Saturday Evening Mail, Volume 28, Number 48, Terre Haute, Vigo County, 28 May 1898 — Page 3

QUAINT ALEXANDRIA.

HEROIC MEMORIES OF THE OLD VIRGINIA CITY.

Bow Colonel ElUworth Loat Hit* Life ID H«nltaf Down Confederate Ffaf From the Hlatorlo Marshall Hoom—Cteorge

Washington's LMt Day In Town. [Special Correspondence.] WASHINGTON, May 23.—At last it

has been practically settled that the inauguration clay of the future will be in May and not in blustering March. This year, to be sure, the season seems to have been reversed, for we had May weather in March and March weather all the first half of May. But generally this month is here what June is in New England and throughout the north and west—a month of birds and blossoms. I wonder if it is universally known tha: in Washington we have flowers in tin open air every month in the year? 1 have seen dandelions in January and February, their yellow bloom spangling the grass around the capitol, pansies in the White House grounds in March, azid in all the squares and circles masses of the little yellow jasmine blooming iu

COLONEL ELLSWORTH.

the snow. From the 1st of April on nature puts forth her daintiest conceits, and the peaches, pears, apricots, cherries and apples follow in swift succession. It is worth a journey here from any part of the Union to see the great white cherry trees iu the Smithsonian grounds and tho pyramids of creamy bloom adorning tho horse chestnuts below the capitol terraces.

It is difficult to believe that while nature smiles and dresses in her best preparations aro going forward for destructive war. Everything at present leads us out of doors, and surely one may bo pardoned if ho feels inclined to leavo tho heated galleries and corridors of our nation's debating hall and seek reposo in tho woods and fields that surround our beautiful city. This was my feeling, I'll confess, whon tho sun shone out aftor tho coutinuod rains of last week, and I proceeded to treat myself to an outing.

Still it was with a purpose in view that I took tlio cars for Alexandria, that quaint old city across the Potomac, and that purposo was to seek out some reminiscences of wartime a generation gone. Thero are plenty of them here, to be sure, but there was one iu particular that appealed to me at this time becauso its anniversary falls due this very day. Those of us old enough to remember tho first days of our own war between tho states will recall the thrill of horror that wont though the country at receipt of the news of the shooting of young Ellsworth on tho 24 th of May, 1861. Thirty-seven years have passed sinco that sad event, yet his memory is still fresh and his fate lamented.

Traglo Death of Colonel Ellsworth.

Just before tho war began Epliraim Elmer Ellsworth was clerk in the law office of Abraham Linooln in Springfield, Ilia Born in Saratoga county, N. Y., April 28, 1837, he was then in his twenty-fourth year, precocious for his years and with a strong penchant for military affair a While still a law clerk ho raised ft company of zouaves, of whom he became captain, and brought them to such a decree of efficiency that they acquired more than a local reputation and gave exhibition drills in various parts of tho country. His worth was recognized by our government, and he received a commission as second lieutenant in tho regular army, but ho resigned early iu 1801 at the call for volunteers and went to New York, where he raised a regiment of men 1,000 strong from tho firemen of that city.

History has recorded the valuablo material in that regiment of "New York fire wrnaves," brought out under the peculiar and efficient drill of their commanding officer, and it is not necessary to go into details of their history here. Raised and equipped in an incredibly short space of time, this regiment of zouaves sailed for Washington, April 29, 1801, and on the 24th of May occupied Alexandria. Immediately after they had landed and before they had goue into camp Colonel Ellsworth spied a Confederate flag floating from a staff above tho hotel known as the Marshall House, and. acting upon the spur of patriotic impulse, he entered the house, mounted to the roof and with his own hands hauled it down. Having secured it, he was descending the stairway when he was met by the proprietor of the house. J. W. Jackson, and shot through the breast. Private F. EL Browne!!, a sonave who was with him, instantly retaliated by shooting Jackson through the head, and he fell dead by tho side of his victim ou the stairs. Colonel Ellsworth's body was taken to Washington, where funeral services were held to the Whit® House, hut it was gutaeqntiatlj interred at Mechanics-j ville, N. Y.

