, 1876-04-15
The FIGHTING EDITOR.
An Encounter that tiie Arkansas Tray
eIer Might Have Seen TIA the Old Days.

An Encounter that ti,e Arkansas TraY
eIer Might Have Seen in the Old Days.
The recent visit to New York of Colonel
! Horace Fea;herstock. the veteran Arkansa,
journalist, reaalls an animated and hitherto
unpublished passage in the earlier days Of
that gentleman's rariegated career. In that
time hnd place vigcrOu. L ~ ,.I-se develop
ment, and quick eye and nerve were counted
of no less value in the editors equipment
than powerful mind The rugged ard i'm
pnlsive nature of the inhabitants led them to
hastiness in the settlement of personal dis
putes that prospered the undertakess even at
times when all other business pursuits Ian
guished- In this respec: they differed ma
terially from their more philosophical fellow
citizens Of the East. Here, if, as might hap
pen III even the best regulated office, an error
erept into the paper, the aggrieved party
would call quietly, and courteously state his
case, securing as courteous correction; there
the offended person walked in behind pis-
tol and casually expressed the belief that if
the editor was a rapid writer he might pos
sihly get the retraction written before he had
finished the shots in bis revolver.
In many cases this aggressive action aroused
| equally cOmbs,itive qualities in the editor,
and it not unfre4uently happened that one or
| the other Was killed. These circumstances
gradually developed the so-called fighting
pecnliar to American journalism. To him
were referred all questions of dispute inyo!v-
ing personal argument He was the chi
valorous, open hearted and brave representa-
tive of class nearly extinct, whose
character has suffered only from the reckless
exaggeration of local historians, themselves
lnxuriant products of the same soil.
Col Featherstock was scarcely twenty-one
when he entered the office Of the Eagleville
Iri- Gesk!y ToinGhaSck and Mirror, and he had
been there scarcely three weeks when the
summary and scientific manner in which be
elected powerful back kwoodsman, who had
Yentured TO rcmstrate against a savage per-
sonal reference to himself, determined the
chief TO appoint Featherstoek TO the aiduous
and responsible position of fighting editor, a
post which he held for seven years with
honor TO himself and credit to has paper. lie
was good shot, and similar in his sudden
IL , la. Il 4
stay in the Topsokauk Office be killed nineteen
m-n IL fact, the number of those who
blundercd in their dealings with him was so
great that i; became Il current humorous say
ing in the region that Fea hest1rk kept
graveyard of his own.
There lived in the neighboring country
gigantic and bloo4.ihirstv ruffi,a, who had
often heard OF the renowned fighting editor
of the To,aGLGlrk, and, having held his Own
ard sometimes more with everybody he had
ever met, be resolved to 80 over TO Eagleville
and clean ont the Colonel. When he ap-
! peared in the 1aaGha,ck office, lie might, but
! for his great size aud ferocious aspect. have
| been mistaken fOr the drummer of firearms
| establishment. Ali his pockets were full OF
assorted weapons. and bis belt looked Ike
fence with pistol pickets- He stalked in
/ with an Lir OF brutal insolenee, and said 10
| the Colonel:
"Are you the Tanah0'rk's lighting editorT"
The Colonel modes,ly allow ed that he wss.
Il understand that you Keep select bury
ing ground of your own"
YES said the Colonel, a mus. admit
that do find it necessary to keep private
cemetery"
The rufEiau reached down in his right-hand
outside coat pocket and lifted ont an i'm
nieuse old-fashionea revolver that bore n
striking resemblance to yunng GauIng
gun. He swaggered up 10 the Colonel and
banged the muzzle of the pistol down so saw
agely that it made a deep dent in the desk, and
the words that accompanied the action We're:
"Well, I've come, by --, to be buried
in that graveyard "
For the first laud last ii me in his life the
Colonel weakened. Il seemed to him that
life had never seemed 20 sweet as just at that
rnoment-a sentiment fustrred, doubtless, by
the knowledge that he was standing face to
face with a man who WIS fully determined
10 xiii him. But if for al instant his cUur-
age waveIed, his su4Vity never forsOOk him,
ard he louked up with a smile
Il sia night sorry, my friend, thai l cant't t
accommodate you, but my graveyard Is full
There really iSu room for another one
~ was afraid you couldn't fiBd room IN It
ior me-" said the stranger, and be wrapped
MS words III a steer that made the Colonel
think that life wasn't worth sent II the
stranger had answered the Colonel with
pleasant words, he might have retired on a
great victory, bat that sn-er changed the
Whole programme The Colonel reached IN
der his desk 10 the pistol shelf and brought
out a weapon that looked like the elder
brother OF the strangers shooting iron he
expression Of his face WAS changed, bat he
west on talking in the same cheerful meas
ured way, lust as thongh without INTERRUPT
tion he was adding TO his previous remark:
'.But though that one l. closed, frll, have
lust opened q new cemetery, ana my sexton
hus dug a sample grave that l shonld think
The IAN his eye deliberately along the stran-
yer from his feet up to his eyes aud fastened
them there would Just Fit you
The strangers grip on himself was gone.
The change had been too sudden for him.
OF all the crowd the alteration bad drawn
, into the room, the Colonel was the hrst Il
, realize the change and most accurate IN his
estiluation uf its extent. He proceeded pleas
antly aud deliberately:
..Nuw, / may have conveyed 10 you When
you first came IN that to-day Was not one oi
my slaughtering days; bat at the szrne time
/ If yon insist
The Colontl rugged at the hammer OF hi'
pr,l,.hiv =