THO*. W. PHILLIPS E: itches iu li«* Life or a Distinguished and Remarkable Gentleman. Froai an Humble Beginning He Acquires Riches in the Oil Fields, Falls for Half & Million Dollars by Persistent Worlt Fays an Enormous Debt, and Kow Has an Independent Fortune. A history of Butler county and its principal production, oil, would not be complete unless a sketch of the work accomplished by Phillips brothers, of Lawrence county, were incorporated. The benefits of their hard work is incalculable, even at this day. r fbey have spent more money in locating new fields than any other operators in the county, ami as a result, brought millions of dollars to the property holders. Thomas W. Phillips, of New Castle, Lawrence county, is the only one of the brothers who is now actively en- in the oil industry. His monthly pay roll is the largest in the county and averages more than ten thousand dollars. lie holds thousands of acres under lea?e and is the largest individual producer in the country to day. The following tribute from the pen of Senator Lee, we copy from the Philadelphia Times: "Thomas W. Phillips was bom in Beaver (now Lawrence) county, Penn sylvania, on the 23d of February, 1835, aud is now in the very prime of life. His father waa born in New Jersey, and his mother in Philadelphia. In 1818, soon after their marriage, they removed to Beaver county, purchased a tract of land whfjre Old Enon now stands, and bnilt thereon a fulliDg mill and saw mill. Ten years later they removed to a f..rm near the vil lage of Mt. Jaeknon.in the same county, where the father diet', at the age of forty, leaving a family of eight chil dren, Thomas, the youngest, being but ten months old. At the time of the father's death bis i farm, of one hundred acres, was s« : heavily encumbered with debt as to en- i tail upon the faithful- and devoted i mother a long and painful struggle ] in the care of her large family, in which i struggle the youth of the youngest boy was so envolved that his education was for the most part obtained in the common schools and from such instruc tions in the higher branches as his < older brothers were able to give him during their vacation from college or i from teaching. The opportunities af forded him he improved to the utmost. As he attained manhood, being the youngest member of the family, the care of his aged mother naturally de volved upon him, which alone preven- i ted him from prosecuting a collegiate education, the cherished desire of his life. He wr.sposessed of a mind which did not require the spur or stimulus which a college is thought to afford, and his mental deve!opement and growth were, perhaps, not much re tarded by his inability to secure these supposed advantage. Aside from his studies he read widely, history, bio graphy,and scientific literature and was passionately fond of tho lyceum—the college of tho common schools—and obtained local distinction for hiaability as an original thinker and debater. He proposed entering the ministry of the Disciples, and at the early age of 20 gave large promises of obtaining distinction in his chosen profession. Having received an injury to his lungs by being thrown from a carriage, he was compelled to abandon this purpose and turn his attention to some out door pursuit, with a view to restoring his health. About this time the oil business, then in its infancy, was at tracting considerable attention. He went to the oil regions, looked over the field, invested and was successful. Tho business thus begun was con tinued under tne firm of Phillipsßros., composed of Isaac, John, Charles and Thomas W. Phillips; Thomas being the youngest, and obtained such magni tude as to place them among tho larg est producers of petroleum in the: world, and caused them to be well known, not only throught this country, but In Europe also. In addition to the oil business, they also operated largely in real estate and coal property. Tho firm was successful and were generous with their means. They con tributed largely during the war to the Sanitary and Christian Commission, to , young men seeking education, to the j poor, to churches, colleges, and the manifold objects of benevolence exist ing on every hand. In 1862 Mr. Phillips was married to Clarinda Hardman, of Lowellville, 0., j who, prior to her death, which occur ed November, 1866, achieved consider-: able reputation as a poetical writer- Her poems were subsequently collected by her husband and published in a neat volumn of 140 pages, to be presented to her circlo of friends and admirers v. ho desired a copy of her work, which they could procure in no other way. Four years after the death of his wife lie was married to Pamphila Hardman, her younger sister, who is ono of the leading ladies in New Castle in literary work, besides being actively engaged in charitable and Christian deeds. When General Garfield received the nomination for the Presidency at Chicago, being an intimate and warm personal friend