Year: 1875

lnere arc lWO sOrl7 OF processes tnfOugl


which fraudulent legislation is perfected


One is called "rng' which means combi


nation Of rogucs for some purpose the othc


is called the "lobby," and dcsignates agent


living here, and employed by the rings ant


individuals to push their evil scheme


through Congress.


| have made the acquaintance of scycra
specimens of those two sorts of iackaIs, and


propose photographing them some day L
enlighten my readers as to the nature of thi


branch Of our National Legislature, tha
costs the people more than the legitimate Law
making power, the judiciary and the execu
tive.


was farming this over in my mind du
| ring the ls,e session, while | sat on the sofa
in the Cave Of the winds, listening to the
blowings to and fro about me, when hap
pened to cast my eye to the ladies gallery
above, and out of the gloom saw a memory
come in the shape of Il fair face. These
galleries were not constructed with an cyeto
effect so far as female loyelness is concerned
as the dim light from above gives ghastly
paleness that not only destroys the beauty
but seriously damages the expression. I'm
der the circumstances the face failed to lo-
cate itself and my memory was dim and un-
certain as the flashes of former life that
comes to us at times between sleeping and
waking.


| was so disturbed and haunted by this
memory, that | left my seat and sauntered
into the gallery, seating myself near my
fair friend, and without rudely staring |
found my mind gradually gathering the dis
jointed fragments Of the past, until the fair
face was framed in and located 1t was a
very sweet face, not so young as it was, but
with Il prevailing expression of childlike
innocence. Add to this manner of great
refinement, set off and adorned in the ex-
treme of the fashion, but subdued to the
best taste and most artistic harmonizng of
colOrs, and had an old acquaintance before
me. Although | looked my fair friend in
the face, | saw that she had either forgotten
me or was not disposed to renew the ac-
quaintance. She was talking in quiet, easy
manner to well known member of Com
gress and | considerably withdrew as if /
had been looking in the face of an utter
stranger, instead Of one well known in times
gone by. An hour afterwards happened to
be on the entrance to the Senate Chamber,
where the multitude of marble steps seemed
to run out and flow down, when my fair
friend came by accompanied by her Con-
gressional escort late of the gallery and al
most brushed me with her dress-tho two de-
8cendcd. | saw neat private carriage drawn
by handsome pair of bays, and driven by
a coachman in livery drive up.


My friend Of the law making power helped
the lady in with bow; the door swung to
with bang, and the fair one drove away.
while the Solon came up steps humming a
tune and swapping his fingers as if especially
pleased with himself Having Il speaking
acquaintance | begged pardon for my curl
osity, and asked Solon the name of his
friend.


"Mrs. -, of New York" was the
quiet response.


The whole Of these surroundings were ap-
parenty so lifelong and respectable, and so
entirely different from those that | believed
formerly hedgcd in the lady, that was in
doubt. But no the longer | thought upon
the matter, the more | felt satisfied of the
identity. And the remembrance was singu-
lar. While detained in Washington during
the war, awaiting orders, was invited by a
brother officer to a wine supper The people
giving the entertainment were strangers but
taking my friends word went. | was par
ticularly struck with two of the guests-one
a slender youth with large dark eyes, and Il
broad thoughtful forehead whom | took for
an Italian or Frenchman-his name has
since taken its place upon the roll of i'm
mortality; pinned there by the most fearful
crime ever ommittcd-the other 4 beautiful
woman of twenty, in fact but much younger
in appearance. found this young lady eX-
ceedingly charming, as she was not only
lovely in person but lovely in mind


We broke up at a late hour in the night,
or rather at an early hour of the morning,
and being ordered away few days after the
wine supper and merry people there assem-
blcd soon passed from my mind in the hur-
ricd eventual life Of the camp. They were
destined to return. Could the future have
been anticipated, death would set at our
board that night, and phantom visions of
dreadful events dimmcd the glittcring lights
and settled in horrible gloom ON the counte-
nances of the assembled guests


To one Death would have said 81 will
claim you at Charlottesville" to another
"We will meet at night and will save you
from the gallows"


Ofthat little asscmblyin the supper room
two only suryiye-I and another.


While we were in command at Baltimore,
and after Col, Fish got into his difficulty
with Baker, so that had for time immc-
diate control Of the Provost Marshal's office,
| received Il card at the Eutaw House, from
lady waiting to see me in the parlor, Re
pairing to that reception room found my
fair friend Of the wine supper at Washing
ton. So far rs her beauty went she remained
the same, but her wardrobe evinced straight
enod circumstance, ifnot poverty She gave
me a long account Of her troubles, and
wound up offering to go to Richmond in the
employ Of the government, and return with
all the information she could gather up for
the Use Of the War Departmental Washing
ton. | at once engaged her, but did not
send so Suspicious looking an agent into the
encmy's country until after had given her
fair trial in Baltimore. She proved the
most adroit, cunning, sef-possessed detective
that ever saw or read of, She afterwards
made two successful trips to Richmond re-
turning with valuable information, although
Mr.. Stanton had no question but that she
carried to the Coniederates as much as she
brought away.