Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-03-05
How Lincoln Stopped Criticisms.

How Lin coin Stopped Criticisms.
General Porter contributes an inter-
esting paper on Lincoln and Grant
to The CenlNry for October, from
which we quote the following oharac-
tcristic auccdote: Grants successes
brought with them the usual number
of jsalousies and rivalries. Political
generals had their advocates in WASH
ington to plead their cause, while
Grant stood without friends at court.
His detractors gathered at times a
great deal OF strength in. their efforts,
q supplant him Will, 4 gener;.l of their
own choosing, and Lincoln was hsset
by many a delegation WHO insisted
that nothing would harmonize matters
in tho West but Grants removal.
This nagging continued even alter 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 I 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. Pombcrton's army, and in
sisting that tho rebels would violate
their paroles and in less than month
confront you again in the ranks. and
have to BE- whipped all over again, I
thought l should got rid of them best
by telling them story about Sykes 8
dog. Have you ever heard about
Sykes's dog? said l to the spokesman
of the delegation. He said he hadn't.
Well, must tell you about lin, 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 bad thing for dogs, you
| know. These boys didn't share
Sykes's 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 a prejudice was grow
ing up against that dog that Threatened
to wreck all his future prospects in
! life. The boys, after meuitating how
! they could got the best OF him, finally
fixed up q cartridge with long fuse,
put the cartridge iu q piece OF meat,
dropped the me1t III. the road in front
of Sykes's door. and then perched
themselves on fence a good distance
off with the end of the fuse in their
hands. Then they whistled for the
dog. When he came out he scented
tho bait. and bolted the meat cart.
ridge and all. The boys touched of
the fuse with a cigar, and in about q
+ second a report came from that dog
that sounded like small clap o
thunder. Sykes came bouncing out O.
the house, and yelled:
What's up! Anything busted?'
There was no reply except :
snicker from the small boys roostint
on the fence; but rs Sykes looked NJ
he saw the whole air filled with piece
of yellow dog. He picked up tn.
biggest piece he could find, portion
of the back with a part of the tail still
hanging to it. and after turning j
around and looking it all over he said
We'll, l guess he'll never be mucl
account again=-as dog And
| guess Pemberton's forces will neve
be much account again--as an army.
1.-The delegation began looking
| around for their hats before / hat
! quite got to the end OF the story. and
was never bothered any more afte
| that about superseding the commando
of the Army OF the Tennessee"