The Loup City northwestern. (Loup City, Neb.) 189?-1917, July 14, 1904, Image 4
RICHMOND RESIDENCE O' JEFFERSON DAVIS. I/Ze-w President of the Confederate States. It Is Now One of the Most Interesting Memorial Museums in the World. On the summit of a hill in the center ; of the historic capital of the eonfed- J eracy, whence the eye can trace for j miles the winding river James, stands i the “White House of the Confedera cy^” the home for four years. marred ■ by battles and bloodshed, of Jefferson Davis, president of the confederate | states. Though the bitterness of those days has passed away, and men have well nigh forgot that this country was ever else than one, this historic mansion, rejuvenated and rendered well nigh impervious to thd ravages of time, stands like a watch tower on a hill, containing within its walls countless souvenirs of the mighty struggle, in tended not to inflame the minds of the rising generation and of generations yet unborn, but to keep alive memories of the most valiant armies that ever faced each other on battle plain, and to stand as a lasting monument to the sacrifices made and hardships borne for the sake of home and country. “From turret to foundation stone” the mansion is filled with civil war re minders. Room after room is crowded with objects of the most intense inter est to all, no matter whether they wore the blue or the gray. This is amply attested by the constant and ever increasing stream of visitors from beyond Mason’s and Dixon’s line who spend hours wandering through the halls and lofty rooms, viewing with deepest interest the tattered uni forms worn by heroes of forty years ago, the pistol?, swords, torn battle flags and numberless cabinets contain ing the flotsam and jetsam of many battle fields, interspersed with souve nirs of gloomy prison walls in the shape of fanciful designs wrought by hapless victims of the changing for tunes of war. Within a handsome glass case in the most frequented portion of the mu seum are reminders of one who was the central figure of the confederacy by virtue of having been its head— Jefferson Davis. The collection is composed of his Bible, merschaum pipe and various other articles used constantly by him, but of greatest in terest is the suit of clothes which he wore w’hen captured. The garments are of confederate gray without insig nia of any kind. . Scarcely second in interest to the ■hemen.toes of Mr. Davis are those of ten. Robert E. Lee, commander in chief of the confederate army. These embrace the gray uniform, old slouch hat. boots and gauntlets which he wore when he surrendered to Gen. Grant: also a brick from the McLean house at Appomattox courthouse in which the terms of surrender were agreed upon. There are also his sword, pistols, maps used by him during the war. and a lock of hair from the mane of Traveller, the gallant gray horse that carried him through so many campaigns. Hard by is the cabinet containing one of the most Interesting collections in the museum—the war accoutre ments and personal property of Gen. : T. J. (Stonewall) Jacksou. These em brace the famous old cap. spurs, sword and pistols which he wore when acci dentally shot down by his own men at Chaneellorsville. Also a little volume entitled “War Maxims of Napoleon,” <whieh he carried all through the war. The battle flag that draped his coffin reposes side by side with a glittering pair of solid gold spurs bestowed on him by the ladies of Baltimore at the close of a successful campaign. But of greater human interest than all else is a faded, tattered confeder ate uniform, on its front a series of dark stains—the life blood of Jackson. It was worn by Rev. Dr. James Power ! Smith, then a member of Jackson's staff, now editor of the Central Pres byterian and commander of Lee camp confederate veterans of Richmond. While Jackson was being borne on a litter from the place where he was wounded one of the bearers was shot and stumbled, throwing the wounded man to the ground. Dr. Smith caught the sufferer in his arms and broke his fall partially, his uniform becoming stained with his blood. Dr. Smith then laid on the ground beside his chief to screen him with his body from the shower of balls falling thickly around the little party. An idol of the confederacy was Gen. J. E. B. Stuart, the dashing cavalry leader, who lost his life at Yellow Tav ern, near Richmond, while endeavor ing to prevent the federal troops from entering the capital city. As famous as Stuart was the plumed hat that he wore, and this now reposes in the con federate museum, its picturesque feather drooping sadly, as though in dejection at the fate of it3 brave wear er and the cause for which