The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-02-17
One Legged Statesmen,

Sometimes the most trifiing incidents
IN Congress viii be found aSsociatedwlth
interesting personal episodes that are
lost to the outside world. The action of
MI. Henderson, of Illinois, In ntrOduc-
ing into the caucus a resolution to retain
all crippled soldiers or the rolls without
regard to their politics, reminds me of
an incident that happened not long ago
IN which Mr.. Henderson figured. In
order to tell the story correctly we must
premise that it is mournful to look at
Wade Hampton In the Senate chamber,
nursing his stump of a leg and SUBJ
iecting his splendid physique to the
disgrace of crutches. Visibly he is the
worst cripple of the body. Of course
it is a state secret that Butler, his
dashing colleague, has but one leg, but
he manages his cork with such dexterity
that you'd take him for a perfect piece
of machinery. There are others, too,
who suffer at times very intensely for
trying to stop bullets in the late I'M
pleasantness, like Ransom and Maxey
and ex-senator Gordon, but their infirm-
titles are not so visible as Hampton's to
the naked eve. Nobody feels pain on
looking at Aleck Stephens, for his case
Is merely the result of a slow and natu-
raj process of decay. But you insensi-
bly, feel sympathy with Hampton's
as with the infrmities of the
late Senator Morton. for both came
along prematurely and marred pow
erful frames. And the General croons
over his abbreviated leg, not in any
growing or testy spirit, for he is the
soul of patience. This is natural. Can
it be supposed that Morton, when he sat
in the Senate, big chained dog, the de-
fenseless prey of the smallest cur that
had legs and could use them, never
fretted at the remembrance of his past
activity, when he used to bound into the
saddle at the Governors Office in war
times and dash to camp or arsenal, the
very embodiment of physical vigor?
Well, to this story. The General, in the
hope of picking up some new ideas about
cut legs, had fashion of stopping people
similarly afflicted AS he was standing
one day on his crutches in the main hall,
near the Senate entrance, a large man
came along, his leg gone above the knee,
and he had some patent Arrangement,
a sort of light and portable Frame
work, to help him out of his
scrape. Accosting him, Hampton
spoke of their mutual infrmities, and
asked him how that arrangement worked.
every well, replied the stranger; sit
is an invention of my own, and he went
on to explain it. "May [ ask you where
you lost your leg?" inquired the Gen
eral. Yes, certainly it went off when
Hampton charged our battery at Gettys-
burg" "Indeed I'm grieved to hear
it, said the General, very sincerely,
"for my name is Hampton. They
shook hands, like good soldiers, over
the bloody chasm, and Hampton found
out later that his newly discovered friend
was this same Henderson, of Illinois.
Later on the same day the General
was on his way home in street-car,
when a man entered with one arm, the
other gone at the socket. The General
made room for him by his side and
managed the payment of his fare.
"Where did you lose your arm ?"
asked Hampton.
"Well, sir, it was at Gettysburg"
answered the man, "when Hampton
made that terrific charge with his cav
airy"
Thereupon those two shook and made
up Washington letter.