Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-03-17
STORIES OF GARFIELD.
An Old schO0i-Feilow Tells Some Rem.
iniscenees OF Their Youth.
Omaha fNeb.l Bee.

4 gentlemen named Marcy, who has been
spending the winter with friends here, dropped
| into the Bee office the other day, and in the
| course of talk the name OF the martyred
Garfield came in. well, sir, I've known
Garfield ever since | was boy. l could
| almost 90 blindfolded to the very spot where
he was born. 1t seems strange enough,
though, to hear him called anything but
'Jim,' for we boys used always to call him
so, even after he had got to be a man full
grown and began 10 get famous. We went
to school together, and / can see him now as
a school-boy Just as plain as / can see the
leg-of that table there"
After chatting over some OF the remlnis-
cences Of school life, Mr.. Marcy hit upon
the time when Garfield was nominated for
| Congress.
"I've Just been reading lie OF Garfield,
AID ! have TO laugh al some OF the mistakes
and statements made. For instance, the
book I've been reading tells about his being
unanimously nominated the first tims Tor
Congress. Now, it's no such thing. l was
a member myself OF the convention, and
tell you we balloted over hundred times.
1t was getting after shutdown, and there we're
several candidates who stood just about even,
and Garfield was one of them. Finally one
of those who was among The leading ones,
a man named Ferguson, withdrew his name.
Just in front OF m. sat a delegate named
Merrill. ! had been working right hard for
Garfield, and when Ferguson Withdrew | did
what | could to make the break count for
Garfield and | urged Merrill to cast his
vote for him. Merrill had written ballot
for another candidate, and was holding it
in one hand. / gave him a Garfield bal
lot, and he held this in the other hand.
He didn't hardly know which 10 vote. As
the teller came around l saw Merrill hesitate,
and leaning over / took hold of the hand
which held the vote for Garfield, and sort
of in fun shook it, and he let the ballot
drop into the hat When the vote was
counted it was found that Garfield had just
one maiority. 1t was on this nomination
that Garfield was first elected to Congress,
and afterward he used to laugh and tell
me that l shook him into Congress"
Talking of the sad ending OF GaIiield's life
led Mr.. Marcy to recall the fact that Gar
field, in his early years, was a wonderful
shot, and especially with a rife. One incl
dent specially was fresh in his mind. He tells
it thus:
Garfield was then teaching at Hiram, and
l was living at Garrettsville, lovely little
town only few miles away. He was known
far and near among the young fellows as the
best shot in that part Of the country. There
was q young man named Hi Beecher, who
kept a store in Garrettsville, and he thought
himself pretty good on the shoot, and he was,
too. He had got him a new rife and had
been practicing for months on purpose to get
ready to beat Garfield. He had target
back of his store, distance OF about ten rods,
and he blazed away at this day after day.
He used dead rest, and by steady practice
got SO that he could put almost every ball
inside buifs eye as small as a silver quar-
ter When he thought he had got himself
in good trim he told me to see James and
get him to come around to the store and shoot
with him. James used 10 come down to
Garrettsville Of a Saturday, when there
wasn't any school, so the next time l saw
him told him ali about it. / told him what
the game was. to get him to shoot at ten rods
and dead rest, and that If he did that way
Hi would surely beat him. WELL said
james, according to all the rules OF war and
the code OF honor the challenged party has
the right 10 name the distance and the
weapons III see to him After while,
as Hi and l were standing in front OF the
store, Garfield came along. L hadn't told
Hi about seeing him before. and called out
to him and told him that Hi was getting
little conceited about being crack shot, and
wanted 10 shoot with him. They went out
back Of the store, and Hi pointed al the
target 'P=haEr says J ames; that's 10 dis
lance 20 shoot That's too much like boys
play. Lets make it twice a. far, anyway
Hi objected some, but james told him he
was the challenged party and had the choice,
and they agreed to shoot at the fence about
twenty rods of. When they commenced 70
fire Hi was going to use rest. 'Oh, stand
up like man and shoot ot-hand,' says