Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1873-11-29
Tom Hyer and Horace Greeley.

uhu AiVAaSS
There is an anecdote of the Chicago
Convention and the part Tom Hyer
played in it that is worth crystalizing in
print. The struggle between the Sew
ard. the Bates, and the Lincola factions
was intense and bitter. The Chicago
Democrat, Long John Wentworth's
paper, then bristling all over with fierce
Saxon, was putting in its hardest hit
ting for the rail-splitter of the Sanga-
mon, and, as a matter of course, no
salient point III the lines of his adver-
saries was permitted to escape assault.
After Greeley, on behalf of Bates, had
made n combination with the Lincoln
men it was determined to attack the
Seward men in front and fiank-or, to
use an Expression more in keeping with
the tenor of this instruction, it was ar
ranged to throw sand in the eyes of the
referee, and, before he could recover,
to knock Seward out of time by blow
below the belt. So the morning after
the,coalition was effected the Chicago
Democrat came out with u scorching
denunciation of the tactics of the Sew
ard people, and the main objective
point of the assault was Tom Hyer's
presence as Seward delegate. The
famous pugilist awoke to find himself
famous politician. The trenchant
pen of Greeley had been busy all night
making him the exposure of surround
ing eyes. He was paraded as the leader
of the Seward forces, the originator of
the Seward strategy, and the hitter of
the Seward blows. In short, this in
tellectual giant had made political
Titan of the physical Hercules, and he
had then, after investing him with all
manner of horrible attributes, made
him the representative of Sewardism
SO, then, there is no telling to what ex-
tentsthe presence of that prize fighter at
destinies of this nation, inasmuch as
broken the back of Yankee Sullivan in
the prize-ring, proved the last straw
that fractured the spinal column of
Seward as Presidential aspirant.
When Tom saw the papers that
morning, he laughed heartily enough at
what he, in his great, big, good
natlred way" though good joke But
the intcllects of the Seward party saw
in what Tom thought was u good joke
the token of their disaster. But they
determined to have their fun out of it,
anyhow. SO they took Tom over to the
Briggs House after breakfast to intro
duce him to Mr.. Greeley. When the
party reached the Briggs, Mr.. Greeley
was very busy but, as delegation
of Seward men, was announced, the
philosopher, fondly imagining that they
had come to patch up truce or make
bargain that would obviate contest
and allay bitterness, went out to meet
them with his guileless face one solid
smile, and both hands extended. A
gentleman from Chenango county, n. Y,
who was one of the party and who knew
Mr. Greeley very well, grasped the
protfered hand of the great agriculturist,
and forthwith dragged him into the
center of the group with, Mr.. Hyer,
let me introduce you to Horace Gree
ley; Mr.. Greeley, Tom Hyer!" Before
the astounded journalist could even
bow his acknowledgements his own
puny hand was i'll the grasp of the paw
that had done service in cOnquering
Morrissey, and the prize-fghting Sew
ard delegate inquired with an asperity
which he had been carefully instructed
to assume: " Mr.. Greeley, did you
write that abusive article in the Chica-
go Democrat this morning? l have
been told that you did. ;"
Ye-yes, no; well, yes, l suppose
l wrote one of them," said Greeley
still taken aback and confused. But
suddenly recovering his wonted equa-
nimity, the mild old man blurted out ::
"Suppose did; what the devil are you
going to do about it? You are all a
pack of ID ruflians, and L wont have
any communication with you. Get out
of my apartments instantly, or / will
call the po-'
Here the great editors shrill voice
was drowned in roar of laughter as
the nature of the joke dawned on the
bystanders, and the Seward party, with
Tom Hyer towering up in their midst,
broke for the bar-room to brace up
against the defeat that stared themin the
face. Louis Repu6Hcan.