Evening star., 1945-08-12
Capital Sidelights
BIZ Will P. Kennedy.

The genesis of the most used and
useful book published by Congress, the
Congressional Directory - under the
sponsorship OF the pioneer dean of the
Washington correspondents-is told by
Representative George J. Bates Of Salem,
Mass. now representing the district in
which Ben Perley Poore was born at
Indian Hill farm, Newburyport. which
his ancestor, John Poore, from Wiltshire,
England, purchased from the Indians
in 1850.
Born in 1890 young Ben accompanied
his parents to Europe at the age of II
and met distinguished men of the day,
including Sir Walter Scott, Thomas
Moore and Gen. Lafayette. At the age of
l8 he was editor of the Southern Whig
at Augusta, Ga. When he was 81 he
accompanied Minister H. w. Hilliard to
Belgium and was an attache of the
Legation. The archives of the State of
Massachusetts, today boasts 10 large vol
umes of original historical data he col
lected at that time. He next Travelled
extensively abroad in Greece, Asia, Pal
estine and Egypt, "bathed IN the Jordan,
sat on the Mount of Olives and broke
bread with pilgrims within the gates of
Jerusalem" crossed the Great Sahara
Desert, spent Holy Week in Rome and
was blessed by the Pope.
In the winter of l847. Poore COM
menced his career as Washington cor
respondent for the Boston Atlas. In
1848 he published life of Gen. Zachary
Taylor. the Whig candidate. He then
was editor of the Boston Bee and in
1850 of the American Sentinel In 1854
he returned to Washington as CORE
spondent of the Boston Journal. He
indulged in artistic printing in his home
on a Ramage press with a stone bed
and wooden platen, once worked by Ben
jamin Franklin. He was the first Wash
lngton correspondent to send his dis
patches by telegraph. He published the
Rise and Fall Of Louis Philippe" and
lives of Grant, Logan and Burnside He
was clerk of the Foreign Affairs Com
mittee and especially appreciated by
Senator Charles Sumner, while chair
man. He was clerk of the Senate Print
ing Committee for 20 years. He compiled
annually not only the Congressional
Directory but also: Our Diplomatic
Relations" Federal and State Constitu-
tions. Colonial Charters and Other Or
ganic Laws of the United States and
Agricultural reports. He supervised the
indices of the Congressional Record.
His was lifelong devotion to agricul-
ture At the age of 16 he planted with
his father at Indian Hill a row of 80
chestnut trees; at the age of 80 he
planted 80 eln,s, and another tree each
year for 20 years. He received from the
State Agricultural Society prize of
81, 200 for the best 10 acres Of trees
raised from seed. He was secretary of the
National Agricultural Society for many
years.
In June, 1856, he performed the Great
Wheelbarrow Feat" He had bet with
Col. Robert I. Burbank that Fillmore
would get more votes than Fremont in
Massachusetts-and lost. The penalty
was to deliver a barrel of apples on a
wheelbarrow from his own residence to
that of the winner. Burbank told Poore
to forget it," But-Maj. Poore consumed
portion of three days wheeling the
apples from West Newbury to Boston.
was escorted up State street by the ia
NOUS Boston Fusileers and a street.
packing throng, and tremendously
presented the barrel Of apples to Col.
Burbank in front of the fremont House,
amid cheers of thousands. He was guest
of honor that evening at a dinner at
tended by many State notables.
Ben Perley Poore died dramatic
death, May 80, 1887, in the Capitol
where he had served for more than 40
years.