Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1873-09-13
OUR VISITOR.

He came IN with an interrogation
point in one eye, and stick in one
hand. One eye was covered with q
handkerchief and one arm in q sling.
His bearing was that of a man with a
settle purpose in view.
'I want to see, said he, ''the man
that puts things into this paper"
We intimated that several of us
earned a frugal livelihood in that
way.
SWell, 1 want to see the man that
cribs things out of other papers. The
fellow that cribs things mostly with
shears you understand.
We explained to him that there
were times when the most gifted
among us, driven to frenzy by the
scarcity of ideas and events, and by
the clamorous demands of an insatia-
BILE public, in moments of emotional
insanity, plunged the glittering shears
into our exchanges He went off
calmly, but in voice tremulous with
suppressed feeling and instinct thro'
the recent loss of half a dozen or so
of his front teeth.
''Just so. presume so. 1 don't
know much about this business, but /
want to see man, the man that print
ed that little piece about pouring cold
water down a drunken mans spine of
his back, and making him instantly
sober, If you please, l want to see
that man. L would Like to talk with
him."
Then he leaned his stick against our
desk and spit on his serviceable hand
and resumed his hold ON his stick as
though he was weighing it. After
studying the stick minute, he added
in a louder tode:
''Mister, 1 came here to see that
there man. want to see him bad. 4"
We told him that particular man
was not in.
"Just so. 1 presume so. They
told me before I came that the man l
wanted to see wouldn't be anywhere.
I'll wait for him. / live up north, and
I've walked seven miles to converse
with that man. 1 guess I'll sit down
and wait.
He sat down by the door and reflec-
lively pounded the floor with his stick
but his feeling would not allow him
to keep still.
''I suppose none OF you didn't ever
pour much cold water down any
drunken mans back to make him in
stantly sober, perhaps2'
None of us in the Office had ever
tried the experiment.
"Just so. / thought Just as like as
not YOU had not. Well, mister have.
1 tried it yesterday, and have come
seven miles ON foot to see the man
that printed that little piece. 1t was
not much of a piece l don't think
but want to see the man that print
ed it Just 8 few minutes. You see
John Smith, he lives next door to my
house, when Tn to home, and he gets
how-come-yOu-so every little period.
Now when he's sober, hes all right, if
you keep out of his way; but when
he's drunk, he goes home and breaks
dishes, and tips over the stove, and
throws the hardware around, and
makes it iReonvenient for his wife,
and sometimes he gets his gun and
goes out calling ON his neighbors, and
it amt pleasant.
mot that want to say anything
about Smith; but me and wife don't
/ think he ought to do so. He came
home drunk yesterday, and broke all
/ the kitchen windows out of the house
and followed his wife around with the
carving knife, talking about her liver
and after a while he lay down by my
feuce and went to sleep. 1 had beer
reading that little piece, and tho
if could pour some water down Lis
spine, on his back, and make him so
her, it would be more comfortable 70,
his wife and a square thing all around
So poured a bucket of spring waite
down John Smiths spine of hi
back"
! "Wen," said we, as our visitO