Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-01-06
The Tables Turned on Sol. Meredith.

The Tables Turned on Sol. Meredith.
Washington Correspondence Cincinnati Com.
General Sol. Meredith recently appeared
as he thinks, no doubt to great advantage
in a e%owhiding affair at Richmond, In
diana. He made a hero of himself, in his
own estimation, by attacking a man who
was entirely unprepared for such an emer-
gency, in a that does not stamp
him as a very courageous person. The
General appears before one of the city
courts to-day, as the PRESERVATION of an en-
tirely different character, in a performance
very similar to that in which he figured so.
conspicuously in Indiana. In fact, he ap-
pears as the prosecutor of a young man,
about half his own weight in avoidupois,
who, he alleges, terminated a personal con-
~troVersy with him at the National Hotel
last summer, by resort to the Gr~gumentunn
dd 6dcuLtnt1g. The facts, as nearly as /
can get at them, are these, While Mere
dith was in command at Padueah, he of
fered repeated indignities to Col. Mcbride,
of Ohio, for no other cause, as the Colonel
alleges, than that he (McBride) was com
mander of a negro regiment. "On one
occasion" says the Colonel, Meredith
was about to give a party in
Paducah, and issued invitations freely to
all the officers under him. Just before the
event came off, some of the secesh women
of Paducah notified Meredith, that if of
tieers of negro troops were to be at the
entertainment, they must decline grazing
the occasion, as they did not consider such
gentlemen fit company for kentucky
ladies. Meredith Immediately withdrew
the invitations he had extended to Nc
Bride and others, in order to remove all
obstacles to the charming presence of the
snuff-dipping ~aristocracy, and of course
his conduct was regarded as an insult to
every officer affected by his unmanly
trucking to a contemplate prejudice.
This and other matters of like spirit were
duly debited to him in Colonel McBride's
mental ledger, but no favorable opportu-
nifty for a settlement presented itself until
last summer, when the offended and the
offender met at the National. Mcbride
spoke a few words to Meredith, who
replied in a spirit of paciication, evidently
not expecting what was soon to follow. Al
cowhide leaped as if by magic from the
breast of Mcbride to the back of the
General, upon which it re-appeared at
intervals of a few seconds at least twenty
times. The starlwart Solomon was as a
lamb before a Dutch Butcher-he raised
not his hand and scarce opened his mouth,
but after the name of a little boy who
runs off to tell his mamma, he started
to Judge Wylie's court, where he entered
complaint against Mcbride for assault.
The case has been continued from time to
time until to-day, when it is set for trial.
What L have stated above is what APP
..,,- = a-a,o1 Gorp,e 49,, MAILBAG, |
version, and from the general recollection
of others, of the main facts, to wit: that
Meredifhrwas cowhideds bya man about
half his size, and that he attempted no
other resentment than a lawsuit, there is
NO doubt. There may be some mistake
about the secesh ladies and the party, but
Mcbride avows it is true as stated. And
it is we'll known that while in command
at Paducah, Meredith had altogether too
much regard for the feelings of rebels,
and too little for the feelings of Union
officers.
Whatever there may be in the case, it is
very certain that the Secretary of War
sees much in it to amuse him, for the
clerks at the War Department say that
the walls of Mr.. Stanton's Office fairly
shook with the laughter evoked from the
divinity who presides there, while Colonel
Mcbride related the circumstances Of the
case in his hearing yesterday. Edwin re-
peatedly interrupted the narrative to de-
clare that it was the best thing he had ever
heard in his life and when it came to a
description of Meredith appearance while
the hogging was going on, there was for q
short time great danger of a vacancy in <
the Cabinet, owing to the hystericale con-
duct Of the War Minister,