St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-08-09
A War Correspondent, Whose Thrilling
News Was Nipped in the Bud by
the Generals Surveillance.
Discontinue OF an Editor Who At
tempted TO Teach Grant How
TO Run n Campaign.
Chicago's Munificence in Providing
For a Monument to The
Nations Hero.


the sidewalk. with its ceiling of white
washed rafters, and an OdOr of good things
drinkabie. is favorite lOunging place of
Mark Twain when he pays Chicago his an
nual visit. GIVE me cob pipe. whisky
bottle. a crowd of the bows a deck of cards
and quiet, cob-webbed den. and then I'll
enjoy myself. Not any banquet for me. s"
That was what Mark Twain said when the
Press club proposed to honor him with a
blowout last winter. The seclusiOn of the
select coterie that of yore were almost the
| sole habitueS of this retreat, was rudely dis
] tuTbed after Twam's remark was published
! by local paper. At once every newspa-
| per man OF convivial habits was impelled TO
visit the scene Of the humOriSt's mild de-
bauch, and the Old-timers have gradually
dropped out, leaving the younger and more
numerous
CROWD OF JOURNALISTS
to cool their heels over beer-stained oaken
tables, and contribute their anecdotal sti-
| pend TO the chestnut fund. OF late the
common topic has borne direct relation TO
the national bereavement Not a fire.
| quenter OF the retreat but has related with
! pride some anecdOte of Gen. Grant. and as
some of the stories are new-at least I'M
known to the general public-they will bear
repeating.
Il heard a story to-day on a war CORE
| spOndent whose admiration for Grant was
nipped in the bud early during the rebel
| lion, said one of the vets Journalistic. at
was just previous To the capture of Fl. Dom
els0n. and there were number of news
] paper correspondents in the field. White
law Ried was there, old man Richardson
! Ueander Richardson's father) was there
doing the New York Tribune's work. Franc
| Willie of the Times was there and Andre
MattesOn was doing the campaign Tor the
Chicago Post. And. by the way. Matteson
is now the arrant free trade three-star ed
itorial writer on the Times. MatteSOn was
determined
To GET SOMETHING NEW
something that other correspondents
would not Secure-and he managed to corral
Gen. McClernand and interview him.
McClernand always had the repu-
tation of being lOquaciouS, and
on this occasion he gave away everything
he knew. He apparently knew more of
the campaign and its future possibilities
than the commanding general himself.
The eager correspondent was given several
columns of good STUFF about what Me
Clemand proposed to do. by which the Con-
fedeTacY was to be laid out completely
crushed. annihilated-all by means of Me
Clemand'S strategy and some little fighting.
Matteson wrote up his report, and had
started TO the telegraph Office when some
body suggested that there was a censor
ship over all stuff sent cut, and that the
matter would have to be passed on at head
quarters. As this was about the first aud
only time the ambitious correspondent had
been sufficiently near the front to smell
gunpowder, this system of espionage over
newspaper correspondence was not only
a surprise. but an
INSULT To HIS DIGNITY
and position as chief owner- of an infiuen-
tial journal. And then he swore by all
that was BANKED and BANKED that no one
should say what he might or might not
write to his paper. Finally he asked who
the censor was, and was informed that
Gen. RawlinS had charge of that depart
ment on MatteSOn started to submit his
copy, but, on arriving at headquarters, a
meek-lOoking individual informed the irate
correspondent that Gen. RawlinS wasn't i'm.
When will he be imp grOwled MatteSon.
I've got lot of stuff here for 4 Chicago
paper that, under BANKED order. must
submit for Inspection Let's see them,
said Ravlins' representative. And then he
started to read them. Page after page was
hastily scanned. crumpled up and thrown
III h.N 5AeNiN- "AOACu YOU Etl NlliS
Stuff% was the cOntemptuOuS query.
From Gen. McClemand' was Mattesons
reply. L thought So was the answer. as
the rest of the manuscript was tossed aside.
WELL, WHO IN IL ARE YoU?
demanded MatteSon angrily. MY name
is Grant MatteSOn has never had a pro-
found admiration for Grant since that day.''
Yes, and l heard another good one to-
day." chimed in gray-haired ''lOcal." who
knows every man in Chicago by sight
You remember old man BrOss-Deacon
BroSS, they used to call him-Of the 1rib-
Une. Well, lie got tired of managing
campaigns from his Sanctum. so he con-
Guided 10 run down TO Cairo and join Grant.
and shed upon him the light of the Trib-
me's military genius. The interview took
place, and, as was his custom. the general
listened silently while the editor detailed
the plans that must be pursued in order to
open the Mississippi river. When he had
finished Gen. Grant said: L understand
you are the managing editor of Grant
paper in Chicago, Mr.. BrOSS?' L am. sir
was the pOmpous reply. We'll, aren't you
afraid the business of
YOUR PAPER WILL BE NEGLECTED
during your abSence:' The deacon evil
IDENTIFY conceded with this view of the
matter. and took the first train for home.
and never afterward appeared in the role
of a military adviser"
well, you may tell all the chest
nuts Won want 10" edged i'm 4 kid
who is one OF the liyelieSt local
men i'm the city. ''but there isn't city i'm
the country that could raise $40, 900 for
any purpose in such short time as Chi
cago has done. The 500. 600 ten-cent
shares issued by an evening paper are being
taken up by the poorer classes at a rate of
200 or 500 n day. Then the board of trade
men are getting interested, and nearly
81 900 was subscribed to-day. The COM
mittee asked for $50. 600. and are likely to
get S75, 900 before the day of the funeral.
There's those dime-muSeum fellows. that
contribute the net profits of their shows.
They've already sold more than 1000
tickets and will probably contribute $500.
The Irving Dramatic company give
a benefit entertainment that will net sew
eral hundred dollars. You can bet there's
more than $50, 900 on the committees book
now"
''Wen, l don't see why the poor people
shouldn't be glad to give their mite to the
fund, grOwled u newspaper man, who had
not before spoken. That is all poor peO-
pie. except reporters. Grant was the only
man in this country that couldn't be inter
viewed. He never kicked a reporter out
forcibly. or ordered him TO leave his pres
ence but he had chilly way that would
Subdue the checklist fellow that ever put
pen to paper. But there was one reporter
that caught the old warrior. The news
gatherer had been sent to interview the gen.
eral on his candidacy for a third term. At
ter listening patiently to all the reporters
queries, and remaining as silent as the grave,
the reporter in desperation said, We'll gem