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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 30, 1904)
The Omaha Illustrated Bee NUMBER 28L . Entered Second Class at Omaha Postoffice Published Weekly bj The Dee Publishing Co. Subscription, $2.50 Ter Year. OCTOBER 30, 1004. Gossip and Stories About Prominent People President Roosevelt's New Cabinet Officer Fame of Wynne for Quick Repartee Wattereoa'a Advice to Wllllnma. HJOHN SHARP WILLIAMS, demo cratic leader In the house or rep resentatives, la striving- manfully to overcome the fatal habit of humor, realising that It Is a hand icap to one who seeks to be regarded as a eerlous-mlnded statesman. "Henry Watterson was the first man who arouaed me to a full sense of the dangers I was Incurring," says Mr. Williams. "It was when I began to get my name In the paper outside of Yazoo City. Watterson wmrneo ma very soiomniy. " "Williame,' he said, 'you may havo a career before you, and If you Intend to have one you must begin at once to do what I tell you. You must wrap the mantle of dignity about you and never let It fall off again. Be solemn. Never say anything humoroua, never spring a Joke, never tell a funny atory.' "Here he atopped, looked at me seorch lngly, and concluded, Impressively: " "But If you must do It, Williams, do It with a alight nasal twang, so that you may be auspeoted of New England ancestry.' " A Lively ( enlrnarlnn. Jame Bellows McGregor of Northvllle, N. H., who recently celebrated his 10Sd birthday, la believed to be the oldest Ma son In the United States. Five generations of his family Joined In the celebration. His 100th anniversary was observed by 700 of the Masonlo fraternity. When above SJ Mr. McGregor painted the belfry of a church, climbing to the top to finish the job. Ilia health la still excellent, his figure erect, his appetite good and he eala what he likes. He la a great drinker of coffee, but never uses -liquor or tobacco. Ha makes his home with a son and grandchild In the old house where he was born. Not long ago he walked to the village s'.ore with his granddaughter. Alice McGregor, aged 22 years, and on returning home old age and youth were obliged to asce"hd a hill. When the summit had been nearly reached the centena. Ian turned laughingly and yet with a serious meaning to his young companion, remarking: "Am I walking too fast for you?" Floe Example of Self Help. Mayor Collins la a fine example of the foreign-born boy, who, beginning at some lowly form of labor, by native talent and earnest effort rises to tl.e highest station of honor and responsibility In his home city. First a breaker boy In the coal mines, then an upholsterer by trade. Mayor Collins managed to educate and to fit himself for the practice of law. ,IIe was sent to con gress for several successive terms and waa really the father of the bankruptcy law, During President Cleveland's administration he served as consul general' at London. Although a stanch democrat, many repub licans In advance of the election had an nounced their purposo to support and vote for him for a second term as mayor be cause of the admirable record he had made in that office, and Boston Is not a city where partisanship runs low. When Jay Gould Kept His Word. While Jay Gould was superintending the building of the old Rutland & Washington railroad, between Rutland, Vt., and Eagle Bridge, N. Y., In the late summer of 1S52, -"hla workmen ate all the melona ou prop erty belonging to a Mrs. Ann Dlneen. Mrs. Dlneen complained to Gould, but he disclaimed any responsibility and refused . to recompense her. A day or two later Mr. Gould and one or two of hla englneera were taking a swim in the Caatleton river, when Mra. Dlneen appeared on the bank. Gathering up all the clothes of the bathers the woman mode a motion as though to throw them into the water and ahouted: "Will yea pay me for thim watermllliona now, Mr. Gould?" The promoter's trousers contained a time piece worth a large aum of money and other valuables, so he agreed to settle for the stolen fruit if ahe would go to his office the next day. The promise was satisfactory and Mra. Dlneen retreated in triumph. Distinguished Vlaltora. An Official Of the Treasury department relates In the Saturday Evening Post that whenever an unknown person of. distin guished appearance eutera his offlce he. is reminded of an amusing experience of Mr. Frank