The Washington herald., 1909-11-07

Thirty or more years ago three lads
OF eight or nine attended a country fair
near VineIand. y J. They were jolly.
mischievous youngsters, and after the
sights OF the fair were taken in, they
began teasing the gypsy fortune tellers
who infested the ground. Stung into re-
plying a gypsy seeress wheeled OF the
boys and with her arm describing caba-
Iistic signs anathematized them and
prophesied:
You boys VIII all come 10 violent or
unusual death early in life. I read It IN
the stars and you Will die within two
years OF each other"
The boys laughed and went on their
way. not at all disturbed by this threat
They remembered. however and often
joked among themselves about It.
And yet. thirty years afterward. IN
Washington, the curse OF the gypsy has
been finally fulfilled ia the sudden death
by heart failure OF Benjamin f. Barnes,
the last OF the trio Of boys cursed by
her. Strangely enough the other two
boys, Lieut. John Crawford. Of the navy.
and secretary TO Admiral Dewey, and
Clarence +. Yorlxe. secretary 10 Chief
Justice Fuller, committed suicide within
two years Of each other. without ap-
parent cause.
It has been two years TO the month
since Lieut. Crawford committed suicide,
and now Postmaster Parnes is dead, thus
completing the hoodoo circle Of the black
hand OF fate. against which the old
gypsy woman warned them.
A mystic bond held these three men
together otter school days IN Vineiand-
They went 70 school together. attended
the same church. and each came by de-
vious ways TO Washington and each
! became secretary 20 a prominent man
| here-Crawford to Admiral Dewey, Yorke
TO Chief Justice Fuller. and Barnes as
sistant secretary 10 President Roosevelt
When the three lads played together
| IN Vineland forty years ago. little either
Of them knew how inseparably their lives
would be bound together. They were
/ chums all OF an age, In the same classes
and belonged to the same gang.
Clarence F. Yorke was the son OF the
| school teacher. tall, silent lad, even IN
those early days Crawford. OF Johnnie
was a poor lad with sunny. blue eyes, a
( constant laugh and Unsuitable ambition.
/ He wanted TO be lawyer when he grew
I'D, while Barnes. a dark-eyed. studious
/ youngster, went right ahead and got
what he wanted and declared his chief
ambition that of becoming a fireman.
Soon school DAYS were over and the
bows went cut into the world to make
/ their way Yorke came TO Washington
with his parents and was educated at the
I Columbian University HIS law course
over. he was offered the place by Chief
Justice Fuller OF private secretary. The
| chief Justice became attached 10 the
young fellow while teaching him law.
Barnes learned stenograp ply and drifted
10 New York. where the civil service
and capabillty got him into government
i service in the POst-of1ce Department AT
interested official recommended him &c
/ President Roosevelt when he was search
ing for an efficient second secretary, anC
there he continued with great success
until several years ago, when he was
made postmaster Of the city Of Washing
ton.
Crawford started in at the very FOO
of the ladder as q printers devil HI
rose gradually to understand the fourth
estate and was newspaper man uati
he learned stenoCraphy. at which he be
came very proficient Then he also en-
tered the civil service and after a Will,
was detailed to Washington.
While in the Navy Department he be
came acquainted with Dewey. who. wher
made Admiral Of the navy, made Craw
ford his secreta-v. with the rank an,
remuneration OF lieutenant IN the navy
the only noncomnissio1ed officer IN III
, navy who ranked absolutely with tn
commissioned officers
SO the three boys met again in Washing
ton The Old bOyhood chCmsh.p was re
newed and they were seen together every
where Their devotion became the tan
: Of the official world, and their friendship
was pointed out as a model TO the othe
men OF the service.
Then the hOodoo got in its work. On
November morning in 1905, Clarenc
| Yorke was found on the pavement out