The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-10-04

defend the flag with her life, or offer to do any
such preposterous and useless thing.
He has sung about the imaginary miseries of
the fictitious skipper of Marblehead.
Finally, he wrote most stirring poem on John
Brown; but his old preverse luck followed him.
He embalmed in long meter the statement the
hero stopped between the jeering ranks and
kissed the negro's child" Now Edward II. I'm
derhil, the principal court reporter of this city,
confesses to having written the incident week
after the execution of John Brown the re-
port of a gentleman who escorted the Widow
Brown out OF. Virginia. The authenticity of the
story is now being discussed in connection with
picture entitled 1.-THE Last Moments of Old
John Brown" painted by Thomas Hovenden,
containing twenty lfe-size figures, and now on
exhibition in Philadelphia. 1t represents the
venerable Abolitionist STOPPING to kiss a colored
child in its mothers arms-of course highly
dramatic and pathetic incident.
/ met Mr.. Underhil last summer at 'Sconset,
Nantucket, where he had put up eleven vacation
cottages the high sandy bluff that looks to-
wards Ireland Spain and thereaway. Yesterday
/ spoke to him about this John Brown episode.
mo, it isn't true" he said. Then he told the
above story of its origin and added, II had
peculiar chance to test it afterward. left the
service of the Tribune in April, 1861, and went
on the Times as correspondent at the front.
Raymond ordered me to go to the Wheeling con-
venton which inaugurated the movement that
made West Virginia a new loyal State went
from Baltimore. At that time Virginia had not
seeded. but she had all her porcupino quilts up,
and the B. q 0. railroad ran part Of the way
within the lines of the Virginia troops. While
passing Ncw-creek Station, Hampshire county,
Va, saw battalion of Virginia troops drawn
up and preparing to start to reinforce Harper's
Ferry. On reaching Piedmont, loyal office, /
telegraphed the Union commander in Cumber-
land of the fact My dispatch was heard over
the entire line. / was identified in Wheeling,
Swallowed followed back, and grabbed by two
officers in the seat behind soon as the
train crossed the Virginia line. Twas carried to
Harper's Ferry and arraigned spy. was
confined there for two days. and tried before an
extemporized court, of which 'Stonewair Jack
son was president. No case made out
against me- I was then taken to Cbarestown
where grand jury was IN session, and charged
with 'levying war against the State of Virgin ia,
l employed Andrew Hunter, who had been the
senior counsel for the prosecution, and the grand
jury ignored the Dill.
while in Charlestown Jail I occupied the cell
in which John Brown had lain sixteen months
before, and I became well acquainted with the
jaier. He said he had been told by his prede-
cessor, Captain Avis, that there was founda-
ton for the baby kissing report, and he himself
knew, from the circumstances of the case. the
arrangement Of the troops, the precautions, etc.,
that such thing would have been impossible.
But Whittier and Tilton had already petrifed it
IN heroic verse, and what was the use of disturb
ing i'll But this historical picture well, we
must draw line somewhere, or the first we
shall know, Bosting will be setting it in perpet-
ual bronze"
JONES 1T rs.
There has been good deal Of excitement and
anxiety in the big Hoffman House Hobbies for
the last two or three days. walked through on
Monday night. There was an eager solicitous,
apprehensve look on almost all the faces. 1t
seemed like Democratic convention of uncom
mon SIZE where every man was candidate for
the nomination. Now that the Flower barrel is
rendered unattainaOle, where can we get another?
was the chorus. 1t we'll known that the
barrels OF Slocum and Smith were small and
tightly plugged up.
wealth of Davenport. Grace just the man
needed for his Catholicism would exactly offset
Carrs and his barrel would than offset
Davenport's. while his personal popularity was
undoubted. But he refused the offer with
Pm not taking any of Flowers cold virtuals,"
he remarked. Slocum's delay in replying to the
committee excited great hope that he would ae-
cept. But his dalliance proved to be assumed
only for the purpose of making his refusal the
more emphatic. 1t was the cesural pause
in politics. He had abundant reason for re-
sentiment against both Mclaughlin and Hubert
o. Thompson, and he gratiied it with majestic
elaboration. Like TorQuemada, he preferred
slow roast
AS Smith stock began to decline, Jones stock
began to rise in the market Everybody
talked Jones. Suddenly Browns was
heard. 1t was Brown, of Cayuga, mem
Der of the last Assembly. Smith, Jones Brownl
How the classic names buzzed through the cor
ridors and echoed around the scintillating bar!
johnson, of the Sixteenth ward asked if there
wasn't room for him. Finally. Governor Hill
settled on Jones, and Jones it is. He was good
soldier He had money. He is reputable and
fairly capable.
The RESULT Quien sabe9 Hill will probably
poll the whole Democratic vote, and he was the
only prominent man who could do it. The Re
hlioan of will q hvyf ha
tion of Flower; for that act and the refusal of
Slocum to stand in the gap have caused many
heart-burnings, and have intensified some old
hatreds that were dying out.
1t is alleged that Flower agreed TO stand firm
if Thompson and Tammany would turn over to
him the bulk of the local patronage, and that
the offer was declined with EXPLANATIONS that
not taught in the Sunday school. don't
know. wasn't there
NEW SATIRE.
Perhaps your readers will remember that
year or so ago social satire in verse made its
appearance, beautifully printed and of unknown
authorship The publishers Funk e. Wagnalls,
cunningly announced that they would give 81 900
to any one who should guess the author, and de-
clare it at the sale of the tenth thousand. Each
purchaser of a volume had guess There
were any quantity of conJectures, in which every
body, who had ever written anything was in
cluded Never was the superstition that an
author has infallible ''ear-marks" put to a Sc
verer test.
l called on the publishers yesterday They
have sold over 1000 books, and got back nearly
5000 guesses. Two hundred and seventy differ
ent persons are guessed! This is the way the
list begins TO the number of guesses: Robert
Grant, ITO; II. c. Bunner of Puck, 140; Edgar
Fawcett 135; w. A. Croffut. 120: Carlton, of
Life, 80; W. S. Gilbert of Pnafore etc, 60; Ed
G. Stedman, "a; James Russell Lowell, 16; r. K
Munkittrick. of Puck, 16; r. W. Glider. Is and
on l didn't write tho book. and can't imag
inc why any body should attribute it to me. Sew
eral women are mentioned-among them Kate
Sanborn, Gail Hamilton, Nelly Hutchinson and
Ella Wheeler Wilcox. In a month the terrible
mystery will be solved.
The publishers now announce another satiri-
cal poem by the same author entitled Our New