Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-12-20

days the telegraph and mail facili-
tics were not what they are to-day,
and the election returns were tardy
and untrustworthy. He had COM
piled figures from various sources,
and had mass Of documents before
him from which he expected to close
his work. A number of friends de-
manded his attention, and while he
was in conversation with them the
Office boy handed him an evening
newspaper containing what appear
ed to be a carefully prepared table
of the figures that he needed. Mr..
Greeley grasped his scissors, cut
out the table, made his comments
on the total and sent it up to the
printers. The next day any close
observer of the eminent statistician
could have seen that he was deeply
troubled. And he had reason to be.
The evening newspaper had the
reputation Of being habitually mac
carate in its political figures, and in
this case the totals that Mr.. Greeley
had copied were. erroneous by MI
ny thousands. Forgetting the source
whence he had taken his figures,
Mr.. Greeley went to the composing
room direct, demonstrated with Mr..
Rocker, the foreman, saying that he
ought 10 be kicked; then to the
printers, that they ought to be kick
ed, and finally to the proof-rcader,
that he ought to be kicked more
soundly than all the rest. The lat
ter meekly produced the original
manuscript of Mr.. Greeley, with
the reprint from the evening news
paper. "What paper is that cut
from?" asked Mr.. Greeley. "The
Evening ----," replied the proof
reader. Mr.. Greeley, suddenly be-
thinking himself of the character of
the newspaper, promptly, with that
sense of justice which is one of his
greatest attributes, turned to the
proof-rcader, and asked in q sad
and huniliated manner, "Would
you like to kick me?"
No other man in the country had
such extensive knowledge Of politi-
cal statistics as Horace Greeley
His memory of bygonc votes was
prodigious. From the days of
Jackson and Adams he had a clear
remembrance Of every important
election, who were candidates, and
how the people voted. To see Hor-
ace in his perfect element one must
have seen him OH the nj ght of a
general election. He would work
all day at the polls. A man who
did not vote for some ticket, he de-
tested, and he never failed to vote
and to try to get others to do So
Before any returns arrived he was
at his desk. AS they were received
they were forthwith sent to him. If
they showed no particular change
he would run them over with cur
rent comment, such as: "Wc gain
ten in Milford," "Thcrc's small
loss in Naugatuck-thc railroad
strike hurts u.s." and so on, rapidly
making a table comparing with
previous vote. Here comes another
dispatch: "Ug, ch-ha,' he mutters
that signifies an unexpected loss.
A third dispatch with large list of
gains: "Hoo" startles the bystand-
er, who looks around for Indians;-
"Wha-hoo-oo"' again, starting the
very roof, and these fearful bursts
continue, at intervals, until the list
is complete. Then he grabs his pen
and settles down with chuckling
laugh and the satisfactory cxclama-
ton: "We'vc got 'em, sure" OF a
loss where Mr.. Greeley rather dis
liked his party candidate, he would
say, with a comical smile: "That
boss is dead-his eyes is sot.''
Twenty years ago the Tribune Of
fec was heated by an old-fashioncd
hot-air furnace, sending it's blasts
through wooden tubes about one
foot square into the various rooms,
the quantity being regulated by
wooden gates sliding across the
tubes. On Sunday there was no
heat until "Pat" fired up in the
evening. On bitter February
Sunday morning Mr.. Greeley hur
ried into the editorial room, his
hands and pockets full of papers,
pulled chair to the place in the
wall where the heat should have
come out, kicked the slide away,
and stuck as much of his feet as he
could into the wooden tube. OF
course it was cold and not hot air
tina, came out, but the philosopher
was absorbed in the Herald mot
then an over-civil neighbor), and
did not realize his mistake. Soon
Mr.. William M. Newman, then ship
news editor of the Tribune, entered,
and seeing "thc situation," said:-
"Why, Horace, what are you doing
with your boots in that hole; there's
no heat on yet?" Mr.. Greeley took
down his feet, and, in a half-offend-
ed tone, pipcd out in his peculiar
whine: ''Now, what did you tell me
that for? Twas gittin' nicely warm"