Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-04-09

kEPREsENTATIvE PHELAN SICK But sAUCY-HIS
wARIIKE LETTER TO RIVAL HISTORIAN
SAID RIVAL TREATS THE MESSAGE WITH coz
TENPT-wHAT WILL THE HARVEST BE2
wAsHISGroS. D. C.. April 8. 1890
John NJ. Fleming. Knoxville. Tenn
When l wrote from AIKEN had not seen your letter
10 the Memphis Commercial You are a liar, coward
and scOundrel. Will await your message here and
come TO Knoxville 10 arrange preliminaries
JAMES PHELAN.
This dispatch was sent by Representative
Phelan to SIr. Fleming, editor of the Knoxville
CTenn.) Sntinel, three days ago. and duel
was expected to follow in as short space of
time necessary for the arrangement of pre-
liminaries." Both men are editors and au-
thors. Mr. Phelan having left his editorial chair
TO take seat in Congress.
The trouble between them grew out Of the
fact that each was writing school history of
Tennessee and that Mr.. Phelan issued his first.
MIR. Fleming severely criticised Mr.. Phelan s
book and SAID number of things about both Mr.
Phelan and his book. which the latter under
stood to reflect upon his character. Among
other things he declared that Mr.. Phelan was
using his influence 5 n public man and leading
politician to advance the interest of his book
at the public expense. The war has been going
on for some time and 1t was supposed to be
drawing toward peaceful end by mutual re-
traction of epithets. but Mr.. Fleming renewed
the attack in publication which called forth
Mr. Phelan's dispatch
HISTORIAN FLEMING FLoUrs THE CODE
dispatch from Memphis relates that Mr.
Fleming has received Mr.. Phelans communica-
ton and that ne has no intention of sending or
OF accepting challenge In a reply to Mr.
phelan Mr.. Fleming says: when
say to you that the reading of your wrathful
telegram excited first amazement. then amuse-
ment. tempered with pity, tell you simple
truth. You say you will await your (my) mes
sage here and come TO knoxville to arrange
preliminaries. What message, pray. did you
expect from me? Did you imagine that such
an ebullitlOn of puerile rage could seriously
disturb me for n single moment. did Won in
tend 1t for challenge to hostile combat. or
had you the superlatlye vanity to suppose that
/ would feel called OH to challenge you?
Let ME assure you your epithets affect me
not in the WAY designed ordinarily. IL would
be otherwise, but. lnasmuch as my letter to the
Memphis Commercial to which you refer as
having excited your wrath. simply. plainly and
lncontestibly proved you to have been deliber-
ately and meanly guilty OF the moral offense
implied IN your first epithet. you ought to see
that your own scurriity is but evidence the i'm
portance OF conscious guilt. This much by way
Of serious explanation.
Now, my dear exasperated historian, con-
slder IN what grotesque position you have
placed yourself. You hold a seat in Congress
from district in Tennessee. You have as
sumed to become teacher of the children of
the state as a historian IN public schools. You
ought to know, and are presumed to know the
constitutional and legal penalties against the
giving. sending, or accepting of a challenge to
fight duel lOu ought to know that in
almost every possible aspect of the business it
Is a felony punishable by Imprisonment in the
penltentlary. In times past the men
who have specially commanded my admiration
were those who had the courage to treat with
contempt the demand OF the duelist While
recognizing and insisting upon the manly
right Of -loFo I -,
prised but recently TO find that you had lived
with so little learning as not to have known
that the barbarOus role in which you have seen
Mt 10 display yourself no longer serves to give
responsibility among even that weaker class
that once thought II chivalrous to make even a
bIOOdless exhibition of mock courage on the
so-called field of honor have treated your
warhke message as seriously its ludicrous
character permitted"
Mr.. Phelan Is supposed TO be dying of con-
sumption He has not been able to attend the
sessions of this Congress and his return to
Washington at this time was on account of the
contest for his seat
The Atmosphere of the Sun and Earth.
To the Editor Of The EVENING STAB:
brief but interesting article appeared in
last evenings issue of your paper on the effect
OF the disturbances in the atmosphere of the
sun on the earth. l think enough attention
has not been given to this subject Some wears
ago-1s59 and lS60-having my own private
observatory and 6-inch refracting telescope
OF only ZIG power, made some observations
which decidedly impressed me with the i'm
portance Of the study of the changes aud dis
turbances In the suns atmosphere in connec-
ton with the electrical changes In our planet,
and consequently storm-producing effects
Having my thermometer by my side and noting
the disturbances in the suns atmosphere-the
opening and closing of what is commonly
called the sun spots" and the furious storms
which whlrled over Its surface-I discovered
that as soon as light could convey to my eve
through the telescope the changes in the suns
atmosphere that instant my thermometer indi-
Gated the changes IN our atmosphere. For
instance, as soon as great openings would APP
pear. that is, the dark spots increase in area
that instant our atmosphere changed to cool or
very cold although 1t was in July, always too.
just In proportion TO the size of the openings
IN the luminous atmosphere and showing
more or less, the opaque body of the sun. So
on the other hand. when, in the progress of the
storms on the suns surface, the openings di-
mlnished. just in proportion our atmosphere
instantly changed TO warmth and heat
j. A. WHITAKER.