he fought. Beside the faded white hat are Stuart’s old haversack, the tin basin in which he daily performed his ablu tions. his gloves, boots, pistols, saddle and bridle. All of these reminders of long ago are on the first floor of the museum, where they attract instant attention, but no less conspicuous are many oth er articles, among them a battle flag carried by the Thirteenth Virginia in fantry, made from the bridal dress of Mrs. A. P. Hill, and one from the wed ding robes of Mrs. Catherine Hoit. pre sented to the Fifteenth Virginia infan try after the battle of Bethel. Scattered through every room are relics of prison life in the shape of most ingenious little articles fashion ed by prisoners of war to relieve the monotony of their lives. They came troin persons north and south, some having been made in Fort Warren. Bos ton. The most striking is a breast pin and earrings carved by a federai officer front a beef bone. Sets of 'chessmen and trinkets of various kinds make up the balance of the col lection. One of the most cherished and i undoubtedly the handsomest and most valuable possessions of the man sion is the sword of Gen. Sterling Price of Missouri, encased in its scab bard of solid gold. It was presented to him in 1862 after the battle of Lex ington. Mo., bv a thousand ladies of New Orleans, each of whom contribut ed a dollar in gold. Some years ago the splendid weapon was given to the museum by the daughter of Gen. Price. Mrs. Peter J. Willis of Mis- i souri. The golden scabbard is indeed ! a work of art. It is fashioned to rep resent the products of the states of Louisiana and Missouri. The lower portion shows the joints of the corn stalk of Missouri, and the sugar cane ot Louisiana. The guard depicts the hempstalk and tobacco leaf of Mis souri and the cotton bloom and boll of Louisiana. The head of the hilt is the coat-of-arms of I^ouisiana—a pelican feeding her young, and the thrust reception presents the coat-of-arnis of Missouri. The grip is of ivory—an ear of corn—the product of both states. Turning from this gorgeous sight, the eye of the visitor falls upon a queer object. It is a small piece of woven bedticking and the card attach ed shows that its history has been a thrilling one. It is a portion of the rope that was used by Gen. John Mor gan when he and five of his men es caped from an Ohio prison. On the wall near the n^orsel of rope, stoutly framed and covered with a thick glass, are the rusty, mouldering fragments of a caseknife, employed by Morgan and his men in effecting their escape. Besides the old knife is a letter from Warden J. C. Laney of the Ohio prison, who recovered and sent the knife south. It was found by him in the air chamber beneath cell No. 4. in which the men were con fined. Carefully preserved in the museum is the sword of Irvine S. Bullock, sail ing master of the warship Alabama, who was a half uncle of President Theodore Roosevelt. Dragged from the bottom of the Yazoo river and brought to the Con federate museum, the heavy iron fig ure head of the ship Star of the West is a trophy of value. It adorned the prow of the first United States boat which was fired on and sunk in the affair at Fort Sumter. Lauds Manual Training. Sir John Cockburn. addressing (he British National Association of Man ual Training Teachers, said that man ual training was the best avenue to in telligence and the best moral train ing. Half the school hours should be taken up in manual instruction. It helped the memory, which was largely muscular; it formed character, help ing children to detect shams and In accuracies and Its moral benefits were incalculable. WORLD’S LARGEST DUCK FARM. Feathered Army of 20,000 Has Its Home in Virginia. A flock of snow-white Peking ducks, numbering 20,000, and requiring a solid carload of food every week. Is the “show” to which the villagers of Riverton, Va., take strangers who “happen in” the Shenandoah Valley town. The duck farm is said to be the largest in the United States. In the laying department 1,500 mothers are kept busy in the ten pens set apart for their use—150 to the pen. Each of these subdivisions contains a vat of water, which supplies both drink ing and bathing liquid. The hatching is all done by incubators. Two thou sand fuzzy little ducklings are brought into the world each week. The ducklings are first placed in a room where the temperature is 98 de grees. After eight days they are transferred to a low temperature room, and, later still, are turned into the open air, under a protecting shed. At this stage of their development the growing fowls are moved into the i fattening department, and at the end of twelve weeks are fat and plump