Show = LICKED THE BULLY 1 How a Soldier Won Promotion by Unique Methods THE DEMOCRATIC INGLESIDE An Hour in a Corner With Congressman Incidents of an Unexpected Unex-pected Midnight Row WASHINGTON April 30Sllecial correspondence corre-spondence of THE HERALD It was several sev-eral months ago We were sitting by a cosy fire in the cloak room on the Democratic side of the House of Representatives when exGovernor Andrew G Curtin of Pennsylvania Penn-sylvania entered His hair is as white as the plumage of a snowy heron but he retains re-tains much of the fire of youth He is as straight as an arrow and his eyes sparkle like the eyes of a canary And there is full as much music in him His mind is as clear as an Italian sky his memory of past events is marvelous and his power of description perfect A colored boy took his coat hat md umbrella and he joined the storytelling storytell-ing group at the bright fireside It was a favorite nook with him while a member of the House He preferred it to the room of the committee on foreign affairs of which ho was chairman Ho was hardly seated before General Forney of Alabama passed him a favorite Intimidad After lighting it t he crossed his legs blew wreaths of I smoke into the air and listened to past reminiscences iniscences I In the hall outside the droning reading of the clerk of the House was heard inter I rupted at times by the sharp rap of the Speakersgavel Through the open door a glimpse of the side gallery was had Several I Sev-eral ladies were leaning forward evidently regarding the little circle at the ingleside with curious interest Thoir attention was momentarily distracted by a sharp spat between be-tween General Spinola and Louis E Mc Comas over a district bill but it again became be-came concentrated upon the group in the cloak room Governor Curtin was telling a war story The handsome old fellow was all aglow His face pictured the emotions of his souland his gestures were alive with descriptive power Framed by the doorway with the fire as a backgroundand such men as Crisp of Georgia and Flower of Now York in the circle of listeners he must have made a more than interesting nicture as seen from the galleries There was some humor in the governors story but it was almost lost in its strain of sentiment The incident occurred in the second or third year of the war The governor gov-ernor had left Harrisburg come to Washington on business A great battle had been fought The number of killed and wounded had amounted into the thousands 1 Governor Curtin had been in consultation with the President and members of his cabinet He had returned to the capitol where there was a night session of Congress Con-gress when an old lady dressed in deep mourning accosted him She was evidently very poor and nearly distracted She wore oldfashioned black mits and her habiliments habili-ments of woo were worn and rusty Her face was wan and wrinkled and her lingers were toughened with work and gnarled with rheumatism She had not heard from I her boy since the great battle and she bad come to Washington in search of informa tion He hud enlisted in a regiment raised in the mountains of Pennsylvania and had been at the front for more than a year Oh governor she cried as tears streamed down her faded cheeks limy boy never failed to write before He always sent me a letter aftera battle I have not I heardfrom him now in more than a fortnight fort-night He is the only boy left mo and I can never live without him Oh I fear he is dead or sorely wounded If I could only get through the lines to nurse him or bring his body back home Please governor try to get me a pass and God will bless you My heart will break without my boyi The governor said that he heard the number num-ber of the regiment with a shudder Ithad been in the very heart of the fight and had been cut to pieces His heart went out to the old mother If her boy was alive he was determined that she should see him or if dead that she shouldhave his body Upon questioning her ho found that she was utterly I ut-terly destitute Sho had not even money enough to pay for a nights lodging He assured her that he would what he could for her He would see either the President or secretary of war in the morning and get her a pass through our lines Then ho took her by the arm and escorted her down stairs Passing out under the arch of the Senate wing of the capitol he hailed a cab Gallantly Gal-lantly assisting the od lady into it he paid the cabman his fee and told him to drive his charge to a hotel where the governor was well known and where he had sent many a destitute friend As the cab rattled away the governor turned to reenter the capitol when he met John Sherman Ben Wade and Galusha A Grow then Speaker of the House The Senate had adjourned and they were on their way home It was a clear night The great temple of national legislation shone in the moonlight like a palace of alabaster The city lay below them dotted with gas lights The music of a drum was heard away off on the right A railroad train had