Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-05-17
A CAPITOL GUIDE.
By Frederic j. HaSkin.

Nv WASHINGTON, May 13.-Every morning
w punctually at 8, while the parks OF Wash
ington are still fresh with dew and tourists
are lingering over coffee at their hotels little old
man walks briskly up the long flight of steps from
pennsylvania avenue and sits him down in the ro-
tunda or the capitol, which has been his headquar-
tiers and place of business for over twenty years.
He is Ira NJ. Bond, an official guide at the ma
uonal capitol, and especially qualified for his
post by reason of his long residence in Washington
and his well-stored memory. Born near ST. Louis
ten years before the Civil war, Mr. Bond first came
to Washington as a mere boy, arriving the day
when General Grant was inaugurated president of
the United States for his first term. He secured
invitation TO the grand inaugural ball that night,
shook hands with the solderpresident and his wife,
and told Grant then and there that he had decided
to make Washington his home
so have l. for time at least" laughingly
piled the new president. Eight years later Grant
left the White House and Washington, but Ira Bond
stayed on, and has watched nine different men act
as chief executive For years he served a
newspaper correspondent for st. Louis paper, and
then, his health failing him. received from the pen
of Grover Cleveland the nomination to the post he
now holds.
Half a million men, women and children, the
population of great city, have been chaperoned
around the capitol by Mr.. Bond in the twenty
two years he has discharged his duties there They
have come from Florida and Oregon, from Arizona
and Vermont and from every intermediate state;
from Europe, Asia Africa and the South Sea Isles.
Although the majority of those who have seen
the famous building under Mr.. Bonds tutelage
have been plain citizens of the union, many celeb
rites have been ushered round by the old guide
Princes and potentates have been among them.
Bond served as guide first to Prince Henry of
Prussia when the kaiser's brother visited Wash
ingtOn in February, 1908, and then fifteen years
later to Marshal Joffre of France.
His recollections of Prince Henrys visit show
how attitude toward Prussian royalty has
changed. In this way Bond recalls the occasion:
Prince Henry of Prussia visited the capitol
the oath of February 1902, under the eyes of
cheering mutitudes who filed the plaza and places
of vantage inside the building. He was accompa-
MED by Ambassador Won Bernstorf and suite and
received the eastern portico by special
committee of the house of representatives: Amid
cheers they proceeded through the rotunda and
statuary hall and on through the corridor to the
speakers room, where the prince was received by
Speaker Henderson with a short address Of well
come. They say that the speaker began his greet
ing by referring to the friendly feelings existing
between the princes republic and ours, but seeing
his error quickly changed the word republic to
nation. If Mr.. Henderson had been right, a whole
lot of would probably have been much happier
today.
Anyway" continues Bond "the prince then
went to the house gallery where he was cheered
by the other visitors and the representatives as
well. Later he shook hands with all of them
and then crossed to the senate where the entire
body rose, out of respect to his highness'
Another incident which Mr.. Bond will recount
for favored visitors is the time when Mckinley,
the third martyred president, lay in state in the
rOtunda beneath the great dome of the capitol.
Few men have been thus honored, the last being
Admiral Dewey. to whom this tribute, generally
reserved for presidents who die in ONCE was grant
ed by special act of congress.
Directly under the rotunda, but two floors
down below the level of the ground is the crypt
which was specially designed to hold the remains
of George Washing ton. had his wife not asked in
her will that the body be left at Mount vernon 1t
is quiet mysterious little sepulchre and by
strange custom of the capitol guides will lead
visitors there unless specially requested. Out of
the hundreds Of thousands Mr. Bond has conduct
cd round the upper building only few hundred,
he says have asked the privilege Of examining the
crypt. In it rests the plain wooden bier covered
with black cloth on which the bodies of Dewey and
Mckinley lay in the rotunda. and before them
Garfield and Lincoln single unshaded electric
light burns in the crypt by day and night and it
is one of Bonds duties to that this vesta fire
shall never be accidentally extinguished.