and ready to be slaughtered for the markets of Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York. Nine men and a dozen youthful pick ets are employed to attend this feath ered army. This Man a Model Witness. E. C. Benedict, who commutes to Greenwich, Conn., every day, noticed three men with a table between them anxious to find a fourth man for a whist party. A few seats behind them sat a man who seemed so much inter ested in their conversation that one of the card players asked him: “Are you for whist?1' The man addressed made no sign that he had heard, but looked out of the windo^r. * “Are you for whist?" repeated the card player, in a louder tone. “Whisht it is,” answered the man. “I’m a witness for the railroad in this case, and the lawyer told me not to say a word about it until I reached the court house.’’—New York Times. NOT QUITE UP TO NEW YORK. New England Village, Nevertheless, Pleased One Resident. A gentleman who had occasion to go to an inland New England village ten miles from a railway, was met at the station by an old fellow who look ed as if he might have just awakened after a Rip Van Winkle sleep. His horse and buggy were in keeping with their owner’s ancient appearance. “Here we air at last," said the driver, when they finally came to three houses and a blacksmith shop. “This isn’t much of a t>laee, is it?” said the depressed stranger, looking around. “Oh, you don’t see all o’ it from here," was the reply. “Thar’s two more houses over behind that hill thar, an’ a cooper shop jest around that bend in the road thar. Come to bunch ’em all together an’ it’s con s id’able o’ a place—but, of course it ain’t New York.” Pittsburg Skyscraper. Pittsburg has already expended $25,000,000 in the skyscraper boom. NAME WAS INNOCENT GUILLOTINE WAS INAPPROPRI ATELY DESIGNATED. Instrument of Torture During Grim Reign of Terror In France Claimed h'.nocent and Guilty Alike. In the stormier days of Scotland, when faction fights were everyday oc currences, and clan fought against clan with hitter hate and animosity, an instrument, for some occult reason termed ‘"flic Maiden,” was in frequent requisition. This, judging from its name, harmless and innocent imple ment. was, however, none other than the deadly guillotine, which during the gruesome French revolution immo lated so many thousands of victims. Amongst the last n Scotland of this j cruel maiden s victims was an Earl of \ Argyll, who, it is said, pressed his lips on the block, remarking that it j was “the sweetest maiden he had ever seen.” But it was during that grim Reign of Terror when fair France was drenched with blood, and a very orgie of carnage raged su preme. that this lethal implement was in greatest request. Day after day, night after night, wagons and tum brils, carls and trolleys, discharged their loads of bound captives, who. one after the other, either quietly mounted the steps of the guillotine, or were dragged up by the ruffianly at- j tendants, who. to accelerate their pace would perhaps prick them with the point of their sword or lance; or, if fainting, women were carried up and thrown upon the block as they would treat a sack of flour. Some are shrieking in mortal terror: some, in bravado, defying their captors; some, the personification of impotent fero city and envenomed savagery, gnash their teeth, and vent their rage against their captors in an incoherent storm of virulent bate. Now it is a Charlotte Corday, who as she thought, to save her country, had stabbed to the heart the hideous and loathsome Marat; now it is a Desmoulins or a Danton. who with infuriate exaspera tion had pitilessly hurled their legions to that same fate, and whose name was a ghastly nightmare to the law abiding; or now it is a Marie Antoin ette. whose appearance on that gory platform is a signal for on outburst of frenzied rage from the bloodthirsty mob. who. howling in a paroxysm of rabid fury, and foaming with savage, rancorous venom, shriek out their ex ecrations, and like wild demoniacs hurl their curses and their impreca tions at her. And so the gruesome work goes on. each time the ponder ous knife falls, another ghastly head rolling into the basket; some held up by the hair by the executioner to excite the jeers and the cu.ses of the mad, sanguinary mt b of demagogues whose turn will probably soon come to meet the same fate at the hands of their fellows; some kicked away into the cart beneath, into which the head less. reeking trunks are unceremoni ously thrown; while a few perhaps are handed over to relatives, who, at the risk of being seized and executed, gived them decent burial.