of the General, of many year?.' standing, and moreover an ardent and truo Republican, Mr. Phillips laid aside his business and con tributed his entire time until election in behalf of his friend and part y. His efforts during the campaign took a wide range. First, ho conceived and planned the Republican text-book for the campaign of 1880, written by B. A. Hinsdale. He : ssisted in compiling its materials and became its financial backer. It covered the'wholc flold of information necessary to tho contest more comprehensively, thoroughly and concisely than any book before produced in any political campaign. In speaking of campaign books tho press place this at the head of tho list. It was the first book ever compiled for campaign purposes which gave the platforms of botli parties and their principles, together with a his- Tory of the candidates. Since then Doth parties have adopted the book as ; a guide for campaign?. In the early part of July, before the , campaign opened, Mr. Phillips went to J Indiana and planned and put Into' operation, forces which told with such marked effect upon the results of both State and general election that he has been justly accredited with having done as mnch, at least, as any other one individual by personal efforts to secure the success of the Republican cause in that important State. Although never aspiring to, but al ways declining office, he, nevertheless, has, as a private citizen, taken an earnest and active interest in the wel fare of his party and contributed liber ally of time and means to its success. By his efforts in the campaign of ISBO he was brought into such prominence that in the Legislature of Pennsyl vania his name frequently appeared among those who were likely to be se lected as a compromise to end the long struggle and he repeatedly received votes in the open convention of both houses. Had he then been chosen such was his influence with President Gar field and his well-known conciliatory character that the war of factions which followed might have been averted and the whole course of political events changed. In every movement for the protec tion or improvement of the important industry of producing petroleum Mr. Phillips has taken an active and lead ing part. In 1866 he was largely in strumental in securing the removal of the direct internal revenue tax on oil of one dollar per barrel. In 1879 he was placed at the head of a committee to oppose a direct tax upon oil well rigs of §I,OOO, or the alternative tax upon oil of ten cents per barrel, pro posed by bill in the Pennsylvania Leg islature. By his thorough knowledge of the business, his perseverance and well-applied energy, he was of great assistance to the members of the Leg islature from the western part of the State in securing the defeat of these anomalous taxes. In the recent movement undertaken by producers of petroleum to limit pro duction to enable the excessive stock of oil in tanks to be reduced, by being refined instead of wasted, and to put the industry upon a permanently bet ter footing, he was the acknowledged and chosen leader. The undertaking was eminently successful. He refused to go into this movement to curtail op erations unless some provision was made to compensate and protect the labor engaged in the industry, and for this purpose the profit which would accrue during the year upon two mil lion barrels of oil was set apart. From this oil a larger sum was real ized and distributed to the labor en gaged in the oil business than went to the producers themselves. This is the first time in the history of any business that the cessation of operation was ac companied with such just and ample provision for the labor employed. On account of the facts narrated above there is no man, /ind this can be said without disparagement of others, who has so large and enthusiastic a follow ing in all the counties where oil is pro duced. Mr. Phillips' business career has been remarkable, both for its success and for the tenacity of purpose displayed. It was, however, attended with one great reverse which would have ap palled a less courageous man, butj which only served to bring out the strong charactor of Mr. Phillips. Just prior to the unforseen panic of 1873 the firm had bought large tracts of oil land, with deferred payments, upon the basis of the prices paid for oil, which was «ver $3 per barrel. The panic and the discovery, about the same time, of prolific-producing oil fields depreciated the price of oil to forty-six cents per barrel, and corre spondingly the land they had pur chased, and involved the Srm in a debt which may be stated, in round num bers, at half a million of dollars They were repeatedly urged by friends to discharge the debt by certi ficates in bankruptcy, and the specious plea was employed that this would not prevent their subsequently paying it if they became able. This they de clined to do, saying they would pay the debt and interest, and with in domitable