The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-02-16
S o. AFour JINLANc
Two Lies That No One Believed, but
Which Answered Sis Purpose.

Which Answered Eis Purpose.
From the Kansas City Star.
It was March /, 1861, and a special cleo
ton was pending 60 fill a vacancy in the
Kansas House, in the Eighth district. in
Douglas county. The Candidates were WAL
ter B. Davis and L. L. Jones, the former
The contest was heated about
seven times hotter than usual, even for
those days. The leader OF the opuC sition
In Clinton was ALI Curtis. lawyer
of some note, an ambitious politician who
had been in the territorial legislature two
years before. He was somehow ''lost in
the shuffisn and died too soon. He was an
active fellow and made no end Of trouble
for the followers of Lane around Clinton.
The grim chieftainn appointed a meeting,
and gave it out that there was going to be
trouble. That was enough; the whole coun.
try was on hand.
Lane was behind time. as usual, but not a
man moved or became impatient. When he
had at last arrived they made way for him
as though he had been a king. He strobe
to the platform, and, handing his hat to one
Of those nearest him and his cloak to an
other, without introduction or preliminary
remarks began his speech. His words were
incisive, his sentences epigrammatic, and
his manner violent from the start Ee re-
viewed the Kansas struggle in fewer words
and with greater force than would have
been possible for any other man of his time.
As he proceeded he unloosened his vocabu-
vocabulary of invectives and hurled ana
themas right and left. Men lodged as il
from measles, and quaked under his denun-
citation like children in thunderstorm
He threw aside his coat, then his vest and
finally tore his collar from his neck and ex-
posed his hairy, bulldog breast His long
hair tossed from side to side, his bony arms
assaulted imaginary foes in every direction,
his eyes glistened like a madma IS, aud
tobacco saliva dropped from the corners OF
his cruel mouth.
He claimed everything. He was the
savior of Kansas. His friends were the
disciples of savior and their opponents
were public enemies and outlaws. He set
up men of straw and knocked them down
promiscuously. He attributed to his OPP
ponents the most preposterous sentiments,
and imputed sayings that would have
shamed thief. Any other man would
have been mobbed or hooted out of the
country. And vet he was received as one
inspired and lis sayings as gospel. 1t
would have been roaring farce if it had
not been a raging tragedy.
Finally Curtis called him a liar.
Lane glanced at him but finally went on
Presently, as if thought had struck him.
he sprang to his coat and snatched piece
of paper from his pocket. Then, opening it
before the audience, he said; Here is the
evidence for what say: Here is letter
written by ALI Curtis to this man Jones, in
which he tells him to never mind the set
tiers in the Rock Creek valley, because they
are only damned cornbread eaters. quote
his exact language"
YOU'RE liar,n shouted Curtis.
Suddenly lowering his voice from his
IL. 81 -
Lane said: my friends, Jim Lane is no
saint. But back on the old Indiana home.
stead he learned some cardinal truths and
imbibed some sterling principles from his
old MOTHERHOOD bless her. In those old
days of primitive honesty, when we were
glad to get cornbread to eat, he was taught
to respect womans virtue, and although he
may have been derelict in other directions
and 1t is his constant lament that he is not
better man, Jim Lane never took advantage
OF woman. Jim Lane a libertine! Great
Godln
This exclamation he fairly shrieked Then
he continued in qnieter tone: slim Lane
never took advantage of his position with
a little brief authority as a member Of the
Kansas legislature, at Topeka to beguile
fair girl. the idol OF her ,parents;. from the
path OF virtue debasely betrax her, and
then laugh at her calamity until, In her
desperation, she threw herself il, the path of
prairie fire aud was CONSUMED !, Aid yet,
Great God ALT Cuptisadid that very thing. u
The meeting was instantly aas6dIshed by
wave of Lanes hand, and in thesghrong
and darkness and1wild ltumulta Of applause
Curtis was powerless to utrsr a word in de-
NAL. And yet not d man believed either lie.
They admired the talk Of d mad whose fer
tile brain could evolve such subterfuges as
the cornbread story and the seduction Sian
der. Lane boasted of it ol1tsida tn his
henchmen before he left the crowd.
Davis was elected
Jones was killed at Wilson's creek.