Vanderllp, at one time the private secretary to Mr. Guge, when that gentle- man waa at the head of the department - mentioned. It appears that Mr. Vanderllp, before he got well acquainted, paid little attention to the people he did not know. One day, just after he had assumed th discharge of his dutlea, there entered the anteroom a mem ber of th cabinet whom he had never met. The distinguished oaller was Ignored u m tx 1 m for soma time by Mr. Vanderllp; and Anally entered ' the aecretary' room unan nounced. Th cabinet officer muat have mentioned th matter to Mr. Gage, for shortly Mr. Vanderllp received a repri mand. The rery next day on of th first per sons to enter Vanderllp'a room waa a dis tinguished looking old fellow with a pa triarchal beard. Bearing In mind hla ex perience of th day previous. Vanderllp re ceived th visitor with every mark of con sideration. As be offered a chair to the old fellow, who, he observed, accepted it with gravity and some wonderment, Mr. Vanderllp sealed himself opposite, and, with hla moat engaging smile, asked: "And now, air, what can I do for you today?" , "tih, nothing much," replied the caller.' "I've Just dropped in to wind the clocks. " Plays No Favorites. The unconventional habits of the pope are still troubling the tradiiiona of the Vatican. Hla hollnosa baa a great objeo tlon to the practice of kneeling In hla presence. He takes care to settle visitors promptly and comfortably In chairs and t.ien. to their anuscnient, he niuai,.a stand ing. There may have been old Uuieu when pontine ahowed undue favor to their kin dred. There Is no such thing now. DU cuaslng with his chamberlain the details of some ceremony, Plua X waa reminded that hla two sisters, who live In Home, would like to be present What sea is should b assigned to them? "Seats!" said the. pops, with a amlle. "Oh, dear, not Bend tickets of admission and let them lake their chaneea." Rare Taet of Ueneral Plumer. "General Plumer la noted tor hla tact In dealing with colonial troops," aaya T. P. OCounor in M. A. P.. "and I recently heard of an Incident during the Boer war In which this quality was -severely tested. "One day In camn a cartieuUriv !.,., i. f roposJUuu' itt aa AastraUatv newly scut i up from the base, got hold of some liquor and speedily became mad drunk. Raving and roaring about the camp, the Australian came upon General Plutner, standing spick and span at the door of his tent, and, ut tering some ribald abuse, rushed at th general and struck him a heavy blow on the chest before anyone could Intervene. "I need hardly say that such an offens was punishable by death, ' but General Plumer merely said to the onlookers who rushed up: "'Oh, take him away; he's drunk and doesn't know what he'a doing.' "And that was all the notice the general took of the affair. . But the delinquent's comrades were not so lenient." Aa Apoatle of Initolrncr. Ex-Senator Ransom of North Carolina, who died a few years ago, used to be known aa on of the most indolent member of the oenate, as well as one of the most popular. It used to be said of him that he was never seen to 'open his letters even or to read the newspapers. His nomina tion by President Cleveland aa minister to Mexico In ISM waa attended by a peculiar complication. He waa nominated while still . senator, and the nomination wa confirmed and the commission Issued. It was discovered later that, during Ran som's term, congress had Increased the pay of United States ministers abroad. Aa there is a provision In the constltutioa prohibiting appointments of congressmen to offices whose emoluments had been raised during thoir legislative service, President Cleveland bad to nominate Mr. Ransom a second time and the senate had to repeat the vote of confirmation. Bared by a Tip. Aa th Atlantic liner Cedrio was about to sail from New York the other day th ship's steward Informed the purser that Mr. Morgan had given orders to be notified five minute before the gang plank was to be hauled In. "And who the deuce la Mor gan?" asked the purser. "Bllmed if I know," ' answered the steward, hurrying; away. Just then he aaw an official of th line and learned from him who Mr. Mor gan Is. With a frightened look he dashed back to the purser and whispered: "Oh, I say, Mr. Purser, I've Just 'eard 'o this 'ere Mr. Morgan Is. Blessed If he ain't th hnwner of the bloomln ship Plerpont Mor gan, you know." The purser was careful to give Mr. Morgan the desired informa tion. " . Some Tersely Told Tales Both Grim Slow Pace the Safest. 