arrived with a new regiment regi-ment and the troops were seeking quarters at the Soldiers Rest 3J 122 I r4 rpV l EXGOVEKXOn A G CUIITIS The four statesmen descended Capitol hill together They drifted down Pennsylvania avenue conversing on political topics They had halted on a corner near the National Na-tional hotel proparatory to separating when a cab was driven to the curb near by Itsdriver was in altercation with a wonian I inside the vehicle Governor Curtin was even then telling the Senators and Speaker the story of his meeting with the old lady in the capitol The altercation attracted his attention The driver was using villainous villain-ous language He insisted that his passenger passen-ger should leave the hack then and thereor he would pull her out I Something told me said the governor I that it was my old lady who was in I i trouble He stepped to the door of the hack and looked in The suspicion was confirmed t i She was tho old woman whom ho had sent to the hotel and she was in trouble The driver had not taken her to her destination j He had stopped at two or three saloons and i spent his fee for liquor Possibly he had forgotten where the old lady was to go but at all events he had determined to drop heron her-on the street and let her shift for herself He was filling the air with profanity and threatening the poor old woman with violence vio-lence The governor was indignant Ho asked the hackman whether he had not paid him to take the old lady to a specified place of shelter The driver swore that he had never seen him before and threatened to punch his head if he did not min l his own business The governors indignation was getting the better of his judgment Slier I man and Grow tried to calm him but old I Ben Wade grew as hot as a bird pepper and swore like a pirate He not only wanted the hackman thrashed buthe wanted to help Curtin thrash him The driver was a giant He laid his whip across the foot rest of his hack and squared away He evidently evi-dently meant to down not tho governor alone but the Senators and the Speaker Things were looking decidedly squally when a boy in blue came along He carried a musket and wore the tail of a buck in his cap The governor recognized the insignia Thesoldier was amember Colonel Kanes famous Bucktall Brigade Over six feet tall he was brawny and wellproportioned Ho looked like a raftsman and he swung along the avenue as though the world was too small for him He was promptly hailed Do you know mel the governor asked himYes Yes was the reply You are Andy Curtin governor of Pennsylvania I have seen you many a time at home and in the field I want you to do me a favor the governor gov-ernor continued pointing to the haclnnan who had already begun to skirmish with Ben Wade The boyin blue sensed the situation in Go twinkling Turning to the governor ho said Hold my musket Then he jumped between Ben Vale and the cabman and sailed in It was a rough and tumble worthy of the days 01 Fooio and Morrissey The raftsman proved too much for the bully He had a terrific struggle but finally literally mopped the sidewalk with him The hackman looked as though he had been through a fanning millGovernor Governor Curtin ascertained the name of the soldier and placed the old lady in his charge She arrived at her destination without further trouble On the next day ho secured passes for her and she went to the front in search of her boy Two weeks afterwards Private Fox of the Brigade received an order directing di-recting him to report at the adjutantgen erals office in Harrisburg Transportation and supplies were furnished It was a bright and sunny morning when he entered the city Without delay he sought the office of-fice of the adjutantgeneral There he was told that the governor wanted to see him The way to the executive chamber was pointed out The soldier entered with his haversack swinging at his side The governor gov-ernor stood fleer a table talking with a friend He saw Private Fox approaching him The soldier was awkward and very much embarrassed Good morning lieutenantsaid tho governor gov-ernor lam glad to see you Why governor replied the boy in blue you make a mistake I am not a lieutenant lieuten-ant I am only a private It is you who make the mistake the governor rcpliedwith a smiling face You were only a private last night but you area are-a lieutenant this mornIng Here is your commission It was the commission of a first lieutenant lieuten-ant The parchment was gratefully accepted ac-cepted The soldier expressed his thanks He was modestly asserting doubt as to his merits when the governor replied I know your record You cau truthfully say that you won your rank by service on the battlefield The governor dispensed the usual hospitalities hospi-talities and Lieutanant iox departed His fate showed that he richly merited the distinction dis-tinction Within three months he became a captain and afterwards major He was shot through the heart while leading his regiment as Us lieutenantcolonel ina charge at Spottsylvania AMOS J CUMSIINGS |