—Montreal Herald. New Way to Produce Speed. Senator Nelson, who amazed the senate by saying “damn” the other day, holds that the government should nuild good wagon roads for the Alas kans. “You ought to see some of our Alas kan roads, ’ he said to a reporter. “It is hardly possible to walk on them. The horse shooters of Kentucky would have come to grief if they had tried their reckless tactics in my coun try.” “The Kentucky horse shooters? Oh. they were two planters who were driving with their guns one day towards a shooting place. Their horse was lazy, and they couldn’t make it go. so one of them fired a charge of bird shot into it, poor nag! “It was the other man who owned the nag, but he was not in the least annoyed. All he said was: ‘“Shoot him again. John; shoot him again. He goes admirably now.’ ” What a City Boy Misses. Poor li'l Boston kid! Kver seen a muscadine Scuppemong on hanging vine? Bet you never did. You city boys don’t have much fun: Never do the stunts we done When I was a kid. Ever heard a mock' bird silnsr — Fished for tadpoles In a spring? Bet yon never did. Ever go out killing snakes. Over bogs and through cunu-brakes? Bet you never did. Ever seen watermelons grow. Hundreds of ’em row by row? Oh, you never did! —Boston Transcript, Great Britain's Railways. A parliamentary paper Just Isnuod contains a summary of the railway re turns of the United Kingdom for 1003, compared with the two preceding years. The total mileage In 1003 was 22,380 miles; In 1902, 22,1.">2 miles; tn 1901, 22,078 miles. The paid-up capi tal totaled roundly, $6,220,000,000 In 1903, $0,080,000,000 in 1902, and $5, 975,000,000 in 1901. To Preserve Indian Folk Songs. A society has been formed with Ern est Thompson Seton as one of Its prin cipal members, for the preservation of Indian folk songs, and their work deserves encouragement. Frederick R. Burton la at work on a collection of the songs of the Ojibways. of which he has made a specialty for a number of years and which he considers the highest type of American aboriginal music. Claim Royal Lineage. Two residents of Los Angeles, Cal., claim to be of royal lineage. W. J. H. Murat, a machinist, says that “by rights” he should be on the throne of Naples as a descendant of Joachim Murat. Another is Dr. Rebecca Lee Dorsey, whcr traces her ancestry back to Robert Bruce, the Scottish hero. Retards irrigation. The irrigation development of the Snake river valley, Idaho, has receiv ed a set-back by the proposed con struction of a power plant, which will interfere with the irrigation develop* i menL Personal feuds have played their part, and a fateful one. in the his tory of the presidency. Had not Alex ander Hamilton been the unyielding foe of Aaron Burr, the latter, and not Jefferson, would have sueceeded the Aaron Burr / •Ider Adams; but even more moment ous in its consequences was the long battle between Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay. When Jackson first ran for the presidency, in 1824, the candi dates opposing him were Adams, Crawford and Clay. None of the four secured a majority of the electoral college, and the election thus devolv ed upon the House, with choice to be made from the three candidates— Adams, Crawford and Jackson—who had received the most electoral votes. This debarred Clay, who, forced, as he expressed it. to choose betwen two evils, announced that he had decided to support Adams. But Clay’s deter mination no sooner became known than some of Jackson's friends at tempted to drive him from it. A few days before the time set for the election in the House a letter ap peared in a Philadelphia newspaper, asserting that Clay had agreed to sup port Vdaais upon condition that he be made Secretary of State. The same terms, the letter alleged, had been of fered to Jackson’s friends; but none of them would “descend to such mean barter and sale.” The letter was anonymous, but purported to be writ ten by a member of the House. Clay at once published a card, in which he pronounced the writer “a dastard and a liar,” who. if he dared avow his name, would forthwith be called to the field. Two days later the letter was acknowledged by a witless mem ber from Pennsylvania. Kremer by name, who asserted that the state ments he had made were true, and iha* he was ready to prove them. A duel with such a character was out )f th*1 question. Something, however, had to be done, and Clay immediately demanded an investigation by a spe cial committee of the House. Such a committee was duly selected. None af its members had supported Clay for the presidency. Kremer promptly de clared his willingness to meet the in quiry. but in the end the committee reported that he had declined to ap pear before it. sending instead