1AUNCKY DEPEW credits one of I f I bis latest stories to an employe of V J the Vanderbllt lines who once at tended an old-fashioned camp meeting. The brethren and sisters were giving their experiences, each In the language of his own craft- First a Bailor got up and told how he was going to heaven at the rate of twenty knots an hour,' be fore a fair wind. He waa followed by a railroad man, who told how he waa on the way to heaven on a perfectly ballasted track, behind the newest type of engine., and waa making sixty miles an hour, In cluding stops. Finally a decrepit old woman got up. "Brothers and sisters." ah said, "I have been walking there for the last twenty years, and my rheumatism Is so bad that I can't walk very fast. But, brothers and alsters, let some of these fast goers look out or I'll get there first. They may bust their b'llers If they crowd on too much steam." New York Times. The Retort Inferential. Oscar S. Straus of New York, formerly Minister to Turkey, tells this atory of Rabbi Hlrsch of Chicago: One day, in a crowded atreet car, th Tabbl arose to give his seat to a young woman who had Just entered. Much to the Jewish divlne'a disgust a young man acrambled into the seat before the lady could avail herself of It For some mo ments the rabbi glared at the offender In a way that clearly showed hla displeasure, ' but he said nothing. Finally th rude young man, growing restless under th keen glance of th He brew, said: "Wot ar yer atarln' at m fort Look aa if you'd like to eat me!" "I'm forbidden to do that," quietly re sponded Rabbi Hlrsch; "I am a Jew." Saturday Evening Post She Tanabt Hint Taet. Th late Louis Fleischmann, the million aire baker, not only distributed food to poor men in the "bread line" he had estab lished In this city, but be also got. thee men employment. H . went among them Nebraska 5 rT'M.'v and conversed with them, and the delicacy of his questions to them, the care he took not to hurt their feelings, was remarkable. One day he sold: "The more unfortunate and wretched peo ple are the more sensitive they are the more easily they are wounded. The public does not bear this fact in mind. "And yet it is a fact that Is continually being proved sometimes pathetically, some times humorously. It was proved humor ously to a friend of mine lost summer In Scotland. "He was making a walking tour. He was climbing mountains and viewing lakes and torrents. One morning on a quiet road he met a young woman, tall and comely, who walked barefoot. "Surprised, my friend stopped the young woman and said: " 'Do all the people hereabouts go bare foot r ' "She answered: " 'Some of them do, and the rest mind their own business.' "New York Tribune. TheMn7lt. Congressman O'Neill, now deceased, who represented one of the Philadelphia districts In congress for many years, used to tell a atory regarding two friends of hi who were carpenters. These men led very good lives, but, unfortunately, they were ad dicted to the habit of profanity. One morning, In a sincere desire to cure them selves of the bad trait, they resolved that no matter what happened during the day, they would abstain from Indecent lan guage. After they had been working for about an hour the first man accidentally dropped his hammer, and It fell on bis foot, bruising It very severely. "Ouch I" waa hia only exclamation. He made a eour face, and then continued with hla work. Thlnga went well for about another hour, when, happening to be In conversation with his friend, the hammer slipped, and he dealt bla thumb a terrlflo blow. "By Jlmlnyl" waa bla exclamation; but ' that waa all. He wa a hero, and deter mined to keep the compact. They bad about finished the day'a work, and were walking under a acaffolding, State Bankers' Association LEADING BANKERS OF. NEBRASKA i 4? i vf p. Jv -A t A POSTMASTER GENERAL ROBERT J. WYNNE. when the unfortunate carpenter, forgetting to bend, struck his forehead a severe blow on the end of a Joist It cut the skin and tore away part of his hair. He stepped aside, and for the next three minutes the air was. blue. His friend lis tened with an amused 'smile, and then said: "How about your agreement?" "Well," was his response, "I didn't mind mashing my toe and thumb, but when they tried to