The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-04-17
Alex. Il. Stephens Terrible Rencounter
with Judge Gone in 1913.

During MIR. Stephens Congressional
service. and pending the. campaign of
1913, he returned from Washington to
Georgia. He was fresh from the great
debates ON the acquisition of California
and New Mexico as United States Ter
ritories, and for having taken, against
The wishes Of a majofityrof the south
rfn members. n most prominent part IN
opposition to such acquisition, he was
met With much adverse criticism. Judge
Cone, who WAS at the time one of the
leading politicians Oh Georgia, WAS par
ticularly severe in his comments upon
Mr.. Stephens action, anu was reported
as having publicly denounced him as a
traitor to-the South
Hardly had Mr.. Stephens reached has
home when these and similar reports
were conveyed to him. AT first he did
not credit them. but as one kind TREND
after another informed him that Gone
had called him traitor, and advised, ID
the true Southern spirit, that <he owed
it to himself TO demand what Is called
satisfaction, the fires of pugnaeity IN
his nature. Kissed up, and he declared
that if Judge Cone would admit having
called him a traitor to the South he
would s.slap his face Not long after
this he met the Judge at a numeTousfy
attended " hig gathering, and going up
to him quietly said
JUDGE Cone, have been told that
you. foI' reasons of Your own, have de-
no,lnced me as traitor to the South,
and take this opportunity OF asking
You if such reports are trneF
no. sir. was Cones reply, they
are not true.
Il am very glad TO hear you say so,
said Mr.. Stephens, cordially, and in the
same friendly tone continued: III
course | do not desire in any way to be
offensive 10 you, Judge Cone, but IN
order that we may have no further mis-
understanding through the misrepTe-
sentation of others, think 1t right to
teIl you that have said | would slap
your face if YOU admitted having used
the language attributed to you.
Upon this, the Judge again disowned
having spoken disrespectfully OF Mr.
Stephens. and so for a time the affair
ended It was the subject of discussion
all over the State, however. and the
general verdict was that Judge Cone,
very powerful man, by the way, had
SHOWN the white feather to Little AIeek
Stephens In such a community no
public man resting upon such charge
could hope either for political prefer
ment or popular respect, Cone, OF
course knew this, and, very much
heated and annoyed by the comments
which were made upon him, wrote TO
Mr.. Stephens demanding an immediate
and public retraction of the threat. In
reply, Mr. Stephens wrote that the
threat of sIapping the Judges face had
been made contingent upon the truth Oh
reports regarding which he (Mr. Gomez
had pronounced to be untrue, and that
such being the case, there could be no
cause for .offense or angry feeling on
either side. Unfortunately. this letter
was never received by Judge Cone,
Three or four days after it was written,
however, he met Mr.. Stephens on
the piazza of an hotel in Atlanta. and,
disregarsling that gentleman friendly
greeting, said in very offensive tone:
mir. Stephens. / demand that You
make an immediate retraetion of your
threats regarding me-
Sick and weak though he was, Alex
ander II. Stephens could allow no one
to sneak to him in the fashion de-