Omaha daily bee., 1917-02-07
Washington "Characters"
&C. W. Thompson. in New York Times

The old Washington is no more. 1t may have
seemed an insignificant thing when Shoemaker S
disappeared from Pennsylvania avenue, and Han
cocks closed its doors, but those things were
symbols, like Grape on the door. Washington has
changed its character, which is to say that the
old Washington is dead and new one begun.
"Th' new kind" as Mr. Dooley said of a world
without alcohol may be betther; but it'll be
different, an tn wurruld will be sadder an a
safer wurrud to live in
The last of the characters" OF Washington
died few days ago, and with the passing Of that
famous tribe the metamorphosis becomes COM
plete. There is no room for them IN the Wash
ington of today, but they have Aourished there
since the presidency Of Jefferson, and were a
feature OF its life duplicated nowhere--the men
who were pointed out to you on the street under
that title, just were the monument and the
capitol. For hundred years, if character"
died there were always plenty more, for it was
self-renewing institution; but they have been
dying off with no successors for the last few
years, and when Charley Edwards "of Texas
the name was never pronounced without the
sufhx-died last week, chapter in the develop
ment of Washington was closed.
When Bill Sterrett went to Washington"
said Colonel R. M. Johnston once, "he made a
great stir as the typical wild and woolly west
erner and made what seemed a granite reputa-
ton But when Charley Edwards arrived, he
hadn't more than got off the train and hung up
his hat before everybody was calling Bill
effeminate." He had helped Brann make the
Iconoclast; he had imbibed his philosophy of life
under the tutelage of Eugene Field. He wore an
immense black sombrero and sweeping black
moustache and once, in the senate gallery, when
he whispered, as he thought, to neighbor, capt.
tol attendant came down and touched him on the
shoulder, saying, Shouting is not permitted in
the gallery, sir"
1t was sight for the gods to see him and
that other famous Character" Dr. Bedloe, when
Greek met Greek; Edwards and Bedloe, storm
and sunshine, cyclone and summer day, with
rapturous crowd instantly congregating for the
collision of fun and wit. Coarse humor, sir,
conclusive retort as he walked sunnily away. Tom
Ochltree belonged to the era of both, was
friend Of Bedoe's he died in eclipse, long re-
moved from Washington, but he outlived old
John Chamberlin
Congress contributed its quota to the same
era of characters" Private John Allen, Bedford,
the Red-headed Rooster of the Rockies, and many
Others But these congressional characters were
not quite the same as the unofficial characters.
There was old Judge Riley pacing down the ave-
nue., all stateliness and touchme -nottishncss, he
who won fame by peppering the queen of NADIA
gascar with birdshot when he was consul at
Mozambique and wished to emphasize his dis
approval Of her taste in bathing costumes Colo
mel John A. Joyce, with his military soft hat and
his name of white hair rolling down his
shoulders. he who used to bcguile his leisure by
driving Ella Wheeler Wilcox into spasms of in
dignation at stated times by asserting with SOL
emnty that he had written her poem, Laugh and
the World Laughs With You" The outraged
poet has never seen any fun in the situation to
this day, and perhaps Joyce himself did not.
Some of the lost tribe Of characters" are
remembered with nothing but amusement, some
with tenderness and the mirth whose fountains
lie close to those of tears. Edwards and Bedloe
were of these last. Stricken down five years ago
with frightful malady, whose issue was sure and
painful death, Edwards faced it with laugh, and
for five years he died dauntlessly. He had laughed
all his life, and he laughed to the last; he went
to the Dark Tower like Chde Roland 1t was
gallant death, fitting one for the man who was
to end the century-old book Of the characters"
of Washington.