New-York tribune., 1878-06-24
A TRIBUTE FROM MR.. FORBES.
Mr.. MACGAHAN's CHARACTERISTICS AS wAT
CORRESPONDENT.


From archibald FoTbes's Letter IN The Dailv Ners.
There was about him a certain happy-gO-
lueness, which. while occasions II advantaged Iiin
in certain respects his weak point He was the very
wi-o' -the-wisp Of war correspondents At the COM
mencement OF the late war; he duly bought a wagon,
hOrsed it satisfactorily and furnished it with cOpious
neeessaries aud some xuTes the day ne started
from sstOva with GOurkos column the trans-Bakan
once saw this wagon. joseph toiied YEARLY
from place place in search OF his mee0r-lke master
but in vain. JOseph's stock query, " Have you seen
Jokes Which frightened the gloom OF very sombTe
period How Joseph's master contryed TO exist nobody
exactly tell the younger skobeleH perhaps, CON
rbuted the larger share toward his crrao existence
He became very lean, but always e0htryed 10 snow
good front" and sreaks Of very hard luck never
daUnted his frank gallant cheertuness. He never
was man TO niict upon his readers himself anu ms
personal h8Tdsbips and trials Nobody TO read his
letters ana kilograms during the long, weary interval
fall Of Osmans imprOyised fortress. could gather any
hint that during that pered the writer had been four
times down with malarid fever. AndtdoWn whore and
how Not in snug quaTters not even IN IN Bnigarian IAN
snow: The man who was down with young sk0oeteH
lay, like dog, IN ditch. MacGahan batted with the
fever Ia sheltered Of the trench behind the
pauement, with soldiers standing on me Danqnete IN
front Of him. the Turkish shells and bullets whsllng
him. and the snow drizzle dripping on him from
the edges Of Sko5elefrs second great-eOat But the
mans good heart and even mind carried him through
positively heroic He never chafed; never "grzzled"
70 hOmely but expressive word. never knew llm
even little bit down his luck save once, and that
was when on pitch dark night az tDe Danuoe pr,age
head, his horse strGyed away Whe he was negotiating
his meagre kit which he cared ite but also long
letter which be had written, and was conveying 70 post
at Bucharest for which he cared mu;b. have spoken
OF his equantmty-it was but phrase OF ms dauntess
courage, that dauuess courage which carried him on
alone through the desert OF khva, spite Of the
obstacles which are by means all rocounted
in hrs wonderful book. I have seen him under
a heavy 1Ie-his fault q correspondent, hay-
ing a CORRESPONDENTS responsibility, was that
ne habtually exposed himself too reckessly 90 fire
and 1 have enyied hm biz IhatchleSs cOOiuess For a
man who had never been soldier, and who had made
no special study OF the Of war, his military pcrcep
tlOu amounted 10 intuition.
Let me recount the p ysical hindranees under which
recent campaign At KischeDef, In the early part or
April he broke ono Of the bones OF hs ankle when
riding q young COssack horse belonging 70 Prince
TFereled When met him first on tie platform OF the
railway Jassy, he limpng along with thls
auEle enclosed in mask OF plaster OF paris. lie
was sti lame when ne started into Bulgaria with
GourkO's column At the entrance TO the HunkQ Pass
tempting 70 rise found that OF the small bones OF
the same Leg was broken. Most men would have tried
TO make their way back to IInOya, and accepted the
invalid condition until mended. MacGahan got lfIl-
self hOsted the top OF an ammunition cart Later IN
the same day the ammunition cart rolled over on MN
and bruised hm sOrely. But he struggled on mdOmlt-
ably t ReZlnlik was reached. aud tAen bad "A short
spell Of rest lie IN the saddle again long ere
his broken bono properly set; and as q fact he
be ont Of it, be deliberately accented the prOPbosied
fae OF being life and have 30 doubt that ne
died lame. lie went through the campaign SO great q
cripple that could not walk mile, ana Wheu saw
him last at Christmas time, the ameness bud become
chronic.