take my scalp it was time to protest" Harper's Weekly. Why He Doubted It. Timothy L. Woodruff of New York tells the atory of an old chap In business In a town not far from Buffalo who recently discovered one morning that his safe was out of order, and telegraphed to the maker In Buffalo to send down an expert When the man arrived he discovered that the vault, which was an old fashioned af fair and locked with a key, could not be opened. After a hasty examination, the expert took a piece of wire and began to dig out a mass of dust and lint from the key. He then opened the stfe as quickly aa one could desire. With a sickly smile the old merchant meekly asked: "What's the charge?" "Twenty-five dollars," was the reply. "Does any one know you're in town?" "None save yourself." "Then here's fifty. You will do me a favor If you'll get out of town by the first train. If any one knew that I had paid a man 2& to dig the dirt out of a key for me I'd never do another dollar's worth of business In this part of the state." New York World. Humors ot a Cnmaplgn. General Rock wood Hoar relates an amua lng Instance of the humors of a political campaign. It appears that a year ago, during the campaign for the re-election of Governor Bates and Lieutenant Gov ernor Guild, portraits of those candidates, as well aa those of the opposite party, were to be aeen posted all through the state of Massachusetts. The rival billposter must have been In great hast each to outdo the other, for It Assembled in Convention - '"- JTri ' -z-nr- n2 IN ATTENDANCE ON THEUi ME1WINO , - s v ; t. V '.' f would seem that they were not always careful where they put their pictures. While passing through Haverhill one day the candidates were greatly disconcerted to observe their portraits pasted on one billboard over a lithograph announcing a theatrical attraction. Under the counter feit presentments of the candidates were the words: "Vote for Bates and Guild." The portion of the theatrical lithograph not covered by the political portraits bore the legend: "The greatest vaudevlllo team on earth," New York Herald. Losses Were Slight. W. A. Wright, Insurance commissioner of Georgia, attended recently an insurance men's banquet in Atlanta. "The president of an insurance company," he said, "once told me that. If you were interested in fire Insurance, you were amazed at the carelessness and the dis regard of fire precautions to be found everywhere, and If you were interested In life Insurance it seemed as though men and women did not value their own nor their neighbors' lives at a picayune. You got, he said, a new point of view on fire and death when you were financially interested in those calamities. . "He added that it seemed to Insurance men as though mankind regaided conflagra tion and mortality much as the woman on the river bank regarded her children's drowning as a matter of course, not worth fighting against or grieving over. "This woman lived on the bunk of a swift and deep stream. The stream flowed past her back door, and on the bank her children played. "A traveler passed in his boat one day and was appalled at the rink the little children ran. " 'Madam,' he shouted to their mother, 'aren't you afraid to let your children play ao near the stream? " 'Oh, no said the woman Indifferently. 'Oh, no." " 'Have you lived here long, madam?' th traveler pursued. " 'Yes, a good many years,' said she. " 'Well, I should think that, with th river ao near, you would, live In oonstant for Discussion of Mutual UV ! AX OUAJIA.Pboto by a Staff AxUst IOBERT J. WYNNK, the new post master general, is a newspaper man In every sense of the word. He Is not a Journalist, mark you, for there is a vast distinction be tween a Journalist and a newspaper man. Wynne is a Simon pure, all-wool-and-a-yard-wlde gatherer of news, and la proud of the position which he held among the corps of Washington newspaper corre spondents before he became first assistant postmaster general. For twenty-five or thirty years he ha been a resident of Washington and In that time has been telegraph operator, news paper man, private secretary, first assist ant postmaster general, and now a member of President Roosevelt's cabinet. Robert J. Wynne Is Intolerant of ahams and vicious with bores. He Is generous with lils friends and Implacable with his Tfoes. He sees through a proposition with rap idity. Ha Is keen of