Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-12-24

Anecdotes About TOombs.
A great many anecdotes about Gen.
Toombs are new going the rounds OF the
press, the Northern press particularly.
One remarkable thing about these anec-
dotes is that not one Of them is new, and
another one is that very few OF them are
/ correctly narrated.
There are a number Of versions or
Toomb's and Ben. Wade's alleged antipa-
thy to each other. one is TO the effect
/ that after Wade's celebrated speech on
/ the homestead bill friend Of Toombs
went TO him and asked him TO retract the
offensive words, stating that Toombs
would challenge him. 1t Is stated that
| Wade replied that that was just what he
wanted, as he was a dead shot, and had
! picked out the fiery Georgian as his game.
1t is claimed that Wade said afterwards,
IF old Toombs had challenged me that
time, as ! expected he would, l would
have made him put patch on his coat
the size of dollar over his heart, and the
old fellow would have got demoralized
when be saw me drawing a bead on it,
and - me il wouldn't have cut the
patch"
Another writer states that Wade's
reply to friend of Toombs was; 81 know
nothing OF your duello. l come from a
section Of country where such proceed
ings are discOuntenanced, but if you, or
you, or you" indicating them in turn,
'desire any satisfaction from me l viii
80 with you into the capitol grounds, and,
with the weapons which God mas given
me, | Will pound you to death" He
stood there for a moment like raging
lion, says the writer, while Toombs and
his friends hastily betoOk themselves to
another part of the room.
Still another writer gives this version,
which he says was from the lips of w ade
himself: enc messenger from Mr.. Toombs
waited upon him, but James Watson
Webb came and asked what he intended
to do in case of challenge. q expect to
kill him. said Wade. But no challenge
came. The seats OF the two Senators
were near together. For two or three
DAYS TOombs was busy all the time
writing and franking documents, with
out ever looking up. At the end of the
third day he yawned and stretched him
self, and then, casting glance at Wade,
he said: / don't see the use of a mans
making a ID fool of himselfv"
Another version of the affair is to the
effect that Wade took his seat just across
the aisle from that of Toombs with the
stubborn resolve not to be the first to
speak, but that in two or three days
! TOOmbs made a remark to him about some
ordinary matter, when they at once en-
tered into an apparently friendly CONVEX
sation. Nothing is said about any talk of
friend of Toombs with Wade in relation
| to challenge.
The alleged boast of Gen. Toombs that
he would call the roll OF his slaves at the
foot Of Bunker Hill monument has been
mentioned by nearly all the Northern pa
pers, with variations. One Chicago paper
sayshe Dragged that "the crack OF the slave
drivers whip would be heard on Bunker
| HILL" A few Of these papers have given
him credit for his denial that he ever made
any such expressions, yet none of them
seem to have remembered that he claimed
that there never had been any law to pre-
vent his calling the roll of his slaves on
| Bunker Hill if he had desired to do so.
Another anecdOte Of Gen. Toombs is
regarded as one Of his happiest conceits,
and is being copied by many newspapers.
1t is about Northern friend, who, in a
bantering way, said: ''Well, General,
you must admit that we licked you"
Clicked us! No, sir! No such thing
was the reply, 1--WE wore ourselves out
/ whipping you"
There are hundreds, perhaps thousands,
of brilliant sayings of Gen. TOomos, and
interesting anecdotes about the great
Georgian that will doubtless be published
in the near future. Those which can be
authenticated would constitute a very
popular volume.