine Han, who
mad Just brought the Great Eastern
loto port on he: first trip across the
ocean. Clerk Carr has often told re-
porters that no more popular guest
ever stopped at the hotel than the
commander OF the ship which was the
marine wonder OF the world.
But in October of the same year,
l1S6O, the hotel entertained its most
distinguished guest, the Prince OF
Wales, present King of England. The
story Of his visit, including his fam
Gus game Of leap frog with duke,
was told by Clerk Carr to the re-
porters only when he was in partiCu-
larly good nature, because as to that
game Of leapfrog certain English pa
pers had expressed some doubts, and
the clerk sometimes felt little fret
full about It.
But it was played all right-.or
partly all right. for one game went
wrong. OF that visit the old clerk
used to say:
THE Prince OF Wales with his suit
including Lord Lyons, the Duke Of
Newcastle and a dozen other titled
persons, occupied the entire parlor
floor and part of the floor above. 1t
took the royal party all day to get
from downtown to the hotel, SO elab-
crate was the official welcome on the
way from the ship to Twenty-third
street
.Pariors 81 and So were set apart
as the Princes own private suite. He
was only youngster. about 10, and
1fun II frollc and life. He used to
play at leap frog after dinner in the
corrIdorc OF the parlor floor.
There was large mirror at the
end OF the corridore, and on one oc-