Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-10-13
ANN dickinson.

Anna DfchIns0n.
One bright October morning in the|
year 1928, lone lorn woman by thel
name of Gummidge might have been seep|
standing at the corner Of wheat field
where two roads met and embraced. She|
was weeping violently. Ever and anon|
she would raise her head and gaze mys]
teriously in the direction of n cloud of
dust which moved slowly over the hill
toward the town. Her name was Fatima
Fatima Gummidge. Sister Annie, Il
she cried what do you see?' But sis,
ter Annie was far away. She was att
tending an agricultural fair in the beau
tiful young State Of Kansas.
Thus gracefully do we introduce our
heroine upon the scene, The reader
will be able to Judge from this whether
we are familiar with the literature of our
day or not. He will be able to form a
complimentary opinion of our culture
He will perceive that we are acquainted
with the writings of Messrs, James and
Dickens and Bluebeard. There is noth1
ing like impressing your reader with AMI
adequate sense of your ability for labor
ieus research, when you are doing biog1
raphy for a heightened journal.
Atwhat period in her career our illus
trious victim applied TO the LegislatureI
TO change her name from Gummidge tol
Dickinson, we are unable 10 discover
There is no record of the event
in the musty tones we have waded:
through at the Aston Library in search
of reliable data. One thing must bel
apparent, even to the most violently pre-
iudiced and brutal bigot-namely, that
Miss Dickinson no longer confesses toh
the name Of Gummidge. However dis-k
respectful this may be to the memory OH
Mrs. Gummidges faiher-bui on retiec-
ton is it not possible that Mrs. Gum
midges maiden name was Dickinson Il
There may be something in this. Leit
as see. Mrs. Gummidge was born OF then
brain of Mr.. c. Dickens Mr.. Dickens
NAV be said to be the father of theE
whole Gummidge family. This, of course
includes Gummidge pere. GummidgcE
mere was therefore Dickens son. HenceE
the name CT Dickinson. Very good, SCI
far. Now
But il is unnecessary to press the argu-u
ment. If the prejudiced bigot is not yetf
convinced, nothing would convince himN
short Of horsewhipping. Is
The poet, when he wrote thou wli'E
come no more, gentle Annie, wash
clearly laboring under mistake. If heb
had written, thou wilt be sure TO GOMEZ
again next season, gentle Annie, heb
) would have hit it. Lecture committees
know this. Miss Dickinson earns herk
living by lecturing. Occasionally shes
takes turn at scrubbing pavements, ON
going to hear Wendell Phillips on "Thet
Lost Arts" or other violent exertlon, butN
her best hold is lecturing. She has TOLL
lowed the business ever since she was Al
girl, and twenty-four years Of steady apE
plication have made her no longer d
timid young thing. She is not AFRAID oil
audiences any more.
Ii is favorite recreation of the moral
boot blacks and pious newsboys of Newt
York to gather in the evening on theI
steps in front of Mr.. rockingham Il
church. and scare each other with thrill /
ing stories of the gentle Annie's fierceI
exploits and deeds Of daring Among
the best authenticated of these stripped
OF the ornate figures of speech with
which the pious newsboys are wont to-
embellish the simple), facts are the fol-
lowing:
/. In the memorable canvass of 1885,
Miss Dickinson stumped the mining dis
tricts of Pennsylvania for Fred. DOUG
lass, and was shot at by the infurlatei
miners forty-two times, the bullets whist
ling through her back hair to that ex-
tent that her chignon looked. like a sec
ton Of suction-hose when the campaign
was over.
2. Near the close of the rebellion, Miss
Dickinson wrote to Jefferson Davis that
she was going to raise a regiment and
20 for him. Peace followed promptly.
3. In the year 1861 she published a
book.
A. In the year 1868 she went to Cali
fornia overland, by railroad alone.
8. In the year 1869 she attended lee
ture by Olive Logan, and further showed
her fearless nature by embracing Miss
Logan tempestuously, and offering to
marry her.
6. At various times during her career
she has received and successfully done
battle with l4,624 proposals of marriage,
1860 cf which were made to her in the
city of Ckicagoi
These evidences of her courage are
sufficient to show what she is equal TO,
under any emergency We are now
waiting to hear of a seventh act of BRAY
cry on her part which will distance all
the above; when she shall have an.
nounced that she is prepared to lecture
on "Charles Dickens she will have
given the last convincing proof that she
is equal to anything terrible. -Paueh
ineLn