Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-11-05
"REMINISCENCES OF PUBLIC
MEN.
BY BEN: pERLEY PooRE.

terest, and while all parties in the
House We're in doubt as to what might
be the ultimate course Of Mr.. Giddings
and his confreres, the Hon. Mr.. Critten-
den came into the hall, and near the
door was joined by the Hon. Mr. Mar
shall. But q moment was permitted
them for communication, when MIR.
Glddings went forward, and taking Mr..
Crittenden warmly by the hand, with
recognition of Mr.. Marshall at the same
time, he said: "Who could have be-
lieved this of me, that 1 should be
found with you, following you? But,
while / have spent long life in fight
ing against enemies, and am ready still
to fight them, [ have never fought, and
cannot now fight, against my friends. I
remember we'll the occasion when, the
ban of exclusion having been passed
upon me in this House, 1 had taken my
hat and was about leaving, 1 met you
Mr.. Crittenden, with Henry Clay, at
the door, and that you each gave me,
in that moment of trial, the warm hand
OF sympathy and friendship. I do not
forget, for the great ends sake, strange
as it may seem to some, and censured
as may be by many In memory of
the past, I am with you, go with you. {"
A gush Of the warm tears of true
patriotism here came forth from the
three so united, and the fate of Lee
compton in the House was so sealed past
redemption.
Nine. Ida Pfeiffer was a professional
tourist who visited Washington in 1853,
and died some four years afterward.
She was small, plain, active old lady,
who received from Col. Forney the title
OF Queen of the Deadheads. She ex-
pected to travel free Of expense, and if
she carried letter of introduction to
any one, without being Immediately in
vited to make his house her home and
his purse her bank, she was pretty sure
to chronicle his want OF hospitality i'll
her next book. She wrote exceedingly
we'll, observed closely, had great recol-
lection, and, though she told some very
wonderful stories, did not draw the
long bow much more than travellers
often are accustomed to do. AS she
was two-thirds of her time on the wing,
travelling at any and everybody's cost
but her own, and her various books
always sold largely. Nine. Ida Pfeitfer
must have realized considerable
amount of money. She was more than
40 years old before she took up her pill
grim's staff. During the following
twenty-one years she was the incarna
ton of feminine restlessness.
Gen. Fitz John Porter, who has re
Gently been restored to his position ii
the army, from which he was expelled
by court-martial organized to convict
used to narrate his experience as al
amateur aeronaut. When Gen. Nc
Clellan started up the peninsula con t.
Richmond" he organized balloon
corps, under the command Of Prof. L
S. Lowe. The corps was composed o
the professor, three assistants, F'ieno
Mason, and Allen, with ten enlisted
men, chosen from sailors who had en-
listed in the army. They were pre-
ferred because they We're accustomed t.
handling ropes. When they reached
the peninsula they had three balloons
and wherever they were at the tim,
they had, in addition to their regula
service, thirty additional men detailed
from the regiments conveniently near
who, when they moved, were returned
to their regiments, and when the.
found new location thirty other mel
were detailed from other regiments
and SO on, it requiring large number o
men to hold the balloons while the,
were being inflated and to do othe
necessary work. One morning, whe1
tho army was before Yorktown, Gen
Porter thought he would ascend in on
of the balloons, and take q look at TIL
Confedcrates, rope being attached t.
the car to haul him back to terra firm
when he should give the signal. b,
the balloon had not risen far when tn
rope parted, and the balloon rose a
once with great rapidity. Gen. Porter
no doubt knowing that he was adrift
hallooed over the side OF the car
"What shall i do?" end Allen, who ha'
charge Of the ascension, cried, "Pull TIL
rope over your head!' which was tn
valve rope. Probably the General di
not hear him, for the balloon rose to
great height, and for a time was owe
the Confederate position. Some of til
anxious spectators in the Union arm
declared that the balloon was fired a
by the Confederates, but Gen. Porte
did not believe this. After he had bee
ND about half an hour he descended
the balloon landing upon the tent of
musician of the Baxter Fire Zouave<
When the car reached the ground h
asked, with evident concern, "Wher
am II" and being told, "In the camp {
the Seventy-second Pennsylvania, h