One hardly expects to meet participants in the eventful scenes of the war at this time, it seems so far away to the past, hut going to Alexandria without any special knowledge of the city or its people, I was fortunate to finding several people who not only remembered

the incident at the Marshall House, hut who also knew the proprietor. Onexrf these, a gentleman still in the prime of life, said that he was intimately acquainted with Jackson and knew of his determination to keep the flag above his house, even at the cost of his lifa He kept an old cannon in the hallway, loaded with rusty nails and dugs, and swore that he would shoot with it the first person who dared attempt to haul down the flag.

Somehow he did not see Colonel Ellsworth when he entered the house, but his attention being called to the fact that he had ascended the stairway he seized a double barreled shotgun, which was also loaded with slugs, and ran up to prevent him from carrying out his purpose. Seeing the Union soldier coming down with the flag wrapped about him, some say, he sent the terrible charge of one barrel tearing through his breast, and Ellsworth fell dead. Before Jackson could turn the other barrel against Brownell the latter sent a bullet through the center of his forehead. It entered the middle of the forehead just above the nose and came out at th« base of the brain, causing instant death, and yet so determined was this man— possessed of such a strong and invincible will—that he fired the other barrel of his gun as he fell over backward, being stone dead when he struck the landing.

Brownell subsequently held an office in one of the departments and was well known in Alexandria after the war, frequently coming over to look at the scene of the tragedy. He died, my informant states, about four years ago.

The Historic Marshall House.

The old Marshall House still stands, but the upper portion, in which the two men were killed, was burned some time ago, and the whole aspect of the structure has been changed. It is now a story and a half lower than it was when made prominent by this shedding of patriot blood that day in May 88 years ago.

Another interest attaches to this house which is not generally known, and this is in connection with General George Washington. As we all know, General Washington came to church here in Alexandria, was a member of the Masonic lodge here, which still exists, and frequently rode over from Mount Vernon, only eight miles distant.

There is a tradition that this houso is the last one in Alexandria in which he ever stopped, just before his death, in the last month of the last year of the last century. Accounts of his death agree that it was brought on primarily by along ride over his farms in a sleety storm on the 12 th day of December, 1799. The Alexandria tradition states that he was in tho city that very day and came to the Marshall House, then the city tavern, intending to put up there for dinner or lunch before continuing his ride home. But riding into the yard at the rear to stable his horse he saw hanging on the back porch the carcass of a freshly killed deer, which he instantly recognized as one from his own preserves.

Now, Washington was a very punctilious man as to the observance of what was duo him and his, and he was also possessed of a very fine temper, which sometimes got the better of him. Seeing his own deer hanging there, he lost his appetite for dinner, recalled his horse, mounted and galloped home, it is said, to swear out a warrant against the poachers. It was his last ride, his last visit to Alexandria, for, as history tells us, he was taken that night with acutf laryngitis, and what with the distemper and tho "copious blood lettings" resorted to by his physicians, he died two days later. That is the story they in the quiet city down by the Potomac and they have many more tales on t:ij. there, according to which "George'' was pretty gay in his younger day and liked to "paint the old town red.' in a gentlemanly sort of way.

Indeed were this a search after Washingtoniana I might prolong this letter many a page, but just now wc are groping in the dusty, musty pan1 for inspiration for the present and fu ture. Coming bade to Washington fron somnolent Alexandria, one is struck with the bustle of preparation for great events. The flags flying everywhere might tell the story. The hurrying soldiers, the thronging crowds about the bulletin boards, the martial music, the boys on the streets whistling patriotic airs—all these presage the changing conditions immediately preceding war.

There are some changes in higl: places, as well as in private life, and it has already been told that our first as sis tail secretary of the navy is now Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt and was, it is said, the first volunteer officer to be mustered in. We shall miss "Teddy"

MARSHALL HOUSK AT ALEXANDRIA very much. The papers may have "poked fun" at him, but we all respect courage and particularly when allied with such great qualities of manly character as are possessed by Theodore Roosevelt. And there are others who wish to assist in "the freeing of Cuba and the driving of Spain from the western hemisphere," as he tersely puts it. This 24th of May, by the way, is the Confederate Memorial day yet "down south to Dixie" they all are shouting: We"r» pon»in«. Father Abraham. Three btuo dred tho&mxtd strong. W«*l! driw the fipsnknb off the eirtk Too bet It woo't tain long.

