"I CHARGE U.S. ATTORNEY OF D.C. WITH MISCONDUCT"

MAN WITH COMPLAINT UNFURLS BANNER IN HOUSE GALLERY

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On February 15, 1924, a man sitting to the rights of the Speaker's rostrum in the gallery of the United States House of Representatives threw a banner over the railing which had a multitude of words printed on it.   According to the Evening Star, the words could be read "with difficulty" by members on the floor.

The banner, 3 feet square with a blue border dotted with 48 stars, was torn down by assistant doorkeeper James Griffin and the man who had unfurled it was taken into custody by doorkeeper Bert Kennedy.

The Speaker asked that the man be escorted out of the Capitol and "sent on his way."

The words on the banner expressed a complaint about how he had been treated in District Court.  It read, in part...

"I, John Martinowaski, charge U.S. Attorney Peyton Gordon* of the District of Columbia with misconduct and neglect."

*Peyton Gordon (1870-1946) was born in Washington, D.C. & graduated from Columbian University (GWU) School of Law 1891.  PG served in the US Army 1917-1918 & was Associate Justice of the District Court of the U.S. for the District of Columbia, 1921-1928.

SOURCE

"Accusing Banner Unfurled In House," The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., February 15, 1924, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/

 

 

Judge Peyton Gordon

Harris & Ewing Photo

Library of Congress

"POOR CREATURE TANGLED UP IN ELECTRICAL FUSE"

SQUIRREL CAUSES POWER OUTAGE IN CAPITOL BUILDING

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) So you think things are "nuts" on Capitol Hill today?  On October 23, 1923, "a gray squirrel*, looking for nuts, pursued his quest into the Capitol...with far reaching results."

It seems the poor creature got tangled up in a "delicate electrical fuse" in the basement where a dynamo supplies the power to the building.  While the squirrel lost his life, the Capitol was "thrown into darkness."  Making matters worse, it was a "gray...rainy fall day" in Washington.

The Evening Star reports that it took electricians thirty minutes to find the cause of the power outage.

*eastern gray squirrel is a tree squirrel native to eastern North America where it is the most prodigious & ecologically essential natural forest regenerator.

SOURCE

"Squirrel Puts Out All Capital Lights In Hunt For Nuts," The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., October 23, 1923, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/

 

 

John White at U.S. Capitol

Washington D.C.

July 2023

Photo by David Mangone