perception, clever in analysis a doer and not a dreamer. He Is big and hearty and being an Irishman, his father and mother having been born on the "auld sod," he la brilliant of wit and keen In repartee. His Interruptions of famous men who have been the guests of the Gridiron club have brought him a na tional reputation as bon vlvant He Is a splendid atory teller and a fairly good after dinner talker. He doesn't lay much stress upon this latter accomplishment, however, because he would rather let th other fellow do the talking while he will make the Interruptions. He Is an Interna hater of wrong and as for "grafters," hs hates themjMJ the devil hates holy water. It was Wynne who started the postofftc Investigation and It was his pugnacity which resulted In the conviction of a num ber fit grafters In the Postoffice depart ment and the dismissal of many other from that service. One on an Ex-Actor ConsmasisB. When "Bob" Wynne Is in action at a Gridiron dinner he la a foe much to be feared by the stupid man or the pompous one. At one of these dlnnera Julius Kahn of California, ex-congressman and ex actor, was a guest. Kahn, who has a traglo voice and a still mora tragic air, rising to respond to a toast, began his speech In this wise: "Of course many of you do not know that I was on the stage" At this instant Mr. Wynne remarked In and Gay fear that some of your little ones would be drowned.' . . , . " 'Oh, no,' said th woman; 'we have only lost three or four in that way.' "t-Kangaa City Journal. The Archblshoy'a Saggeetloa. The late Archbishop ' Corrlgan waa on of. the gentlest of men, but when It ' waa necessary to' reprove any ''one under his" charge, whether it be priest, or layman, he never hesitated to do so. , At one time there was a vacancy In the rectorship of one of the large churches In New York City, and several clergymen were talked about for the position. Two prominent' women who were members of the church called upon the archbishop and urged the selection of one of their clerical friends. As they were leaving one woman turned to th other and said, impressively: "When you get horn pray that th Holy Ghost may give the archbishop th grac to appoint the right man." Like a flash the archbishop turned around and aald, in Icy tones: ' "While you are at it. ask the Holy Ghost to give women the grac to attend to their own business." Harper's Weekly. A WhUner Story Clyde Fitch, after a long stay In Switzer land, has returned to his country house at North Cos-Cob, Conn, He said there the other day: "Anecdotes of Whistler are still turning up. Europe, from one end to th other, still hums with the dead American paint er's name. But It was In Paris that I heard the best Whistler story. "They told me that Whistler was In Paris at the time of the coronation of the king of England and on evening, at a recep tion at the Hotel Ritz, a duchess said to him: " 'Do you know King Edward, Mr. Whis tler r " 'No, madam,' aald th painter. "She looked surprised. " "Why, that is odd,' she murmured. 1 met the king at a dinner party last year and he aald that he knew you.' " 'Oh,' aald Whistler, 'that was only his brag.' " Nw York Tribune. Interests r i Li .i a vote that could be beard all over th dining room: "Who did you drive for?" and Kahn has still to answer. He was down and out A Tilt with Speaker Henderson. Speaker Henderson probably never ran up against aa hard a game as the mem bers of the Gridiron club put up for him during the campaign for speaker In th fifty-fourth congresa. Henderson In th course of hla speech at one of the club dinners during that congress bemoaned th fact that he could not be elected speaker, protesting that he had done everything to bring about such a condition. "Why,, do you know," he said, address ing the 'members ot the club, who are all newspaper men, "I have spent an hour very evening on Newspaper row." "Yea, and that Is all you ' did spend," aid Mr. Wynne, and Colonel Henderson never finished hla speech that he had been laboring upon for daya beforehand. Th applause which followed this sally could be heard in McPherson square. ' t . '. How Wynne Dot Ilia Title, Untlll Mr. Wynne went Into the Post office department aa first assistant post master general and thereby assumed the ' title of "general," which always goes wjt'i the place, he waa often called "Colonel'? Wynne. This came about In arcouliarly; Wynne way. J' A few years ago ha Js subpoenaed In a land suit, the subpofiia being mad out to "Colonel Robert JiWynne." The lawyer opposed to the sldeVor which Wynne waa testifying began tl badger the present postmaster general "I see by the siibpoena you ar called "Colonel Wynne," the aald. "Yea," Wynne rfplled. "Hav you vr.4iad any military experi ence?" i "No.