Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-09-16

ruin of chaotic rags. And at last, at bay
in the corner, and beset by an infuristed
mob OF editors, blacklegs, politicians and
desperadoes, who raved and swore and
aourished their weapons about my head
till the air shimmered with glaDcing
flashes of steel. was in the act of re-
signing my berth on the paper when the
chief arrived, and with him a rabble of
charmed and enthusiastic friends. Then
ensued scene of riot and carnage such
as no human pen, or steel one either,
could describe. People were shot,
probed, dismembered, blown up, thrown
out of the window. There was brief
tornado of murky blasphemy, with con-
fused and frantic war-dance glimmering
through it, and then all was over. In
FIVE minutes there was silence, aud the
CORY chief and sat alone and surveyed
the sanguinary ruin that strewed the
Aoor around US. He ssid
You'll like this place when you get
used to il" said:
"Ill have to get you to excuse me. /
think maybe / might write to suit you
after while, as soon as had some prac.
tce and learned the lauguage-I am con-
fident would. But to speak the plain
truth, that sort of energy of expression
has its inconveniences. and man is liza
BILE to interruption. You see that your
self. Vigorous writing is calculated to
elevate the public no doubt, but then do
not like to attract so much attention as it
calls forth. | cant write with comfort
when / am interrupted as much as have
been to-day. / like this berth well enough,
but don't like to be left here to wait on
the customers. The experiences are
novel / grant you. and entertaining, too,
after fashion, but they are not judici-
ously distributed. A gentleman shoots
at you through the window, and cripples
me- bombshell comes down the stove
pips for your qualification, and sends the
stove door down my throat; friend
drops in to swap compliments, and freck-
les me with bullet holes till my skin
won't hold my principles; you 60 to din
ner, and Jones comes With his cowhide,
Gillespie throws me out of the window,
Thompson tears all my clothes off, and
an entire stranger takes my scalp with.
the easy freedom of an old acquaintance;
and in less than FIVE minutes all the
blackguards in the country arrive in their
war paint and proceed TO scare the rest
of me to death with their tomshawks.
Take it altogether, never have had such
spirited time in oil my life as | have
had to-day. No. l like you, and like
your calm unrufflsd way Of explaining
things 10 the customers, but You sec am
not used to it. The Southern heart is too
impusive-Souther hospitality is too
lavish with the stranger. The paragraphs
which | have written to-day, and into
whose cold sentences your mastery hand
has infused the fervent spirit of Tennes-
seean journalism. will wake up another
nest of hornets. All that mob of editors
will come--and they will come hungry
too, and want somebody for breakfast. |
shall have to bid you adieu. / decline to
be present at these festivities. l came
South for my health-I will go back on
the same errand, and suddenly. Ten
nessee journalism ia too stirring for me"
After which we parted, with mutual re-
gret, and | took apartments at the hos
pital