Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1888-05-11
COL InagRsoLu's BIG SPEECH.
Only by an Accident Was 1t Preserves
for Posterity to Read.
"The past rises before me like a dream.


,sTbe past rises before me like a dream
such was the opening sentence Of Col
Robert G. Ingersoll's speech at indianapolis
/ i'm 1s76. Prior TO that time he had placed in
nomination Hon. James G. Blaine at Cinc,n-
natl. He was then only lawyer at Feorla
and did not possess a national reputation.
That speech made him famous Perhaps,
without exception, the tribute paid by Inger-
soil TO the soldiers on that occasion is the
most brilliant piece of word painting in the
English language. Some have claimed that
the words Of Webster in reply to Hayne, Of
South Carolina, have never been surpassed In
terseness and eloquence, but actually there is
hardly a comparison The speech Of Web
ster was carefully prepared. That Of Inger.
soil was on the occasion Of a soldiers reunion.
1t was delivered to soldiers from a little plat
forsn hastily constructed, on the eastern side
Of the ''circle" in that city. Just as be fairly
opened his mouth and before his audience
could hear a word a band from somewhere
struck up directly in the rear Of the orator.
Laughingly he waited for the clangOr to sub
side He then began his famous speech, and
perhaps no man had ever had more complete
influence over his hearers than did Ingersol
on that occasion. Men and women cried and
were not ashamed of what might sometimes
be called weakness. There were signs Of a
storm and pattering raindrOps fell, but the
multitude stood entranced and spell bound.
That speech has made the name of Robert
G. Ingersoll imperishablr. Yet it was only
by an accident or an incident that it has
been handed down to posterity. At that
time John D. Nicholas was managing editor
Of The indianapolis Journal His shorthand
reporter was Charles w. Stagg, who then
happened to be engaged in an important
case in the supreme court As the next
best thing Nicholas took in long hand
the speech as nearly verbatim as possible,
but was so dissatisfied with the work that
he went to Col Ingersol and asked his
aid in making perfect report The colonel
said he did not have the scratch of a pencil
or the sign of a note that every word he had
spoken was eXtempore, and while he could
recall the greater portion, he could not fur
nish it conneCtedly.
As a dernier resort the newspaper man
then returned to his desk and attempted the
task of writing out that wonderful tribute to
The men who had done and dared that thiI
might be a nation. In a short time a young
man shambled up beside him and asked if he
would like report of Ingersolls speech In
his hand he held a roll Of paper, partially /.
lrown, partially white, and all dirty He .
lid his name was Platt Lewis; that he was
/ first class stenographer; that he was in .
lard luck and was ON his way from Cincin-
lati to Chicago; that he had crawled under
he platform and taken down thespeech with
he hope Of selling his work Lewis was paid
lberally, came to Chicago afterWard. where
10 became city editor of The Evening News.
Aud it is to this somewhat strange combina-
ION of circumstances that the greatest effort
{ the silver tongued orators life has been
raserved-New York Mail and Express.