Bridgeton pioneer., 1885-12-03


General Porter contributes an inter-
esting paper on "Lincoln and Grant"
to The Century for October, from
which we quote the following charac-
teristic anecdote: Grants successes
brought with them the usual number
OF jealousies and rivalries. Political
generals had their advocates in Wash
lngton to plead their cause, while
Grant stood without friends at court.
His detractors gathered at times II
great deal OF strength in their efforts
to suppIant him with u general of their
own choosing, and Lincoln was beset
by many a delegation who insisted
that nothing would harmonize matters
in the West but Grants removal.
This nagging continued even after his
great triumph at Vicksburg.
Lincoln always enjoyed telling the
General, after the two had become
personally intimate, how the cross
roads wiseacres had criticised his cam
paigns. One day, after dwelling for
some time on this subject he said to
Grant: After Vicksburg | thought it
was about time to shut down on this
sort OF thing So one day, when a
delegation came to see me and had
spent half an hour trying to show me
the fatal mistake you had made in
paroling Pemberton's army, and in
sisting that the rebels would violate
their paroles and in less than month
confront you again in the ranks, and
have to be whipped all over again,
thought | should get rid of them best
by telling them a story about Sykes's
Sykes dog? said | to the spokesman
Well, must tell you about him, said
l. Sykes had yellow dog he set
great store by, but there were lot of
small boys around the village, and
that's always a bad thing for dogs, you
know. These boys didn't share
Sykess views, and they were not dis
posed to let the dog have fair show.
Even Sykes had to admit that the dog
was getting unpopular; in fact it was
soon seen that Il prejudice was grow
ing up against that dog that threatened
to wreck all his future prospects in
life. The boys, after meditating how
they could get the best of him, finally
fixed up u cartridge with q long fuse,
put the cartridge in a piece of meat,
dropped the meat i'll the road in front
OF Sykess door, and then perched
themselves on fence q good distance
off with the end of the fuse in their
hands. Then they whistcd for the
dog. when he came out he scented
the bait, and bolted the meat, cart
ridge and all. The boys touched off
the fuse with cigar, and in about q
second report came from that dog
that sounded like small clap OF
thunder. Sykes came bouncing out of
the house, and yelled
{" What's up! Anything busted?'
There was no reply except
snicker from the small boys roosting
on the fence, but as Sykes looked up
he saw the whole air filled with pieces
OF yellow dog. He picked up the
biggest piece he could find, portion
of the back with a part Of the tail still
hanging to it, and after turning it
around and looking it all over he said,
We'll, | guess he'll never be much
account again-as dog. And |
guess Pemberton's forces will never
be much account again-as an army.
1.-The delegation began looking
around for their hats before | had
quite got to the end of the story, and |
was never bothered any more after
that about superseding the commander
OF the Army OF the Tennessee"