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

| to think of a word, and in paving his
hair for it, he had rumpled his locks a
good deal. He was scowlng fearfully,
and / judged that he was concoctng a
particularly knotty editorial. He told
me to take the exchanges and skim
through them and write up the spirit of
the Tennessee Press" condensing into
the article all of their contents that
seemed of interest.
wrote as follows:
SPIRIT OF THE TENNESSEE PRESS
"The editors of the Semi Weekly
Earthquake evidently labor under a mis-
apprehension with regard to the Bally-
hack railroad. 1t ia not the object of the
company to leave Buzzardville off to one
side On the contrary, they consider it
one of the most important points along
the line, and consequently can have no
desire to slight it. The gentlemen of the
Earthquake will, of course, take pleasure
in making the correction.
John w. Blossom, Esq. the able
editor of the Higginsville Thunderbot
and Battle Cry of Freedom, arrived in
the city yesterday. He is stopping at the
Van Buren House.
1--WE observe that our co temporary of
the Mud Springs Morning Hoicl has
fallen into the error of supp osing that the
election Of Van Werter is not an estab-
lished fact, but he will ha We discovered
his mistake before this reminder reaches
him, no doubt. He was doubtless misled
by incomplete election returns.
1t is pleasant to note that the city of
Blathersville is endeavoring to contract
with some New York gentlemen to pave
its well nigh impossible streets with the
Nicolson pavement But it is difficult to
accomplish desire like this since Mem
phis got some New Workers. to do a like
service for her, and then declined TO pay
for it. However, the Daily Huyr0H still
urges the measure with ability, and seems
confident of ultimate success.
"We are panied to learn that Colonel
Bascom, chief editor of the Dying Shrek
for Liberty, fell in the street few even
lugs since and broke his leg. He has
lately been suffering with debility, caused
by overwork and anxiety on account of
sickness in his family, and it is supposed
that he tainted from the exertion of
walking too much in the SUM-"
passed my manuscript over to the
chief editor for acceptance, alteratie or
destruction. he glanced at it and his
face clouded. He ran his eye down the
pages, and his countenance grew porten-
tous. II was easy to see that sonnet hing
was wrong. Presently he sprang up and
said:
"Thunder and lightning Do you
suppose am going to speak of those cat
tie that way2 Do you suppose my sub
scribers are going to stand such Cruel as
that2 Give me the pen |"
| never saw pen scrspe and scratch
its way so viciously, or plow through an
other man Is verbs and adjectives so re.
lentlessly. While he was in the midst
Of his work somebody shot at him through
the open window and marred the sym
metry Of his ear.
"Ah," said he, " that is that scoundrel
Smith, Of the Moral Volcdno-he was
due yesterday" And he snatched
navy revolver from his belt and fired.
Smith dropped, shot in the thigh. The
shot spoiled Smiths aim, who was just
taking second chance, and he crippled
a stranger. 1t was me. Merely finger
shot Off
Then the chief editor went on with his
erasures and interlineations. Just as he
finished them hand,grenade came down
the stove pipe, and the explosion shivered
the stove into thousand fragments.
However, it did no further damage, ex-
cept that q vsgrant piece knocked
couple of my teeth out.
"Thst stove is utterly ruined" said
the chief editor.
| said believed it was.
"Well, no matter-don't want it this
kind of weather. | know the man that
did it. I'll get him. Now here is the
way this stuff ought to be written.
Itook the manuscript. 1t was SCARED
with erasures and interlineations till its
mother wouldn't have known it, if it had
had one. 1t now read as follows:
SPIRIT OF TIE TENNESSEE PRESS.
1.-THE inveterate liars of the Semi
Weekly Earthquake are evidently at.
tempting to palm oil on a noble ana
chivalrous people another OF their vile
and brutal falsehoods with regard to that
most glorious conception OF the nlne-
teenth century. the Bsllyhack railroad.
The idea that Buzzardville was to be lett
of at one side originated IN their own
fulsome brains-or rather in the settings
which they regard as brains. They had
better swallow this lie, and not stop to
chew it, either, if they want to save their
abandoned, reptile carcasses the COW
hiding they so richly deserve.
THAT ass, Blossom, Of the Higgins
vile Thunderboh and Battle Cry Of
Freedom, is down here again, bumming
his board at the Van Buren.
ave observe that the besotted black
guard Of the Mud Springs Morning HOtot
e giving out, with his usual propensity
for wing, that Van Vert is not elected.
The hesven-born mission of journalism
il TO disseminate truth eradicate
error-.o educate, retiae and elevate the
tone of public morals and manners, and
make al men more. gentle, vIrtuouF,
more charitable. aud 10 all ways better,
and hol;er and happier-snd yet this
black-hearted villain, this hell-spavned
niscresnt, prostitutes his great ONCE
persistentiy 10 the dissemination OF false
hood, calumny, vituperstiOn and degrad'