energy renewed the busi ness of producing oil upon a vast scale and a plan exclusively their own, made good their promise to their creditors, paying them, with the interest added; over eight hundred thousand dollars, in the short space of 15 years. When tho debt was half paid, Isaac, the older brother died, in 1884. This threw the burden on Thomas W., but he did not shrink from the work. He not only accomplished this herculean debt-paying task, but accumulated a fortune which may be safely estimated : at a million dollars. It was the pay ment of this indebtedness which was the in spiring motive of all his energy and plans. The business was organized and conducted on a basis commen surate with the debt. The fortune nec essarily followed its payment. It is I not strange that Mr. Phillips has the 1 unbounded confidence and esteem of ' all who know him. To sum up this \ sketch, It may be said in brief that he is a man of remarkable executive ability, possessed of a strong, vigorous, logical mind, with great powers of generalization, large intellectual at tainments, untiring industry and un swerving integrity." It was not till the fall of 1890, that Mr. Phillips was prevailed upon to be a candidate. The call was so urgent and unanimous that he was forced to con sent to allow his name to be used. He was nominated on tho Republican ticket, for Congress in the Twt nty fourth Congressional District, com prising Beaver, Butler, I>awrence and .Mercer counties, at Harmony. The cause which led to this convention have been rehearsed too often to need mention bore. Mr. Phillips had only a short season to make the canvass. While It was next to impossible to elect a Republican with two on the ticket, yet Mr. Phillips polled a sur prisingly large vote, which clearly demonstrated that he was the strong est man in the Republican party. Mr. Phillips makes his home at New (las tie, Lawrence county, where he is revered and respected. His business office is in Butler, on Jefferson street. He is ably assisted in his labors by his son, Victor Phillips, a promising young man who is following in his father's footsteps. On the urgent re quest of his many friends, Mr. Phillips has allowed his name to be used as a candidate for nomination for Congress j on the Republican ticket. No man in tho district is betterquali fled to fill the important office. His years of experience in the financial ! and commercial world, together with sterling integrity and being noted as a hard worker, leaves no doubt in the j minds of the people that he is to the "manner born." 1 c, ; 1 ft \ fx b \ X J J t C. D. GREENLEE. C 1 One of the Firm Who Struck the Largest Oil Gusher In the World. { One of Butler's most successful oil , operators is C. D. Greenlee, E*q., who i has worked his way upward from an humble beginning. To-day the firm of Greenlee & Forst are among the largest operators and producers, and their present out put at McDonald has had a material effect on the market. Mr. Greenlee was born at Sandy Lake, \ enango county, in 1852. He graduated at the high school, after which he entered the employ of Geo. K Anderson, who rec ognized the young man's abilities and merits, and took him into partnership, which proved very advantageous to both men. It was at Shamburg, in 1873, that Mr. Greenlee made his first rich strike, which placed him on the ( high road to a prosperous and busy career. For eight years Mr. Greenlee has been developing in the Butler county oil fields, with success, in which time he has been instrumental in having one hundred and fifty wells drilled. I The discovery of the pools in the Mc- Donald fields, in Washington county, found Messrs. Greenlee & Forst leas ing at the front, with what success the ( world has been made aware by the ( strike of the enormous gusher the 26th of October, 1831, which has flowed on , an average of sixteen thousand barrels daily, and up to Feb. 20 had produced over 400,000 barrels. ! The office of Greenlee & Forst is , located in the Vandergrift building, ' Pittsburg. The firm were also fortu nate in striking a large gas well in Butler county, which is being piped to New Castle to supply the mills with fuel. Mr. Greenlee is a director in the Butler Count}' National Bank, and the Trade Dollar Silver Mine Co., Idaho, which is one of the richest in the State. Their office is located at 95 Fifth ave nue, Pittsburg, Pa. A new town and several large manu factories are about to be.jerected at Aliquippa, on the Ohio river, at a beautiful spot, formerly used as a pic nic ground, on the P. & L. E. R. R., controlled by the latter company. This enterprise also takes Mr. Greenlee's , time and attention, as he is a member of the board of directors. Mr. Green lee makes his home at 401 West Pearl street, Butler, where, with his wife and two children, he is enjoying the fruits of his labors. His wife, whose maiden name was Miss Clara Russell, was a resident of Reno, Franklin county. She takes an active