F. A. OBSB.

Siiilfill®

SHUT IN TO STAEVE.

ARTICLES OF FOOD NOW BECOMING A LUXURY IN HAVANA.

The Glorious Avenue of Palms a Military Encampment Portentous Calm and Apathy of the Inhabitants of Havana.

Unsafe to Walk the Streets at Night. [Special Correspondence. 1 HAVANA, May 17.—The people of

Havana, so far as I can judge from the appearance and manners of those I meet in the streets, are remarkably calm in view of their national temperament and the tremendous consequences involved in the struggle now going on. The Spaniard is by constitution ardent, im petuous and highly emotional, and the wingnlar spectacle of such an excitable being frozen into placidity and apathy is a psychological fact that is apt to strike the reflective observer as a very strange phenomenon.

The destruction of the Spanish fleet at Manilla has possibly something to do with this phase of public feeling, but the reception of the news that the Spanish fleet had arrived at Martinique seem ed to have but slight effect in dispel ling the prevailing gloom and apparent indifference of the inhabitants. Perhaps the successful bombardment of San Juan de Puerto Rico by Admiral Sampson's fleet had a sufficiently depressing effect to offset the other good newa

In the evening, however, when the beautiful parks and squares are thronged with well dressed senors and senoras, there is no absence of gayety and of that exuberance and vivacity so characteristic of the Spanish nation. The exhibition of those proclivities is perhaps more subdued than in years gone by, when wealth flowed into the "Queen of the Antilles" and famine and war did not cast a dark shadow over its pleasure loving inhabitants. ,t-

If the war continues much longer, the people ot Havana will starve. True,

SPANISH BATTERY IN THEAVKNUE OF PALMS

thero is no immediate prospect of the well to do people suffering from the lack of food. It is still procurable, but at prices that place even the barest necessaries of life beyond the reach of the poorest First class restaurants are now guarded by armed men and only regular customers are allowed to enter. Cheap restaurants and other places where food was sold are now generally closed to save them from attack by hungry mobs.

Up to the present it has been comparatively safe for civilians to go throngh the streets but now, if they are foreigners or Cubans, it is not safe to do so even in the daytime, while to attempt it at night is to run the risk of being shot on the spot or at least arrested as a suspect Business in Havana is at a complete standstill. Express wagons and other vehicles have been seized by the government to carry material to the barricades^ The street cars and stages have stopped running and the horses are turned loose on the streets to forage for themselves, there being no fodder in the city but that for feeding horses used by the authorities.

There are but two warships to Hatana harbor now, and they are practically useless. Them are also two small gunboats, but they of course would not attempt anything hazardous.

We hear but little of the war in Havana. The press is under strict surveillance, and citizens do not discuss state affairs at the street corners. Resident foreigners have learned by experience the wisdom of keeping their opinion of Spanish rule to themselves, and the rest are not communicative.

The life of a newspaper wrttesj^dent to this city is beset with difficulties and dangers. It is unsafe to ask questions, and to obtain news one must keep his eyes open, listen and assume some other character than his real one.

So far the city baa not been unhealthy. There are a few sporadic oases of yellow fever and other infectious diseases, but considering the insanitary condition of the city the public health is much better than could be expected.

Recently the water works at Venta, Havana's only water supply, were at* tacked by the insurgents, but without success. Should such an attempt succeed the condition of the city would be appalling

V* r*

JUAN GOXZALES.

TESLA NEEDS NO WIRES.

How Poster May Be Transmitted to the Ends of the Earth. ^Special Correspondence.]

NEW YORK, May 23.—The sending and receiving of telegraphic messages without wire as a communicating medium is not a new idea. At least SO years ago, perhaps more, some genius discovered that the water of Lake Erie would serve as well as a wire for a me dium, or if not quite as well that it would still serve.

