The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-07-19
THE DOG AT THE HOLE,

the way certain papers keep up clamor over
'buried issues" says: "Once there was dog
that freed rabbit, and all his life thereafter
put in his whole time barking at the hole in
the same old hollow tree every time he went
hunting while the same old rabbit, costly en-
sconced in new hiding place, enjoyed the
scene" This little story reminds us of joke
that deserves historical preservation. 1t GER
tainly possesses historical interest. In 1856
one Of the most vicious and INSCRIPTIONS of
Fremonts assailants was the New York Ex-
press, owned and conducted by James and
Erastus Brooks, both Of whom had been or
were soon after members of Congress as "Old
Wings" or in later avatar as Democrats.
In 1856 they were Americans or 'Know-
nothings.' They maintained without shad-
ow Of evidence or sense that Fremont was a
Catholic, mean ing to turn the antpathies
of the anti-Catholic Natives against
him. This silly clamor over an i'm
putation that never had anything in
it, Or had been cleared of it for lifetime,
suggested to Henry Ward Beecher, who made
his m ost effective political appearance in that
campaign, the story of the "dog Noble" who
saw cat he hated run into a gap in stone
wall one day, and set upa furious barking at
it, and could never be persuaded that the cat
was not in that hole. So, whenever "Noble'
was heard bowling in the yard, the family
would ruefully exclaim, ''There's that dog
letting off at that hole again" 1t hit the Elk
press and the Brookses so squarely between
the eyes that it ruined all their anti Catholic
bowling for the rest of the campaign. 1t is
doubtful if any anecdote ever before struck
its aim so fairly or with such fatal effect, not
even Canning's story Of Stealing thunder, y
in reply to Brougham. For several years the
Express was as often called the 'dog Noble
as anything else. The illustration Of the st.
Louis Post-Dispatch is weak adaptation of
Beecher's joke.
Another incident of Mr.. Beecher's connec-
ton with the same campaign, or at least with
the feeling engendered by it, was much talked
about in the papers at the time, but is for
gotten now. He had been to this city, or was
coming, to deliver lecture under contract
with some Eastern manager-a proceeding
that was not we'll liked by his friends here or
anywhere, and he wrote an elaborate exp,a-
nation to the Journal about it-and on the
way he had occasion to stop for little while
in Shelbyville. While sitting in the Office of
the hotel a prominent Democrat, who had
been a member Of the Legislature, and be-
leved that "a niger had no SOUL" was be-
rating the Republicans to little circle of
gutter-grubbing partisans, for encouraging a
dangerous disposition in the slaves of the
South, by denouncing the laws that recog7
nized OF supported slavery. He thought they
had no right to discuss such subjects when
the effect was so likely to be the
production of dangerous characterization
among the slaves. Mr. Beecher who was IN
known, said, "Suprose you were in Austria,
and learned Of the tyrannical laws and abuses
there, would you think it wrong to speak of
them to those who asked your opinion?" 'No,
sir; of course not" eff you We're in France,
you would not conceal your dislike of Louis
Napoleon's usurpation9" "No, wouldn't"
''What better right would you have to repre-
bend the wrongs existing in those countries,
| or what you thought were wrongs, than the
opponents of slavery have to condemn it in
this countryw The fellow had not sense
enough to see where he was going till he was
gone. lie made no reply, but with half
smothered oath, got up and left the room.
Beecher did not make himself known, but
some Shelbyvillian recognized him, and when
he got hold of the story, knew who the perse-
vering interrogation was, and sent an account
of the affair to the Cincinnati Gazette and
the Journal