interest in the M. E. Church ! work, and together with her husband, are among its sfaunchest supporters in town. Mr. Greenlee is a Prohibitionist in politics, but is so attached to his home that he cares only to spend his time there when released from business,,, hence he has never taken an active part in politics. He is a quiet, pleas ant gentleman of dignified bearing, sound business principals and sterling integrity. His recent heavy trans actions in oil, has brought him promi nently before the people. Col. E. L, Drake. Petroleum was first produced on the banks of Oil Creek. From the earliest times the creek had been called by that name on account of the oil springs found along its banks. The oil was collected by placing blankets near the springs and wring ing them out. Many wells sunk for salt water, produced |>etroleun), but no attempt was made to collect it for the market until 1857, when a company was formed by George H. Bissel and others, who leased, from Brewer, Wat son & Company, a tract of land in Venango county, on the banks of Oil creek, a short distance south of Titus ville, where indications of oil were found on the surface. The first opera tions were by trenching the land, pumping the drainage of mixed oil and water into vats, allowing the water to settle and collecting the oil from the top. The first three barrels obtained in this way were analyzed by a chemist and pronounced of commercial value; and some members of the company thought it would bo better to drill a well to find the vein of oil. They • employed Col. E. L. Drake to superin tend the work. The region was then almost a wilderness and many delays were experienced. Ho attempted to dig to the rock, but was thwarted by - quicksand and water. Finally he drove an iron pipe down 36 feet to the i rock. The drilling proceeded very slowly and it was over a year before j any results were obtained. After I drilling in the rock 33 feet, on the 28th j day of August, 1859, at the depth of 69 .'feet, the drill suddenly dropped six j inches into a crevice, and was left till ! the next day, when the hole was found to be full of petroleum. The well pro . | duced ten barrels per day for some ! I' months. As oil then sold for fifty i cents a gallon, the receipts for tho oil i! ment, and the oil business rapidly tie- I j veloped into a great commercial L j industry. The drilling tools used by ! Drake weighed less than two hundretl ( ! pounds and his derrick was only 34 , feet high. j From this beginning has arisen the ~ magnificent business, which has given . j to the world over 400,000,000 barrels of petroleum, worth at the wells in cash ' 1 about $350,000,000. 4 1 Col. Drake, himself, obtained but , i little profit from his enterprise, and fco ! ward the close of his life was an , invalid. ? On April Bth, 1873, the Legislature of 9 j Pennsylvania passed an Act reciting | that E. L. Drake did discover large M I quantities of petroleum, which greatly t j stimulated various Industrie t and B added directly to the revenue of the | Commonwealth, and granted him an arfnuity of $1,500, to bo continued after his death to his widow. 1! When tho illness of Col. Drake be came known, munificent testimonials 1 were tendered him by tho various OH e Exchanges of the country, and his last e years were passed with all the com forts that money would procure; and on his death, contributions were made by the oil men and a handsome monu ment was erected over his grave, in gratitude for the service he had ren dered to the commercial world. The Waverly House Owing to the influx of strangers into Butler, attending the oil excitement, accommodations were scarce, and the re-ult was a new house. The Wav erly was built and placed in charge of Chess Stoner, an old and experienced. • hotel keeper of Armstrong county The Waverly is located handy to both depots of the town, on South McKean street, and is gaining a reputation second to none under the present management. The house was recently completed, so that everything throughout is new. The rooms are well ventilated and lighted. All the modern improvements are found in the house, which is heated by steam, and lighted by gas and electricity. The management guarantees good accomodation at moderate prices, and all are invited to give the place a call, and satisfy themselves on this score. ' jj. WILLIAM HENRY REIHINO. A Short History of the Late Lamented Pro prietor of the Wlllard Hotel. The late lamented William Henry : Reihirg, whose remains were so re cently laid to rest at Calvary Ceme- i tery, Butler, was a man of worth to the town; an untiring worker; a good husband, and a kind father. His loss wil! long be felt in the community in which he resided. He was born in Butler, March, 1861, j and made it his home until 18 years of | age. His father was born in Germany | and his mother in Pittsburg. While a lad in the village he carried the Pitta- : burg papers. He spent six years of | his life in Pittsburg, where