Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-03-28
Fifteen Months IN Washington City
BY A BOHEMIAN.

1t was about the LIST OF May, 1876, when
Col. G.. w. Alexander, business manager
of the Memphis Appeal, resigned the posi-,
ton. lie had heard of the death OF
William j. Florence, member of congress
from Philadelphia, and determined to &c
TO Washington City and lease the Sunday
Gazette, which was published by Mr.
Florence, aud which had u large sub.
sCrlption list He notified me that he
had leased the paper for five years, and
invited me to assist him In the manage
ment of the paper. | arrived In Washing.
ton City on the 10Th OF June, and immedi.
ately went into training for the manage
ment OF a weekly. | was business
manager, bill collector and city editor OF
the Gazette for fifteen months. | was
paid enough by the paper TO defray the
expenses OF renting room and incidental
expenses. For board and other neces.
sary expense ! resorted to extensive ad-
vertisement of restaurants and hotels in
the vicinity of the office, and for three
months breakfasted, dined and supped
at different places. ! stopped at the st.
George restaurant one day for lunch and
discovered that the proprietor was j. A.
Sample of the firm of Sample & Mitchell,
who, for ten years before the war, mo-
nopolized the clothing business in the city
of Memphis. For ten-line "adn and 4
well-wrtten "local" every Sunday | Sc
cured board for six months. This was O
time Of great and stirring events.
For the first time since the war the Dem
ocrats had majority of the house OF
representatives, the senate being still
Republican. During the long session
there was a continual discussion OF wal
| questions ana constant attempt to res.
urrect the "bloody shirt" Ben Butler
introduced bill In the house known as
the "Force Bill,n which has covered him
with infamy and dishonor, the object be.
ing to rule the Southern states by mill.
tary force. The South was rescued from
ruin and desolation by the resolute con.
duct OF Congressman Randall, the leader
OF the Democratic majority, who kept the
| house in session for seventp-two hours,
when Butler acknowledged defeat and
withdrew the bill, amid n concert of hiss.
es by the Democrats.
was IN the reporters gallery when
Blaine of Maine was pitted against Ben
llill of Georgia. The subject of discus
sion was Blaine's charge OF the cruelty OF
the Confederate guards at Andersonyille,
Georgia. The galleries were crowded
with the elite OF the capital CITY, aud
hundreds We're standing Blaine gave in
detail the charges against the guards,
aud exhibited continually his Republican
malice and spite. He purposely
perverted facts and lost his temper
IN the effort to prove baseless charge.
He imagined that he would terrify
the Democrats by waving the bloody
shirt, but he discovered after one hours
speaking that he had proved nothing.
Wnen Ben Hill arose there was breath
less silence. Blaine sat in a front seat
ON the left of the speakers desk, tapping
the seat with pen-holder with a savage
expression upon his countenaoce which
suggested tiger lashing his tail and pre-
pairing to spring upon his prey. Ben
nm was both logical and eloquent. He
began with the statement that facts
showed that the charges were false, lie
Traced Sherman's march from Atlanta to
Savannah and described how middle
Georgia was left desert, that Sherman
burned mills, houses and fences, de.
stroyed crops and lett behind the ashes
OF homes which had sheltered wives and
children who were left without shelter or
food, He exhibited the fact that the