Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-01-20
rfs1s.s Hnm0R.

The one thing above all others which has
prevented the public from cordially detest-
ing James Fisk, is that he always seemed
not only amiable, but Jolly in the highest
degree. He was a born bumOrist, too, and
was constantly saying clefer things, even
under the most adverse circumstances. The
average human mind is 50 constituted
that it can hardly associate a genu
inc villain with light-heartedness, ban
ter and jest. Fisk actually dis
armed criticism and shattered censure by
the power Of his wit. There was no taking
serious ground against a fellow who was as
good natured as he was unprincipled, and
who jOked about everything under the sun.
His examination at Washington by the
Congressional Committee in regard to the
famous Black Friday operations made the
whole nation laugh. 1t quite eclipsed the
carefully prepared fun of the professional
humOrists, and placed the stupendOus wrong
upon the country and its commerce in the
light of magnificent jest. Justice cannot
punish and indignation cannot reach man
who makes you laugh in spite Of serious
offence and solemn resentment.
SOME OF HIS JOKES.
Fisk, in bis merriment, did not spare him
self more than others. In this respect he
outjoked the jokers and pierced himself be
fore satirical shafts from hostile hands could
reach him.
When he had such droIl adventures at
the time of the July riot last summer, he
told more eomical stories of the Colonel of
the Ninth Regiment than all the writers of
the newspapers.
Among other things, he proposed, after
he had hurried down to Long Branch on
the eventfuI afternoon of the 18th, the fol-
lawing pertinent conundrum:
"Wherein do l, Col. Fisk, Jr., differ from
the late George Washington"
AnsWer-"Because while he was incOr-
ruptible in peace and inyincible in war, l
am inyincible in peace and invisible Id
war; and | think, by JOve, I've got the ad-
vantage Of the old fellow"
Fisk frequently claimed superiority to the
Father of his Country by declaring that the
latter was only first in peace, first in war,
and first in the hearts of his cOuntrymen;
but that he was first in peace, last in war,
and all the time in the pockets Of his cOun-
tTymen.
Last autumn some of Fisk's friends were
talking to him about the prospect of the
ti6CLul6uL OI OOllu duA hAh1oOA AAOAA e-O
management of the Erie Railway, and one
of them remarked:
81 think they'll be pretty apt to get you
out, though you may not believe it,
"Get Gould and me out Of the Erie road?
Psbawl Why, do you know what we'd do
before we'd go out Of the company?
"WeII, 1 suppose you'd do almost any
thing-burn the cars, destroy the engines,
and pull up the track-wOuldn't you?"
owed do worse than that. l tell you,
now, before we'd allow ourselves to be
kicked out of Erie, We wOuld-we would,
yes, sir, though you may not think it, we'd
declare dividend
1t was Fisk who dubbed the A. and g.
W. (Atlantic and Great Westerly Railway
the Almighty and Great Windy, and sug-
gested that the New York and Erie Rail-
way be called the New York and Mary
Pay Road
THE RULING PASSION.
The deceased ColOners love Of fun he re-
tanned to the last. Lying wounded to death
on Saturday evening at the Grand Central
Hotel, Jay Gould, having just heard the
news, came hurriedly and sympathetically
to bis bedside, saying: "HOw is it with you,
my dear bOy?'
Fisk replied with smile: "WeD, l rather
guess, Gould, that 1 myself am going It's
time where the woOdbine twineth. think,
old fellow, you'll have to run Erie alone
hereafter. | don't care, though, if do slip
of; it won't be the first time I've been
where the New York courts had no juris-