he met his j wife, Miss Mattie Golden, and they were married September, 1883. Their union was blessed with three children. Mr. Reihing returned to Butler and worked for the Campbell', when they were proprietors of the Willard Hotel. He leased the house for two years and finally purchased the property four years ago. Last year he spent f30,000 improving and refurnishing the struc ture. It will now compare favorably with any in Western Pennsylvania During his life he took an active inter est in everything appertaining to the welfare of the borough and worked incessantly to increase the in .ustries. He was an active member of the B. P. O. Elks, No. 170, and was considered one of its leading lights and promi nent members. He was also con nected with and a member of the old First ward hose company. He was a faithful and staunch supporter of the R. C. church. He had suffered for many months with a complication of diseases which eventually carried him off Feb. 22, after having been given the sacrament by Father Welsh. The test of his popularity was evi denced by the large concourse of friends who attended his funeral on the twenty-fifth inst. The B. P. O. Elks and the town fire companies turned out to pay their taut tribute and respects to the body of their friend and neighbor. The deceased had a brother in the west, and two sisters, Mrs. A. Donovan, of West Virginia, and Mrs. Lizzie Karns, of Butler. The Hotel will remain under the management of Mrs. Reih ing, his widow, under whose super vision all patrons of this well known and popular hostelry will receive the nest of hospitality and good cheer. The traveling public all agree that the Willard is second to none in Butler county, or in fact in the western part of the state. The guests and visitors of the house will find Mr. Brooks, the head clerk an, affable, polite, accommo dating gentleman, who is zealous for the welfare of the Willard's patrons. An Interesting (inn. Perhaps the most Interesting and Im portant engraved gem ever found was one that bore a legible Inscription locating a store of treasure in a bill In I'ontus. There, the inscription said, much wculth that once belonged to Mithaidatcs might be found, and when the spot was dug open a priceless deposit was disclosed, including among other things hundreds of onyx vases, amulets, caskets and trappings for horses and men, all Incrusted with cameos and intaglios.—Jeweler's Weekly. During the witchcraft delusion In this country, In every town to which the "af flicted" were carried young girls were wire to lie taken with the same fits and see the dime sights. A Cherlnhcd M«*inory. A gentlewoman arises in memory—small, slender, dainty from head to foot and beautiful till past her seventieth year. Her dress, never varied during a prolonged widowhood, was always black and of se vere simplicity. No ornaments were ever known to mar its artistic uuity, but al ways over her soft abundant hair, of which the thick coil and the natural wave were the envy of younger women, the matron were a sheer white cap of tulle or lace. The transparent candor and straight forward honesty of this dear woman's character were, no to speak, accentuated by her dress, which, as the years went, on, . seemed to her children and grandchildren as the very garment of her soul. Hlio had been many years In heaven, when a grandson, a mere child at her death, [Hike of his memory of her as very clear and distinct. "Sho always looked," said the young man, "so perfectly like her self, ao complete, so exquisite, like a nun or a lady abbess."—Harper's Bazar. Six Weeks Wltlio.it sleep. Hermann Boerhaave, a Dutch physician, • scholar and scientific author, who was i born in 1008 and died in 1738, has left it on record that lie was once so alwtorbed in his studies that he passed a period of six weeks continuously devoted to work. Dur ing all tlilS time be existed without sleep | 1 —l> mil on Tit-Bits. COAL OIL JOHNNY. A Sketch of the Operations »f an Lce-en trie Character. The Visit of Sirs Steele In Pennsylvania Kecalli the Story of Her Husband s Rig* from the Rani of Teamster to That of Millions Ire. OIL CITY, PA. Mrs. John Steele, of Ashland, Neb., haa been here on a visit for the past week. Mrs. Steele is the wife of p man whom the discovery of petroleum in Pennsylvania gave a wider rep utation than any other man; and one concerning whom many true stories as well as many fictions have been related. He Ls none other than the famous "Coal Oil Johnny," whose for mer home was near Housevi lie, this county, and who now has a farm near the Nebraska town named. Mrs. Steele was given an opportu nity to correct in an interview some of the Arabian Night tales told about her husband's eccentric actions in the days when he was a reported million aire, and when his source of wealth seemed inexhaustible. She had been wearied long ago by exaggerated in terviews with her husband and herself and declined to talk, but the following interesting