The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1873-01-09

|
vauia at ones finger ends, was the surest
and easiest way to slr. Greeley's heart
and commendaton. He rarely gave in,
structions about the paper or even made
suggestions, except 10 an editorial way.
but during election times, when there
could not be too many tables to satisfy
him. 1t was saying in the Office that
he could tell nstinctively whether a col
umn Of Figures was right or wrong by look
ing at it. The man who blundered once
in matter of this kind he never for gave
and he had no hesitation in telling him
to his face that he was an idiot | reco
| lect one circumstance of this character
which brought his wrath down on John
d. Stockton, the late editor of the Phil
adelphia Post. and myself, and which al
most ruined Stockton in his estimation
! There was an election in Vermont, and
| Stockton, who was In charge, gave
me the election table to make up
! | knew nothing about figures, aud could
not then, any more thau [ can now, add
up a column of ten lines correctly-at
least would not bet on my totals with
out submitting them to au expert. Stock
ton knew even less than | did. and to
ward one or two o'clock in the morning
took my word for it that the table was all
right. had a magnificent Republican
ma ajority, but Vermont always gave
large majority, so that there was nothing
remarkable about that. The next day,
as Stockton aud [ were standing near the
table on which the exchanges were open
ed, in the middle of the room, in walked
Mr.. Greeley, rather excited. His hat
was fixed in wild sort of way on the
back of his head, aud his neckerchief was
in the most beautiful disorder-tbe knot
away under his ear. He iumbled in his
pockets for few minutes, and finally
pulled out copy Of that mornings Tri6
une. Spreading it out On the table he
brought his hand down on the Vermont
column on the fifth page, and without
looking at any one, exclaimed, "Who in
| HI fixed up Vermont last night p ad
ding, with almost tears in his eyes, "six
thousand more majority than there are
voters in the State" Looking up at me-
he screamed, "Was it you 2" Before
had time to answer, he turned to Stock
ton and said, "Who was 10 charge last
DightY' to which Stockton replied, Il
was, sir" Mr.. Greeley, without saying
another word, marched off to his room,
but 90 not think that Stockton, who
was one of the best and strongest writers
on the paper, particularly on recoustruc-
tion, ever recovered the old mans good
opinion. | never was asked to make up
another election table in the Tribune of
fee. His recollections of names and dates
was wonderful, and we had tradition 10
the Office that be remembered the initials
of every man who ever ran for sheriff In
every county in the country.
Mr. Greeley could never acquire suf-
fcient facility to dictate an article or even
a private letter to stenographer. He
tried to do it when he was writing the
American Conflict" but his secretary,
Mr. n. ID. Urner, who wrote the cele
brated report of the burning of Barnum S
Museum, told me that he could write
long hand faster than Mr.. Greeley could
speak, aud that nearly all Of the "Con
flict" was written in that way. Mr.
Greeley, however, imagined that he was
doing an enormous amount of work, and
that Urner had taken the entire book in
short hand, while the fact is that he took
little more than one half of it, Mr.
Greeley rarely recognized auy of the men
who worked on the paper outside the
Office excepting his two or three i'm
mediate lieutenants.
| remember Hassard, who had been an
editorial writer on the paper writer on
the "American Cyclor9dia," and who is
now one of the principal editors of the
Tribune, coming into the Office Que morn
ing very indignant. lie said that he had
met Mr.. Greeley in the cars and saluted
him. Greeley looked at him in wonder
ing sort of way as much as to ask him
who he was Hassard declared that he
would never speak TO him again. When
Mr. Greeley bailed JEFF. Davis there was
a good deal of excitement in the Tribune
establishment aud some of the stock
holders were by no means satisfied with
his action in the matter His celebrated
letter to George w Blunt aud others,
and the threat of party in the Union
League Club to expel him, aud the posi-
bic effect of his unpopular action on the
paper were for about two weeks subjects
of the liveliest interest and discussion in
the Office. Mr. Greeley was not in the
least agitated, aud seemed not to care a
straw about the entire affair. The Tri
6une lost about fifteen hundred sub
scribers, but it gained more than twenty
FIVE hundred The FIRST of its new readers
was Roger A. Pryor | was sent up to
the club house to report what took place
on the night the resolution of expulsion
came up, but no one was admitted except
the members of the club. Two or three
friends of Mr.. Greeley who were inside,
however, came out aud enabled me to
make report If | remember Alright
now it was decided not to print anything
at all about it excepting an editorial