a com munication in which he denied the power of the House to compel him to testify. No further action was taken, Roseoe Conkllnf I ami in this shape, for the time being, the matter rested. Soon, however, came the election of Adams by the House, followed quickly by his appointment of Clay as his Sec retary of State. Though it is now generally acknowledged that there bus been no bargain between Adams and Clay. It was natural that, at the moment, the rank and file of Jack <>n's following should regard Clay's appointment ns conclusive proof that such u deal had been made. By ac cepting It Clay made blmself the vic tim of circumstantial evidence. As a matter of fact, he hesitated to ac cept the place, and finally assumed its duties with reluctance. Whut chief ly determined him was the belief that If he did not accept it would be argued that he dared not. This to Clay was more obnoxious than the other horn of I he dilemma. He. there fore, took the alternative of bold defi ance; blit in so doing committed a calamitous error. In 1880 the unrelenting animosity of Henry B. Payne alone prevented Allen U. Thurman from being made the nominee of the democratic national convention. In 1857 Payne was a candidate for the democratic nomina tion for governor of Ohio. The con Alexander Hamilton vention met in Columbus, and Thur man. then fresh from a period of bril liant service on the supreme bench of his state, had a friend in whose candi dacy lor state treasurer he was much interested. Some of Payne's lieuten ants. without his knowledge, promised Thurman the support of the Payne forces for his friend in return for the votes he controlled in the convention; but the Thurman candidate for treas urer failed at the last moment to re ceive the promised support of the Henry 6. Payne Payne following, and was defeated. Payne was not aware of the trick that had been played upon Thurman but the latter, who scorned double dealing in any form, was quick to resent it. Within the hour the opportunity to do fell in his way. The convention ended, Payne went to % hotel for dinner, ac companied by some friends, and in jov’al mood opened wine in celebra tion of his success. Presently Thur- | man and a few friends came in and took seats at an adjoining table. Payne bade the waiter carry a bottle of wine to the newcomers, but in a moment it came back with the gruff message that Mr. Thurman did not care for any of Mr. Payne’s wine. In evident surprise at this refusal, Payne rose from his seat and crossed to the group of which Thurman was the cen tral figure. “I trust you and your friends will drink a bottle of wine with me, judge,” he said, urbanely. “Drink to my sue . James G. Blaine cess and the victory of the democratic party.” "I do not want any of your wine, sir,” was the reply. “I told that damned waiter to say as much to you, sir. a moment ago.” And so saying, Thurman turned his back abruptly on the man from Cleveland. Payne never forgot nor forgave this public insult. The quarrel thus begun ever after kept the two men apart, and three and twenty years later thwarted Thurman’s highest ambition. In 1880 he was a candidate tor the presidential nomination before the democratic na tional convention. Had he had the un flinching s.upport of the Ohio delega tion, there is little doubt that he would have been the nominee. The delegation was solid for him on the first ballot. Then it broke and the chances of his nomination vanished into thin air. Payne was behind the break. The delegates from the dis trict in which his influence was su preme led it and were strongest in the claim which stampeded the convention to a dark horse. As Ohio was then an October state and practically certain to go for Garfield, the result would b<* disastrous to the democratic cause That argument defeated Thurman and nominated Hancock, and the revenge of Payne was complete. But the most dramatic of all the political feuds of the last forty years, both in its inception and its sequel, was that between Blaine and Roscoe Conkling. The two men entered the popular branch of Congress at about the same time, and both soon became leaders in that body. There was. however, little in common between them save the gift of pre-eminent abil ity. Conkling made Blaine the ob ject of his sarcasm whenever oppor tunity offered, and the member from Maine was prompt to retort in kind. Thus the enmity grew until, in the course of one of their many encoun ters, Blaine, stung to the quick by an unjust and ungenerous taunt, burst forth in an onslaught on his torment or which wrought the House into a high pitch of excitement and marked the beginning of a fierce struggle in the Republican party