Since then electricians have experimented to their weird way until they have determined the fact that signals may be given at one place and read at another without much regard to inter-

NIKOLA TESLA*

vening conditions. Wireless telegraphy has become one of the subjects on which theorists have written and practical men have worked until it seems time that something should be done practically. All efforts, however, to reach commercial results have failed.

This being true, importance seems to attach to a consular report issued recently by the state department describing a system said to be in actual operation in Wales. Consul Phillips of Cardiff says it has been established by the local postoffice for telegraphing between Lavemock and the Flat Holm. The system, he says, was perfected by Mr. W. H. Preeoe, engineer in .chief of that postoffice.

It is not, for reasons presently to appear, worth while to describe Mr. Preece's system hem The fact that tangible results are obtained, however, made it profitable to inquire into the matter, and I accordingly asked Nikola Tesla what the facts were. "Mr. Preece has done nothing new," he said with a smile. "It is perfectly practicable to receive and read signals that are given at a much greater dis tance than his system covers without the use of wires. He sends messages about four miles, but it is easy to send them across the Atlantic. Many years ago, when I was working on the telephone in Hungary, we found that we could read off our telephone wire messages that were being sent over the government telegraph wire 80 miles away. This became so manifest after a time that tho government was forced to adopt precautionary measures to prevent this transmission by induction. "Since then many experiments have been made. By the use of what are called the Hertzian waves, which resemble to some extent the waves of light and of sound, it was found possible to send messages many miles without wires. 1 experimented, as did others, and I found that by establishing a connection directly with the earth I could send and receive messages without regard to distance. It was as Atsy to telegraph thus to Europe as across the street "It is perfectly well known that this can be done, but there are reasons why no practical value attaches to the system as yet First, the instruments by which you do the work are so very delicate that they are liable at any time to fail by reason of their very delicacy. Secondly, while you can send and receive messages all right enough, any other fellow can receive them at the same time, and this removes the possibility of secrecy. It is true that you might use a code, but the process of telegraphing to this way is slow anyhow, and there are objections to the use of a code. "The third objection, however, seems fatal. While it is easy to establish your system and to work it, it is equally easy to break it up. To illustrate: Supposing somebody was working such a system here, I could send a balloon up from my building with a wire and break up all such communication within a radius of SO miles. With a larger apparatus I could interfere with anything of the kind at a much greater distance, and, more than that intervening objects, such as a passing vessel between a signaling ship and the shore, would be likely to interfere. "For these reasons, among others,' have changed the line of my experimenttog and have not devoted my time for the past four years or so to the sending of messages without wires. I saw that there was a much more important thing to be done, and I have been devoting my efforts to that I mean the transmission of power without wirea "This is no longer a dream, or even a theory. I have experimented rftitil 1 have accomplished it I have to actual operation model apparatus with which I can transmit the larger fraction of (me horsepower to a distance of miles with' out a wire or anything else as a transmitting medium excepting the earth itself. I have done this repeatedly and can do it at wilL And the question of distance does not enter into it It is Just as easy to transmit power to the antipodes as to a distance of half a mile. This means the furnishing to the world of power practically without cost"

If such a statement be only a dream, It is worth the telling. Mr. Tesla declares earnestly and quietly that it is no longer a dream, but only a question Of adequate machinery, and as he tells it to me I tell it to the world.

DAVID A. CUITM

THE DUTY OF MOTHER

Daughters Should be Carefully Guided in Early Womanhood.

What suffering frequently results from a mother's ignorance or more frequently from a mother's neglect to properly instruct her daughter 1

Tradition says "woman must suffer,M and young women are so taught. There is a little truth and a great deal of exaggeration to this. If a young woman suffers severely she needs treatment and her mother should see that she gets it

Many mothers hesitate to take their daughters to a physician for examination but no mother need hesitate to write freely about her daughter or herself to Mrs. Pinkham and secure the most efficient advice without charge. Mrs. Ptokham's address is Lynn, Mass.

