The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-11-22
He BEAT JEHU BAKER.
Something of the Man Who Knocked
Out Bill Morrison's Successor.


Out Bill Morrison's Successor.
From the Pittsburg Dispatch.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 17.-Great curiosity
is manifested here to see the individual who
defeated Jehu Baker, the member OF con-
gress from the Eighteenth district Of Illinois.
Jehu attracted great deal of attention
when he bobbed up as Col Morrison's sue
cessor in the Fift.eth congress. He had, 1t
was conceded, mortgage on the district,
and, according to the say-so of the republl-
cans, bad sure thing SO far as reelection
was concerned.
The democrats nominated as their candl-
date William S. Forman of Nashville. This
gentleman had held various county offices,
and four years service in the state Senate
had put him i'll The line of promotion for the
lower house of congress. He is Morrison
democrat dyed in the wool. The tariff re-
| formers feel very kindly toward Forman,
and are elated over Forman's success.
There are four of the Forman brothers,
and all of them live in the Eighteenth dis
trct of Illinois. The family came from the
far south, and SETTLED in EGYPT" many
years ago. A political fight i'll Southern
Illinois sometimes assumes the proportions
of vendetta. The Formans may, in emer-
gencies of this nature, be reliei on to act as
a unit. The candidacy of one of the quar-
tette brings the three brothers to the center
of the table, and it is fight to the finish
every time.
ALWAYS VICTORIOUS.
Many a tussle have the Formans had in
years gone by, and they have scored an I'M
broken series of victories. Everybody in
"Egyp." realized the intensity of Forman's
candidacy for congress and its consequence.
1t meant that every Forman, with his rela-
tives by blood and marriage, his lands,
%,,,o 10, ia.
horses, mules and earthly treasures, would,
| if necessary to Bills success, be cast into
the mawS of the voters of the Eighteenth
district. They started in to trim up Jehu
Baker, and they trimmed him by a majority
of II.
The Formans have a peculiar custom
| regarding the expenses of a campaign IN
which any one of their numberi is interested.
| AT er the deal is finished the brothers meet
and estimate the amount of money likely to
be needed in the campaign The aggregate
| is divided by four. and each Forman stands
| his part of the fund.
William L. Forman is almost so years of
! age, a square built, sallow man, about six
| feet IN hight. His physique would lead the
casual observer to the belief that he could
not endure the hardships and toll of cam
paign, but he is as tough as a pine knot.
He is accustomed to the rough roads of
| Southern Illinois. Some of the hotels in
| that part of the country are rather
| PRIMITIVE AND UNCOMFORTABLE.
They have great four-poster bedsteads,
with mattresses filled with rye-stTaw
| Such pill Ows were never before known
little bard things, not much larger than
| scent loaves of bread. But the beds, and
| the roads and victuals are nothing to Bill
| Forman. Even the deadly Egyptian whisky
has no terrors for him.
Mr.. Forman is a temperate man, a good
| lawyer and a ready debater. He is very
| firm in his convictions, and cannot be
swerved by excitement or passion.
the old Eighteenth is one of the note
worthy districts of the west. The names
of Morrison, Baker and Forman are inter
woven in its history. Only the other day
Col. Morrison was giving an account Of the
circumstances under which he first saw
Jehu Baker.
81 went to McKendree college when a
boy" said the colonel, land arrived at the
school one night in the early fall. The next
morning, after breakfast, my roommate and
myself took a walk through lane. About
| half mile from school | spied a shock
headed youth. He was seated on a log I'M
der tree by the roadside, and was reading
book. | remember he wore boot anu
shoe, and never looked at us at all. asked
my companion as to the identity of the stu
dious lad, and received the answer that it
was Jayhew Baker, l have met Jayhew'
quite number of times since"