Connecticut western news., 1880-10-13
GOING FOR A CANDIDATE.
A Way they Have of Bleeding PoIit-
 ical Candidates

! ASe~A
 A popular dodge to bleed candidates
 this year in New York, says newspaper
 correspondent, is the getting up of tar
 get companies and striking the candidate
 for 'prizes." This target-dodge (which
 is not yet wholly plaid out) was once
 tried on Gen. John Cochrane pretty
 heavy, and they tell story about this
 which is quite amusing.
 One night going home, as he reached
 the block where he lived, walking along
 the other side of the street he saw gang
 of men waiting at one corner. Heknew
 that they were representatives of tar
 get company lying in wait for him. Then
 he saw another gang at another corner,
 8 second target company waiting for
 him; so he dodged them both by re-
 tracing his steps and going round, and
 trying to get into his house from the
 rear, across the neighbors' backyards.
 He tore his breecehs in climbing over
 one fence, got bit by dog in climbing
 another, and got nearly shot for bur
 glar in climbing over the last but he got
 into his own house at last in safety, leav-
 ing the two target companies still waiting | for him at the corner.
 It was late, and the general wife, who
 was an invalid just then, was sleeping in her own room with the sick nurse. So the general went to his own room, and
 was just thinking how nice he had dodged the target companies, and how cold they'd get waiting for him till morning, when out crawls a man from under the bed.
 He wasn't burglar, because he wanted the general to see him. In fact he saluted the general with, "Ah, General, have found you at last"
 "Who the devil are you, sir and what are you doing here, sir ?" asked the gen. eral.
 "I belong to tarket company so-and- so," was the reply of the man, as he strengthened himself after his confine- ment under the bed, "and the boys have appointed me committee to wait upon you to give you their sentiments. You see, General" " the target company's man went on, "the boys have got tilted of waiting to hear from you, and they never could find you, and 50 they appointed me to look for you, and, by St. Patrick, I've found you, haven't IF"
 The general was reluctantly compelled to confess that he had been found.
 "Well, sir, now that you have found me, in this singular, not to say outrage ous manner, what do you, in behalf of the members of the target company, wish to say to me ?"
 " Why, General" said the targetcom- pany man, " the boys are all going to vote for you solid of course, but they want you to do something for them"
 The general of course pleaded poverty just then, and vowed that he didn't have a five dollar bill in his clothes, which he ! hadn't.
 "But perhaps your wife has some money with her," suggested the target man.
 The generals first idea was to knock the man down, his second thought was to go and see his wife. He arranged it with her that there was only twenty dol lars in her possession, and she needed every dollar of that that there were no groceries in the house that the servant girl and gas bill had to be paid next and so on. And he came back and told the target man all this.
 But the target man took it all very coolly. He didn't seem to be touched in the slightest by the generals picture 0f his money troubles and his cleaned put home.
 "Twenty dollars, twenty dollars, the target man said. '' We'll, General, I don't want to be mean let me have nineteen dollars for the boys; you may keep the odd dollar," and he stretched put his hand for the nineteen dollars, which the general handed over to him.
 "Now, General" said the target iend, when he had counted over the money twice, " this is all we'll enough . IS beer money for the boys, but we want omething to serve as 8 prize-some- ] hing the boys can show, something that will serve to remind the boys of you laven't you got gold watch, or 8 dia- nond pin that we can shoot for p On the generals denying the posses ] ion of any watch or jewelry, the target lend was quiet for 8 moment, deep in $ bought; then he smiled as bright idea ( ccurred, to him. "Let us go down to your parlor, teneral there must be something there ! ! hat will please the boys, and serve them or prize" The generals impulse just then was to f eize the target man by the throat, or to f ick him in the rear, but he restrained il imself. You see the target-man's o boys" whom he so indefatigably rep f. after all comprised mum. CT of voters, and the general Ouldn't afford just then to offend them, esides, the target-man was himself a ig, burly fellow, and the general might S ave come off second best in 8 personal ' ncounter; so he bit his lip and held his u 'ngue and lit candle, and led the way ) the parlor.
 The target-fend examined every arti- e in the parlor as if he was going to uy every piece; he handled all the examined the paintings as Ii est he could by the dim light, and al nally lighted on splendid mosaic IT lrved table in inc corner worth aho71t | IT i, ,500-the best thing in the room. o The general tried to divert his atten- f., on from this object, but in vain. The l f,