- g' "Then," reared th lawyer, shaking his finger at tie witness, "how doea It coma that you are posing as a colonel?" "I am ot responsible for the way aub-t poena Jr made out," aald Wynne. Then ha turtftid to the court and said: "But I submit, your honor, that when a man has -lived in Washington for twenty-five years he Is entitled to some sort of ytl." The Judge gave it to him then and there. Getting a Pall with Foster. Postmaster General Wynne knows the 1ns and outa of the government better than most men. He has been prowling about the departments and knocking elbows with, the big and little fellows who run the gov ernment for a 'decade. It was while he waa associated with General Henry V. Boynton, the brilliant correspondent of the old Cincinnati Commercial Gazette, that he left newspaper work for a while to take a Job under the government When Foster of Ohio was mad secretary of th tr ury by President Haralson he cast about for a private secretary. Somebody told him of Wynne, commending him as a maa who knew much of the operations of that great department of the government Fos ter sent for Wynne. He looked him over. "Do you know the functions of e private aecretary?" asked Fostan, V "Perfectly." : t . ., 'What ar they 'To aee that you get the - credit when thlnga go right and to take the blame when thlnga go wrong." ' "Young man," said Foster, enthutrlaatlo- ally, "you ar engaged, ' Wynne served with Foster during hist en tire term. He remained with Carlisle a months when Cleveland came In the aecond time and then went back to his newspap work. Something; Marhen Learned. During the trial of Machen, whose indict ment and subaequent conviction Wynne was largely Instrumental In bringing about, he was called aa a witness for the govern ment Machen's attorney, Charles Doug laa, was conducting the cross-examination of Mr. Wynne. In thunderous tones he asked the then first assistant postmaster general: . . "Why did you put suoh trust In Macfcsn.f "Because I thought he knew hla busi ness," answered Mr. Wynne. ' "Did he know you knew your business?" again thundered the attorney for Machen, '"Well, be knows It now," - quietly re, aponded Mr. Wynne, to tit embarrass ment of Mr. Douglas and th enjoyment of the spectators. Wynne's Golden Hale. ' Wynne has a habit of relating a story ' when he wanta to bring out some point' la the course of his conversation. The other day a friend went Into the postmaster gen eral'a apartmente to congratulate him upon hla deserved promotion. Incidentally re marking. "Have you heard anything from your enemies?" "No, I haven't" Wynne replied, "whlcH reminds mo of a story. A president of ft South American country waa on his death bed. Realizing that hla time waa short he called In a prleet. to whom he desired to confess snd from whom he would receive his last sacrament. The dying man tola everything to the prieat that was to be told, when the priest said, But you have said nothing about your enemies. Unless you forgive your enemlee you cennot hope for forgiveness.' " 1 have no enemies.' replied the head of the South American country. " 'You have no enemies,' Interrogated the man of God. " 'No. father, I have had them all shot ".And thst Is the wv with mv (nemles," aald Mr. Wynne. "They are all dismissed from the publlo service, some under , In dictment and the rest going to Jail." E. C. 8. Pointed Paragraphs The road to stirpes seems to be ahy of rapid-transit facilities. The best actress gets the moat flowers If she buys them. Many an obese man haa lost flesh by trying to shave himself. Might In attempting to make right fre quently bungles the "Job. Some men no sooner get a Job than they begin to kink for a day off. Every man favora honest government aa lung aa it doesn't interfere with bis inter ests. Many an author'a heaviest literary work consists of an effort to sell what ho lias written. When a girl begins to clip th "hints to housewives" from the papera It Indi cates which wsy th gentl aephyrs ar blowljig. Chicago Nwa, ret A V A Am,