points were obtained from an authentic source: The wealth of Mr. Steele has un doubtedly been overrated —that is to say, his wealth in cash. At the time the Pittsburg Sanitary Commission made an offer to donate a soldiers' monument to the county making the largest contribution the producers of this section agreed to set aside for that purpose the proceeds from their wells for one uay, and Mr. Steele's contribution for that day was !J2,500, which was a fair gauge of what his wells were doing. The farm and other interests be queathed to him by his grandmother he probably could have disposed of for half a million dollars or more when the same came into his x>ossession, but it is doubtful if at any time he pos sessed more than §IOO,OOO in cash. His expensive eccentricities were many, but did not include, as often reported, the purchasing and giving away of a hotel in Philadelphia. That story probably grew out of the fact that ho experienced some difficulty iu securing a hack, and finally bought one out right; that when he got through with the rig the driver asked him what to do with it, and he told him to keep it. It was on that trip to Philadelphia that he, while with Slocum, the fellow who was "showing him the world," attracted so much attention by going about with bills of various denomina tions tied in the buttonholes of his clothing; by making small purchases with good-sized bills, taking no change back, and even lighting cigars with money. Another of his eccentricities on that trip was the forming of a negro min strel troupe, each of the. members of which he bought a suit of clothes when he engaged them. He brought his troupe here, and that was about all he did wilh it. The details of his doings in Philadel phio, New York, Saratoga and else where, including his experiences with sharpers—notably his slo,oooacquaint ance with John Morrissey—have been written threadbare. Summeel up briefly, the main points in his life are these : When quite young he became an orphan and was adopted by his grandparent*, Mr. and Mrs. William McOlintock. He was mar ried two or three years before he be came of age, and worked on a farm until the oil excitement began, lie then engaged in hauling oil down Oil creek and hauling coal back, with a pair of lean horses. The result was the possession of a good team of his own. The McClintock farm became ono of the most valuable along Oil Creek. Mrs. McClintock survived her husband several years, and when she died in 1865, the adopted son, Steele, became sole heir to her property. He soon concluded to see some of the world with his wealth—and he saw it. He sought notoriety—and he got it. He spent hia money like a man with Monte Cristo backing—was bleel by leeches, fleeced by sharpers, and in a few years, his oil Interest, in the meantime rapid ly depreciating in value, he found him self again a poor man But no one ever heard him complain of fortune or express regret over the loss of wealth. At ono time when he was at tho heigth of his eccentric extravagance, Capt. J. J. Vanelergrift, T. 11. Williams and others sent for him and kindly expos tulated with him, urging him to save some of his money. He thanked them for their friendly advice, but said that he had made a living by hauling oil and coulel do it again if necessary. He couldn't rest until he had spent that fortune and ultimately he reached the condition precedent to that rest. A cousin of Mr. Steele maintains that the estimates which have been put upon Steel's wealth have not, as a general thing, been exaggerated. He says he person ally knows that when Mrs. McClintock tlied, Steele inherited $12">,000 in gold and about §IOO,OOO in other money. The income from his wells then was from SI,OOO to §2,000 a day. The cousin says that from his knowledge of Steele's affairs he should say that at one time "Coal Oil Johnny" could have produced $1,000,000 in cash. Pittsburg Commercial Gazette BIRTH AND DEATH COINCIDENCES. Shakespeare was born April 23, 1064, and died April 28, Him. Timothy Swan, composer, was born July Si, 17.18; died July 1542 Sir Thomas Browne, author of "itelign Medici," wa« ban Oct l!». m« di. d Oct 19, lfiSM. St. John of tiod, oue of tho most eminent of the Portuguese saints, wa* born March S, 14U5; died March ft, lli'iO. John Sobieski. kins of Portugal, who de livered Vienna from the Turks, was born June 17, 16110; died .lull' 17 |fi!*> Raphe] Segio d'Crbino. the great artist, was born on Good Friday, 1483; died on Good Friday, |."