Evening star., 1909-05-02
FIFTY YEARS AGO
TN THE STAR

The Importance of developing Washing
ton as an attractive city. to induce peo-
PIE to select 1t as place Of
Garden residence, was keenly rec
City. 1s",zea T re. mar @ century ., ago 3,
1850. is the following paragraph:
THE question who is to be the successor
of the late MIR. james Maher in superin-
tending the improvement of the public
grounds under his charge is one Of great
importance to all i'm the District of Co
lumbia. Our hope Is that the appoint
ment may not be made upon political
grounds. but that the most competent
man the salary will induce to take 1t may
receive it. In these days Of horticultural
progress there is no lack. fortunately, of
men of practical experience, science and
good taste combined in whose hands the
horticultural establishment of the prop
erty or the government in our midst will
progress pari passu with it's architectural
establishment. Year by year persons of
property and leisure from a distance are
resortlng hither to reside, as is done at
lhe dlnerent European capitals. They
build and otherwise improve with lavish
hands and capital taste. Their presence
ana style of living add greatly to the
comfort of the officials of ,..e government
living and resorting here, while no other
such element in our affairs tends more to
consolidate the union than the cosmo-
politan influence Of their presence among
U.S.. In that point of view the encourage
ment of the growth of the habit is of vital
Importance to the future of the country.
worth far more to it than hundred times
as much as has already been expended
upon the public grounds in the District
OF Columbia or as Is likely to be In the
next quarter OF a century,
-
At the end of the seventieth day of the
trial of Representative Daniel E. Sickles
for the murder Of Philip
Sickles Barton Key a verdict was
u,.4 rendered, the jury having
been out a few minutes
over an hour. The Star issued second
edition late during the afternoon of April
26. 1859, which gave the news of this
climax:
''The clerk said: Gentlemen Of the jury.
have you agreed upon your verdict Mr..
had. The clerk said: Stand up, Daniel
e. Sickles. And the prisoner stood up,
looking calmly upon the jury. The clerk
then said: Gentlemen of the jury look
find the prisoner at the bar guilty, as in
dicted. or not guilty.
THE foreman: Not guilty
"The audience, heretofore so quiet. here
gave vent to a simultaneous shout and
all attempt at restoring order was for a
few moments abandoned by the officers.
Those outside the bar instantly leaped to-
ward the prisoner to congratulate him,
and in an instant multitude Of hands
were stretched forth to grasp those Of
fha yH,.ic r,fIAD yo;< npt
'The greatest difficulty was experienced
by the officers in preventing the crowd,
which had completely taken possession of
Mr. Sickles, from tearing his clothes from
his person. In passing the jury box. Mr..
Sickles stopped for moment to shake
hands with the jury, when he was finally
dragged from the courthouse by the ex-
cited crowd whose cheers and cries min
gled with congratulations. were abso-
lutely deafening. Outside the courthouse
the populace gave full vent to their ap-
probation by three times three cheers, and
amid the universal excitement Mr.. Sickles
entered a carriage and drove rapidly
away.
Robert Bonner's New York Ledger was
immensely popular half a century ago and
its issues were eagerly
Bonner's awaited by great numbers of
rad.er readers In The Star Of
e"e April 81 1859 Is an adver-
tisement of the contents Of the current
number. which will revive memories on
the part of those who once read the
periodical Some of the items are:
"A new and interesting Tale. entitled
The Queens Plot: or the Prophet Of
Sylvanus Cobb, jr.
Another installment of Mrs. South
worth's charming novelette,, The Hidden
Hand
The Mt Vernon Papers Subject: The
Financial Distress of 1857 By Hon Ed
ward Everett.
Ideal and Real. A humorous poem. BY
John G. SAKE.
wit and Humor. BY George D. Prem
tice.
1.-The Cit of the Plain. BY Thomas
Dunn English.
IN. B.-Mr. Bonner has the pleasure Of
announcing that Charles Dickens, who is
universally conceded to be the most popu
lar author living. has been engaged to
write a Tale expressly for the columns of
the Ledger. and that he is now at work
upon it. Advance sheets of Mr.. Dickens
stories have, at different times, been OBJ
tained by American publishers, but this
is the first time that a tale has been
written expressly and solely for an
American periodical by such an eminent
European author as Mr.. Dickens, and
yet Mr.. Bonner would not have the pub
lie suppose that he thinks there is any
thing very remarkable about this engage
ment. 1t is only part and parcel of his
policy"
Rowdyism prevailed In Washington
half century ago to a degree that
gave the law-abiding citi-
Juvenile zens grave anxiety. Not
1s. only were these full-grown
roughs, but even small boys
PLAYED thug and thief. In The Star of
April 90. 1859, are two local items point
ing to this condition:
''On Wednesday the attention of the po-
lice was directed to most fiercely con-
tested stone battle. carried on by boys.
in the neighborhood of the Washington
Seminary. Officer Ross appeared suddenly
among the belligerent Juveniles, when
general scsmpering took place. and the
battle-ground was left in sole possession OF
that officer He has. however. the names
of several of the offenders, and means
are about to be taken as WILL 1t
is hoped, lead to the entire suppression
OF this street nuisance for the future.
THE police were kept busy few
months ago in restraining the Juveniles
of the suburban localities from fighting,
day after day. They succeeded in break
ing up the mimic war parties. but now
the little fellows have taken to the bigh-
way and stop other Juveniles who are
sent upon errands and rob them of what
they have These petty robberies have
been SO frequent as to demand the at
tention Of the officers. The first example
will be made of gang of youngsters who
I,ny