The following letter from Miss

CANNY INSECT WORKERS.

They Fertilise Flowers For Strictly Utilitarian Reasons. Ia correspondent writes: "The theory

of the origin of flowers by tbe selection of insects is one which has attraoted much attention both in scientific oiroles and from the general public. Set forth by Darwin in the 'Origin of Speoies,' it has been largely developed in a series of interesting publications by Sir John Lubbock and Mr. Grant Allen. Some fresh and interesting light has sow been thrown on it by a series of experiments recently carried out by Professor Plateau of the University of Ghent Professor Plateau has arrived at the conclusion that inseots are indifferent to the oolors of the flowers they visit, and that they are guided to them in a very subordinate way by sigbt. Tbe experiments on which the Belgian professor bases his farreacbiag conclusions are briefly these: Having covered the brightly oolored flowers of single dahlias in his garden with bits of green leaf, he found that they were still visited by inseots. This seemed so muoh at varianoe with tbe generally received view that insects are attraoted to flowers chiefly by their color that Professor Plateau instituted a prolonged series of experiments and observations to put tbe matter still further to tbe proof. The result has been to confirm and strengthen tbe conclusions drawn from the first experiments. Cutting off tbe brightly colored corollas of snob flowers as lobelia, evening primrose, foxglove, eto., he found tbe remaining green parts were still visited. Again there are some brightly colored flowers which are seldom or never visited by inseots owing to their lack of honey. Notable among these is tbe scarlet geranium of oar garden. Bnt when a'little honey was plaoed on geranium flowers bees came to them at once, those blossoms which had not received honey being passed over.

It seems that a man and bis wife are both apt to wear glasses if one does.

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F. JOHNSON, Centralia, Pa., shows what neglect will do, and tells how^Mrs. Pinkham helped her: "My health became so poor that I had to leave school. I was tired all the time, and had dreadful pains in my side and back. I was also troubled with irregularity of menses. I was very weak, and lost so much flesh that my friends became alarmed. My mother, who is a firm believer in your remedies from experience, thought perhaps they might benefit me, and wrote you for advice. I followed the advice you grave, and used Lydia E. Ptokham's Vegetable Compound and Liver Pills as you directed, and am now as well as I over was. 1 have gained flesh and have a good color. I am completely cured of irregularity."

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"Other conspicuous flowers were tried in a similar way with like results. Tbe experiment of removing tbe honey bear* ing parts of a flower and leaving tbe brightly colored part, which was supposed to be attractive, was also tried with the single dahlia. Its inner florets were removed, leaving tbe conspiouous outer ones, a piece of yellow leaf being placed in tbe oenter. No insects went to tbese honeyless flowers. But as soon as a drop of nectar was placed on them they visited tbem as freely as before. Again, Professor Plateau made artificial flowers with pieces of green leaf, each furnished with a little honey. These were freely visited by inseots. Bnt artificial flowers made of colored material were neglected, even when supplied with honey. "In further support of his views Professor Plateau is able to bring forward tbe following facts as to tbe habits of insects in visiting flowers: They will pass freely and with apparent indifference from one color to another of varieties of tbe same species growing together in our gardens they visit a great number of green and greenish colored flowers there are many small and inconspicuous flowers which are also freely visited. Such is a brief outline of Professor Plateau's observations and experiments, from which be believes himself justified in drawing tbe conclusion that sigbt plays a very subordinate part to attracting insects to flow era Their bearing on tbe theory pf the insect origin of flowers is obvious."—London Times.

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arriving at Cincinnati at 7:30 same morning, and for return on all regular trains to ana including O., H. & D. train No. 34, leaving Cincinnati at 7:90 p. m., Monday, May 30. Elegant Parlor Cars and Day Coaches will run through. Seats in parlor car at 60 cents each can be reserved at city ticket office.

Further Information cheerfully furnished on application at City Ticket Office, 654 Wabash avenue (telephone 37) or Union Station.

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JUNE 7-10—EXCURSION RATES via BIG FOUR ROUTE. Tickets ou sale June 4th to Bth Inclusive, good returning until June 13th inclusive.

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