Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1869-10-14

tue next tnree houtS hai bttH thiouSu IfihS
so awful that all peace 81 mind and all cheer
fulness had gone fromme. Gillespie bad called
and thrown me out Of the window. Jones
arrived promptly, and when got ready to do
the cowhidins, he took the job of my hands.
In au encounter with stranger, not in the bill
of fare, had lost my scalp. Another stranger
by the name Of Thompson left me mere wreck
and ruin of chaotic rags. And at last, at bay
in the corner, and bcset by an iniurated mob
Of editors, blacklegs politicians, and despera-
does, who raved and swore and lourished the
weapons about my head till the air shimmered
with glaucing flashes Of steel. | was in tho
act of resigning my berth on the paper when
the chief arrived, and with him a rabble Of
charmed aud enthusiastic friends. Thenensued
a scene Of riot aud carnage such as no human
pen, or steel either, could describe. People
were shot, probed, diSmembcred blown up,
thrown out of the window. There was brief
tornado of mnrky blasphcmy, with a confused
and frantic war-dance glimmering through it,
aud then all was over. In five minutes there
was silence, and the CORY chief and l sat alone
and surveyed the sanguinary ruin that strewed
the floor around lie said:
You'll like this place when you get used
to it." | said:
( "lll have to get you TO excuse me. think
maybe might write to suit you, after awhile,
as soon as had some practice and learned the
| language-I am confident could. But. 10
speak the plain truth, that sort Of energy Of
expression has its inconvenience and man
is liable to interruption. You see that your
self Vigorous writing is calculated to elevate
! the public, no doubt, bat then do not like TO
attract so much attention as ii calls forth. |
can't write with comfort when am interrupt
cd so 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 expert
ences are novel, grant you, and entertaining,
too, after a fashion, but they are not judicious-
ly distributed
IA gentleman shoots at you through tic
window, aud cripples me bombshcll comes
down the stoyepipe for your qualification aud
sends the stove dcor down nay throat friend
drops in to swap compliments with You, and
fIeckles nc with bullet holes til my skin
won't hold my principles you go to dinner,
and Jones comes in with bis cowhidc, Gillespie
/ throws mc out OF the window, Thompson tears
all my clothes or aud an entire stranger takes
my scalp with tie easy freedom Of an old ac-
+, quaintance; and in less than five minutes all
the backguards in the country arrive in their
war paint aud proceed to scare the rest Of me
to death with their tomahawl,s.
"Take it altogether | never have had such
a spirited time in all my life as lave had to-
day. No, like you, and / like your calm,
unruiled way Of explaining things to the Gus
toners, but yoa see am not used TO it. Tho
Southern heart is too mpulsve--Southem
hospitality is too lavish with tic stranger.
The paragraphs which have written to-day
and into whose cold sentences your mastery
hand has infused the fervent spirit Of Tonnes-
seoan journalism, will wake up another nest #
hornets. All that mob Of editors will come
and they will come hungry, too, and want some
body for breakfast. shall have to bid you
adieu. | decline TO be present at these lesti-
vites. ! came South for my health-I will go
back on the same errand, and suddenly. Ten
ncssec journalism is too stirring for me" After
which we parted, with mutual regret, aud /
took apartments at tie hospital
MARX TwAE.