that ended in the humiliation o^ Conkling and the defeat of Blaine for President. Her^ are Blaine’s words, and they are a model of excoriation: “As to the gentleman's cruel sar casm. I hope he will not be too se vere. The contempt of that large minded gentleman is so wilting, his haughty disdain, grandiloquent swell,, his majestic, supereminent, AlJen G. Thurman overpowering turkey-gobbler strut has been so crushing to myself ami a!! members of this House that I know i* was an act of the greatest temerity for me to venture upon a controversy with him.” Then, referring to a chance news paper comparison of Conkiing to Henry Winter Davis, lately dead, he continued: “The gentleman took it seriously and it has given hi3 strut additional pomposity. The resemblance is great; it is striking—Hyperion to a satyr, Thersites to Hercules, mud to marble, dunghill to diamond, a singed cat to a Bengal tiger, a whipped pup py to a roaring lion. Shade of the mighty Davis, forgive the almost profanation of that jocose satire.” There could be no reconciliation after such an onslaught, and the bat tle was to the death. Defeated for the Republican nomination by Conk ling and his friends in 1876 and again in 1880, Blaine in the latter year threw his following to his friend Garfield, who. nominated and elected, made Blaine his secretary of state and official right hand. Then came th-» struggle over the New York patron age, which retired Conkiing. and was followed by the assassination of Gar field. In 1884. when Blaine was final ly the formal choice of his j><irty. Conkiing was no longer in politics.' but the sequel proved that his was still the will and power to strike a mortal blow. A defection of a few hundred votes in Conklings home county of Oneida gave that county, normally Republican, to Cleveland, and with it the electoral vote of New York and the presidency. Conkiing I had wiped out the score against his ancient enemy.—Rufus Rockwell Wil son in Philadelphia Ledger. WORK LONG WITHOUT SLEEP. Trained Nurses at Times Must Keep Lengthy Vigils. "It always makes me smile to hear men talk about their long hours." said the trained nurse. "If by any possi ble chanre a man hasn’t had his clothes off for twenty-four hours you qever hear the end of It. unless per haps the occasion has been an all night poker game or something of the sort which he isn’t so apt to talk about. But ordinarily he makes a great fuss over his long hours, par ticularly if due to stress of work or some unexpected duty. Now, a trained nurse, even though one of the general ly accepted ‘weaker sex,’ thinks noth ing, when occasion demands, of going three or four days and nights with out once closing her eyes. I recently was called to a typhoid fever case on a Thursday, and on the following Wednesday the patient died. In all that time I only had five hours’ sleep, three hours Sunday afternoon and two hours Monday night. On rare occa sions I have gone even longer than that witho'U any sleep at all. Of I course, we try to make up for it after ward, but it’s a good bit like cheating nature.” POLITE MAN AND MORGAN. . Didn't Give Latter Chance to Express Himself. J. Pierpont Morgan, who Is really an excellent raconteur, tells a very good story about a man who apparent ly possessed a more than average amount of politeness. Hurriedly leaving the office one Sat urday afternoon, the great financier was nearly throw'n off his feet by col. liding with a man who was rushing from the direction of Broadway. Mr. Morgan was about to say some thing more expressive than polite, when the polite man raised his bat and said: *‘My dear sir, I don’t know which of us is to blame for this violent en counter. but I am in far too great a hurry to investigate. If 1 ran Into you, I beg your pardon. If you ran into me. don’t mention It,” And then he tore awry at redou bled speed. OFFICE BOY WAS GENEROUS. Allowed His Employer Overtime tor Lunch. Visitors who want to see Charles R. Flint during business hours at the summit of the Broadway Exchange skyscraper are confronted by a row of desks, a railing with r. wicket gate and a boy. "Mr. Flint in?” asked a visitor of the boy one day last week. ‘‘No. sir.” “When do you expect him?” “Oh. an hour or so. mebbe.” "Can t you tell me anything more definite than that?” ‘‘Well." answered the boy. "he's been gone to luncheon twenty min utes. I usually allow him an hour and twenty minutes for lunch.” "Oh, I see." said the visitor, as he turned toward the door. "See. here.” shouted the boy. "1 see,” answered the visitor. "1 don’t mean that I allow Mr. Flint an hour and twenty minutes for lunch 1 mean he takes that time. See?” *’I seo.” replied the visitor.