._'o, a -e I thirty seven. C<*"l Friday is a movable (■ ,i ! the day of the month may not have I ■en the same, but the "F.ncyclnp.edia Britanniea" -ny < "In died aged exactly thirty seven EXPOSITION ECHOES Ceylon will conduct a lealmus on Mid way plaisanee New South Wales ha > ked for :Wo,o<> square feet of space Queen Margaret of Italy lias promised i< loan her famous colled ion of rare laces fo» exhibition at the fair A practical, working busiie s colli"" which is purely an American institution will lie one of the exhibits at the fair. lowa, in its exhibits at the exposition will show the various forms in which con products are useful as food and al-o t process of their preparation. The enormous steel trusses to sustain tin roof of the Manufactures building are the largest ever made for architectural pi» poses. They span ■"•'W feet and rise to a ti/iiirbt cj 'ill (wtt OLCOTT AND JUDGE. T i 1 ortoer Head of the Theo*nphi*ta and Hi* Sure*- «r. Correspondence.! NEW YORK, March ■>— Colonel Henry Steele OUotT. who ha- just resigned the presidency of the Theoaophical society on account of a condition of health which forbids his traveling and speak ing in public as he lias done for many years, !■« an old New Yorker. New Yorkers, however, have pretty well for- 1 gotten the very honorable record he made for himself during the civil wat by his service if the war department under the great war secretary, Stanton. He is now only remembered by reason of his identification with the society the leadership of which he resigns. v % [jp •j/ HENRY STEELE OI.COTT. In his letter of resignation, which h< sent from India in January, he an nounccs that he will, from this time on, devote himself to literary work which is to be in aid of the society. The nature of this work is readily to lie imagined by reading the announcement made hj The Theosophist, a magazine published in India and circulated all over tlx world. It liegins in the March numbei a series of articles by Colonel Olcott entitled "Old Diary Leaves," which art reminiscences of the origin and vicissi tildes of tho Theosophical society, ami personal anecdotes and recollections ol Mine. Blavafsky. her phenomena and her friends. Colonel Olcott's resignation, which has been accepted, leaves the vice pros ident, Mr. William Q. Judge, in charge of his office, and also leaves open the question of who his successor will be. The leadership of opinion in thus curious organization is by no means a preroga tive of the presidency, and while there are various opinions as to who will bt the leader, only one name has been really seriously considered for the presidency. It is altogether probable that Mr. Judge who has been the virtual head of the or ganization in this country ever since Mine. Blavatsky's departure, will la' the next president. There is, however, a formal election necessary as a matter of course, and that has been arranged for. It will take place at the annual convention of the American section of the Theosophica! society, which is to be held at the Palmei \ WII.LIAM Q. JUDOE. House, in Chicago, ou the 24th and 25th of April. Already notices have been sent out to tho various branches of the order all over the country requesting them to take action in the matter by designating the person for whom they desire to vote. Equally, as a matter of course, it is impossible to predict what the various branches may do, and it is possible that the question of choosing a new president may bo one that will oc casion dissension and heartburnings. Thero is, however, no real reason to doubt that Mr. Judge will be the choice of a substantial majority of the society. DAVID A. CURTIS. Senator ralmor's Memory. Senator John 51. Palmer is known per sonally to all the people in central Illi nois, and it is rare that ho is accosted by a young man or woman that ho cannot say: "I know your father. Ho is So-and so, and used to live on tho Smith farm near Kdwardsville," or whatever the nauio and place chanced to be. Liko Secretary Blaine, he has a fondness for tracing out kin and pedigreo, and his memory, even at seventy-live, is probar bly more comprehensive and accurate than Mr. Blaine's ever was. He remem bers not only the old names and faces, as is the case with many mou of ad vanced age, but among the thousands of new acquaintances in Washington one is rarely forgotten. Occasionally he meets persons he has not seen for forty years, and at once calls them by their right names. Henry C. Howen. Colonel Henry C. Bowen, of the New York Independent, the famous light of tho Beccher trial, is now past eighty years. Ho divides his time between his town house in New York and his beauti ful country seat at Woodstock, Conn. When in the city and health or weather permit he visits Tho Independent office daily. Ho has three sons, one of whom is identified with the paper. Another son, Clarence Bowen. is prominent in all local affairs, haviug done much to pro mote tho success of tho Washington cen tennial a few years ago and to interest New Yorkers in tho World's fair. A Y»IMIK Minister's Experience. A clergyman tells the following story of an experience in a wild community: "One night a man called at my boarding place iu the village and said that 1 was wanted at < arey Ridge, a dismal spot some, three miles from town. He said he would lake me thero and bring me back. I sup posed that somebody was (lying, and as there was no minister around said I would go. My conductor rode in silence, and Ilnally I a ked, 'Who is It that wants mef " 'Me hnither." " 'What is the trouble?' " 'He wants to get married.' " 'Married!' I gasped; 'why, I can't marry him. I'm not an ordained minister. ! am not, allowed to marry people.' He did not answer, so I liegnn to reason with him and asked him to take me hack. But it was no use, so 1 sat still, resolving to make a test of the matter when I saw the com pany. To my surprise I found tho whole crowd composed of men, armed to tho teeth. '• 'Gentlemen,' I began. "'lie wants to sneak,' Interrupted my conductor. 