Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-09
JOHN sHERMAN's SHEEP.
Some Ohio Campaign Anecdotes Applie
to the RIoOdv shirt RusfDass

some OhiO campaign Anecdotes Applied
to the Bloody Shirt Business.
The solemn determination of the Re-
publican leaders of Ohio to make next
fall's fight on the ancient, decayed and
improbable issues of the war, says a Co.
lumbus letter to the Cincinnati Nelcs-
journal, is not creating that degree of
enthusiasm that was expected in the
ranks OF the party. 1t is dose that
large number do not care to swallow, and
good many of them will, no doubt, re-
fuse to swallow it when the final test
comes.
was talking to one of the best looking
Republicans in the State to-day on this
subject. He is no less famed for his apt
illustrations than he is for his remarkable
personal beauty and the retiring modestv
of his nature, which will account for the
nOn-appearanee Of his name in this con-
nectiOn.
Speaking OF the bloody shirt cam
paign.' he said, Il am not surprised to
find Gen. John Beatty advocating it. 1t
is his hobby, and afforded him OppOrtuni-
ties in the past to oppose Hayes and Fos-
ter and the other leaders of his party"
''HOw and why hobby with himg'
THAT never could understand. Gen.
Beatty was one of the braYest soldiers in
the war. He never fought the enemy at u
distance, but always at the front. He Is
a man of broad views on. all other
! subjects, and as magnanimOus as he
/ is brave. But somehow or other he
/ has got wrong on this subject of
/ forever keeping alive the issues of the
1 war and arraying the two sections Of the
! country solidly against each other. If
Gen. Beatty would only drop that one
preiudice. he would be the real .a,or IS
1 his party III the Svute. He has the brain
and culture and breadth of thought to
! lead the party TO higher grounds, with
only that one flaw, which / am afraid will
4 always keep him III the rear Of the pro-
cessiOn.v
''But 1 see that Sherman, too, has gone
back to the war issue after having aban-
/ dOned it for a time to get on the higher
ground"
''Well, you see, the fact is, when Sher-
man reformed he did so with one stIpu-
lated ryation-that he had the right to
backslide when it came to washing sheep.
and Pm afraid that it has about resolved
itself into case Of sheep-washing with
our grand old party"
Il am not sure that l grasp the mean
ing OF your reference to sheep-Washing.
"Why, didn't you never hear of old
/ Deacon Snow ont in Plain township"
Never
''Well, that's curiOus-but then it hap
pened good many years agO-before you
were born, perhaps"
''But what about Deacon Snow p
''He was an alfred hard drinker, and
in those days whisky was only ten and
twelve and half cents a gallon, and a
man could afford to follow the inclina-
tiOns of his appetite for a good while if
he had saved up a dollar for a dry day.
[ When the deacon got to sduanderino
lyn md n hu1 mt Il J. ;-l~r
the neighbOrs thought that it was about
time to call halt and reform him, so
they set about getting him to JOIN local
I temperance society. The deacon reflected
. a good while: and final!!Vg 0GereG IN cont
Use. BE would Join the society ON con-
/ dition tbev would adopt a rule for his
case especially, am. let him do a little
drinking when he washe,. sneep. This
was a big step in the direction ~ reform,
and the prOhibitiOnists.b being more lIC4ral
/ than they are now. took the deacon in on
/ conditions. 1t was the first day of jan
/ uary when they admitted him, and the
/ brethren felt that by the time for washing
/ sheep his appetite would be entirely under
/ control, and they could tide the deacon
over the dangers Of the insinuating spring.
time. About the. 10th of that
sene month of January, ParsOn
I Jones, Tie president Of the temneranca
! society, concluded to calt IN Daacon
/ Snow and compliment him upon iris
I progress and iron resolution. He found
him in the cOrn-crib shellIng corn and
4 throwing it into the air and swearing at
the chickens, turkeys and geese because
/ they did not catch the grains as they fell,
/ His face was redder than harvest moon.
/ and his tongue was as thick as an iron
wedge.
"'Why, Pm shocked, Deacon said the
/ parson, to find that you have broken your
| pledge
"'W-w-whaz We say?' asked She dea-
/ con, as he tossed up another grain of corn.
/ "'Why, you have broken your PLEDGE
'''Z-zhere's where yer mistaken. par.
son, I-Pye KEEP it perzactly 'cortIin' to
ger letteT'n speret.'
"'Tutl tut! You're drunk as a fiddler,
deacon, and you've broken YOUR pledge
"'Kin | take a drink when | WaZh
2heepT
'"'Of course, that concession was made
in your favor
sFeW-w-well zehn. parson. We cum righg
long an I'll zhow yer how puffickly Z
keep se PLEDGE
''With that the deacon wobbled off to the
barn with the parsOn, and, opening the
door, pointed triumphantly to an old ram
secured, with rope about the horns,
which stood shiyering with icicIes hang
ing from every tuit of wool.
Dye zee ZatT inquired the deacon
cOmpldCS1tlys II ge zee Labg 1-I-ENG
washed zen feTnal ole rascal nine times
zis mornin'- He's re ornriest, dirtiest
Zheep ye ever zee. I've got to wash IN
agin N about fifteen minnits. WV
wouldn't break re pledge fur re world
''The par%On left 5n dismay, and the
deacon kept en- washing sheep whenever
he wanted a drink. John Sherman is
only IN favor of the bloody shirt when it
will secure she offices, and that is begin
ming to assume the proportions of a pretty
regular and uninterrupted case of sheep
washing"
heard pretty good story to-day about
Gen. Charles II. GFOsyenOr, the present
leader of the Republican party in Ohio,
and who is to preside over the Cleveland
Convention. IN the trial of a case down
in Athens he tried to brighten the opposite
attorney, Emmitt TOmpkins, by referring
to his great military exploits. TOmpkins
begged to get ogt OF the scraDe by telling
an anecdOte, and told little story about
Gen. Osterhaus- One day in Nashville
Gen. Osterhaus wanted to visit General
Thomas headquarters, and sent his or
derby to prOcuse him horse. The order
~ came back and said that there wasn't
a horse to be had.
"Whats become Of All the hOrses?1 in
quired the General.
They've been taken up by the new
brevet Brigadier Generals, who are out
showing their shoulder straps"
The General sent the orderly cut to
make another search, and in the course
of half an hour he came back and reported
that nothing could be found except a
mule of eccentric habits.
"Well,. bring along the mule," ex-
claimed the General.
He mounted and started along the
street, making his way through the
Breyet DTigadier Generals mounted OF
superb steeds, until finally the mule
baked in. the midst of a gay cavaIcade of
b. b. CAS-. Digging his spurs into the
animal as he drew his sword and waved
it over his head, Gen. Osterhaus
shouted.
''Git out Of dis, you tam prevet hossn'
Turning his gentle and tender face to
the jury as he pointed toward Gen. Gros-.
venor with his right hand, Mr.. Tompkins
sweetly smiled and said:
ale comes about as near being a real
General as Gen. Osterhaus' mule came to
( being horSe-merely a breyet.o
II is to be hoped that Mr.. TOmpkins will
introduce Gen. GrOsYenor to the CleVe-
land convention, using the story as a pre-
face to his remarks.
Gxruraiona.
EHHn