The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1885-05-28

About twenty-five years ego when .
certain Western State was q Territory,
and with few inhabitants, . young law
yer from New York emigrated thither
and settled in the town OF L.. He
had been there nearly two years when
he was induced to print weekly news
paper, of which he was the editor.
Squire s. was Q very little man, but he
used the editorial I'VE" as frequently
as IL there were q dozen of him, and
each as big as q giant.
Strange to say, there were at that
time men in Office who were not q par
ticle more honest than they should be;
thing which probably never hap
pened before, and never will again.
Squire s. felt all the patriotism of o
son of rs, and poured out grape and
canister against public abuses. This
soon stirred hornets nest about his
ears; but, as there was no other paper
in the Territory, there was no reply for
o time.
At length he published an article
more severe against malfeasance in Of
fee than any that had preceded it. In
fact, though it pointed at no individual
in particular, it was "scorcher."
Some three or four days afterward
he was sitting alone in his editorial Of
fee, which was about quarter of a
mile from the printing establishment.
His pen was busy with paragraph,
when his door opened, and in stalked q
man about six feet in his stockings.
He asked: "Are you s., the proprietor
of this paper?" Thinking he had
found new patron, the little man, with
one of his blandest smiles, answered in
the affirmative. The stranger deliber-
ately drew the last number of the paper
from his pocket, and pointing to the
article against rogues in Office, told the
afirighted editor that it was intended
for "him."
It was in vain that s. protested that
he had never heard of him before. The
wrath of the visitor rose to o fever heat,
and from being 80 long restrained
boiled over with double fury. He gave
the editor his choice, either to publish
a very humble recantation or take q
fiogging on the spot. Either alterna-
tive was NORWOOD, but what could he
do? The enraged office-holder was
twice his size, and at one blow would
qualify him for an obituary notice. He
agreed to retract; and as the visitor in
sisted upon writing the retraction he
himself sat down to the task. Squire
S. made an excuse to walk to the print
ing Office, with promise he would be
back in season to sign it as soon as it
was finished.
S. had hardly gone City yards when
he encountered a man who inquired
where Squire 81 Office was and if he
was at home. Suspecting that he too
was on the same errand as the other
visitor, he pointed to the Office and told
him he would find the editor within,
writing q most abusive article against
Office holders. This was enough. The
eyes of the newcomer flashing fire, he
rushed into the Office and assaulted the
stranger with the epithets, liar, scoun-
drel, coward" and told him he would
teach him how to write.
The gentleman, supposing it was
some bully sent there by the editor,
sprang to his feet, and fight ensued.
The table was upset and smashed into
firewood, the contents of large jug of
ink stood in puddles on the floor, the
chairs had their legs and backs broken
beyond the skill of surgery to cure
them. This seemed only to inspire the
combatants with still greater fury.
Blow followed blow with the rapidity of
lightning. First one was kicking on the
floor, then the other, each taking it in
turn pretty equally. The ink on the
floor found its way to their faces, till
both of them cut the most ludicrous
figure imaginable.
The noise and uproar we're tremen-
dous. The nelghbors ran to the door
and exclaimed with establishment that
two niggers were fighting in Squire s. IS
Office. None dared separate them. AT
length, completely exhausted, they
ceased fighting. The circumstances OF
the case became known, and the next
day, hardly able to sit on horseback,
their heads bound up, they started
homeward, carrying with them the most
striking evidences of their attempt to
redeem their honor.
Preventing Contagi0u I'm the Schools