'Now, you preacher chap, you've i;ot to go ahead when tho couple comes iu or you can take a pill. Here's your pay,' and he placed a bag of money on the table. Just then I heard some shouting outside and a yell, and then there galloped tip a man on horseback, holding a girl in his arms. ••'en my door—which had got jammed—walked down stairs. The sight waa one never to be forgotten. Men, women and children in dishabille were huddled in the front hall, crying, ■bricking and praying. Some had bolted out of doors with hardly any clothes on and had made for the sea, where they clamored to go out in boats. Among the panic stricken folk was an old gentleman in pyjamas, who bad come down the stairs three steps at a time. But on reaching the hall he exclaimed that he had forgotten something and must go back. His friends shouted to him that the tipper stories .-ere dangerous, but he turned adeaf ear, bound ed up stairs and presently returned pant ing. The thing which he had forgotten was his set of false teeth. —Cor. San Fran cisco Argonaut. I.ament of tlie Shl|i Chandler. "The business ain't what it used to be," •aid a ship chandler in Old Slip the other day. "In the good old days of clipper ships, when Old Glory floated in every port, and South street was roofed over with tba jibbooma of the full riggers, you wouldn't ha' seen a ship chandler standiu around in his shirt sleeves like I'm a doin now. He'd ha' been rushin around his store busy from morning till night takin and flllin orders for chains, anchors, rope, conuectln blocks, provisions and what not that goes to fit out a ship. Now we can do It all in the forenoon and chew tol>acco and spin yarns till it's time to put up the shut ters. I make almut fs.OOO a year now where I made fci',ooo in those good old time*. "It all comes from the steam tramps that are takln everytliin in sight until a sallin ship has to figure mighty close to make a profit out of a voyage. Then there are only two kinds of sailin ships practically in this port—those that come from the provinces and those that come from the old country."—New York Tribune. Death to Pluiple». A great many men are troubled with pimples on the face, which are unsightly at best, and especially annoying when they come, as they often do on the nose. Of course they arise from some impurity of the blood and need constitutional treat ment, but until this Is obtained a safe and easy way of preventing them Is to apply arnica to the akin. A pimple never cornea without warning; a few hours before there Is always a slight inflammation or swell ing, and if a drop of arnica tie applied to the spot when the swelling liegtns half a dozen applications in the course of a day will drive the pimple back under the skin. Bt. Ixjuis Gtolie-Democrat. A Itallcate Refusal. A literary man relates that he made a proposal of marriage to a charming young woman, and she asked for a day or two In which to consider the matter. The next afternoon ho received from her a package accompanied by a note inquiring, "Do you think it is safe?" Opening the packago lie found these books: Fronde's "letters and Memorials of Jane Welsh Carlyle," Dau det'a "Artists' Wives," "The Unhappy Loves of Man of Genius" and a copy of Longman's Magazine, containing an essay of Mr. Lang's advising young women not to marry literary men.—Hartford Times. She Likes America. Kvery one's right to "life, liberty arid the pursuit of happiness" must certainly be In the air of the land of the free. It ls told of the Corean minister to Washington that a lady asked him how ho liked America. "Oh, very good," he replied. "And your wifo. How does sho like Itf" "Oh, sho like it too good! She say: '1 good as you now. I not go baclt any more.' " —New York Times. A HlugicUli I.lrani. The ttiatawa, a !> Inch long lizard of New Zealand, Is said to bo the most slug gish animal In the world. He Is usually found clinging to rocks and has been known to remain In the same spot for months. How ho Uvea is a mystery —New York Press. Coal Was Known :ioo 11. C. The first record wo have of coal ls about 300 years before the Christian era. Coal was used as fuel In Kngland as early as K2i, and In 1234 the first charter to dig for It was granted by Henry 111 to the irihabi ; tants of Newcastle-on Tyue. —Notes and I Queries. Keep Your Kir» o|»rn. The man who journeys through this world with his eyes O|K