Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1883-07-26

A POLITICAL ELI PERKINS.
A Novel Method or Twisting the Truth OF History
Al the Muxxle OF Revolver.


Al the Muxxle OF Revolver.
1.-THE man selected to do the main
organizing for the democrats in south
western Kentucky is Col. Frank VOL
ford. know him well = says > Ken
tnckian who was lately interviewed on
the situation. went to school with him
when we were boys. and to-day he is
the ablest liar (Will Bradley not except
ed)in the state. He has reduced the
art 10 such perfection that he can tell a
man he is going TO lie to HIM and then
make him believe what he says. He
takes great pride in being an accom-
plished artist in this ancient and hon
orable profession, and nothing pleases
him more than to be called the orator.
ical Mulhattau of Kentucky. 1t is an
actual fact that he tells lie so well he
believes it himself. He was born and
grew up in Clinton county, which was
always productive of greenbriars and
lawyers. He was an enthusiastic union
man, and when the war broke out he
got a mule, an old drum, and mulatto
boy, the son of one of his white neigh
bors, and, securing over the hills aud
sage fields of his native county, man
aged to muster company of hill
tigers, mounted on lee-bitten Rosin-
antes, to fight for Uncle Sam and the
stars and stripes.
AT the close of the war old Wolford
settled down and became democrat,
and most of his men did the same
thing. When the democrats gave him
the nomination for congress last fall
the republican state committee sent
Gen. Fry up into bis district to counter
act the Influences OF old Wolford's war
record. Fry started off, intending to
remain in the district six weeks and
speak wherever Wolford did. He was
back in four days.
What's the matter, generals? asked
the chairman in surprise, as he stalked
in, black as thunder-cloud.
Matter? Why matter enough. If
you want a man to go into the Eleventh
district to talk against - old scoun-
drel Woliord you will have to find
somebody beside me. I'm done. When
| agreed to stump in the district i sup
posed / would have sensible men to
talk to; instead find them all a lot of
blankety blanked fools and liars and
scoundrels.'i
Didn't they treat you right?n
Treat me right Oh, yes, they
treated me right. They treated me
like a prince. When | reached the
tirsttown old Wolford met me with
cordial welcome and, to my surprise,
he gave the opening and closing of the
joint discussion. spoke for one hour
and half on national issues-the
tariff, finance and the standing of the
parties and dwelt with special en-
phasis on the magnanimity shown by
the federal government in its treatment
of the confederates at the close of the
war. About half of my audience had
served in the confederate army and
saw l was producing a good impress
sion.
"Now what do you suppose that old
hook-nosed rascal of a Wolford didp
Why he got up and began talking,
never paying the slightest attention to
what | had said on national issues, but
after brief Introduction taking up my
goodwill plea. Don't you believe a
word Gen. Fry has told you about the
magnanimity of the federal govern
ment and the republican party he
shrieked. It's all a lie What did they
do with Gen. Lee after the surrender
of Appomattox? Why, they took him
out and hung him right between the
lines. in plain "
"'Hold on | shouted, that is not
true. Gen. Wolford, you know you are
pcrverting facts
Instantly two or three of the old Sec-
ond cavalry boys sprang to their feet
and swore that they had been on the
ground and seen Gen. Lee hung, one
OF them remarking. with swagger.
that If anybody questioned the state
ment he would have to chew on the bar
rel of a six-shooter."
".What did they do with jeff Davis
after he had surrendered? continued
old Wolford, why. they tied eighteen
pounds of iron to his legs,
threw him into a dungeon and starved
him for eight months and then took
him out and hung him. That's what
they did with him. A HI of = mag
unanimous government thatp'
81 interrupted TO say that JEFF Davis !
was alive now and healthy, but two
or three Second cavalry liars stood up
and swore they had seen him hung, and |
that if any man disputed 1t they would |
make him cat his words or six inches of |
cold steel. And there the old scoundrel |
stood, hanging Alex. Stephens, Long
street, Joe Johnston, Hampton, and
every confederate of prominence he |
could think of and proving what he
said by eyc-witnesscs from the I'd Ken |
lucky cavalry. What show did have |
talking to such crowd of Ananiases
as that? | quit then and there. If you
ever get me up there in those mountains
again you may shoot me-