Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1891-04-25
TALES OF CONGRESSMAN.
Mr.. STONE, OF KENTUCKY, AND
HOW He WAS RESCUED.
Bluff George TiIlman-wheE Senator Ber-
ny Was "a School Teacher-An Uniden-
tiled Congressman-A Romance In the
Life OF Every Statesman.
[speclal Correspondepee.l

Especial Correspondence
WASHINGTON, March When we sat In
she galleries Of the house and senate a
week or so ago and watched the closing
performances Of the Fifty-first congress-
it was upon "a commonplace. weary, toll
Ing, practical lot of men that we looked
down. Ordinarily one would not think
there was much except the prosaic and
the humdrum in these statesmen. Bat
now that the congress is gone and It's mem-
bers have departed, one reflects that in the
lives Of many of them there were inciden
savoring of the dramatic or the sentiment
al. Statesmen have their romanees, like
other people, after all For instance, one
easily calls before his minds eye Mr.. Stone
of Kentucky, who has long been one Of the
most conspicuous men on the floor OF the
house.
Imagine tall, big framed man, with a
huge head and broad smile-why are
crippled men always good natured and
happy9-moving about the hall on a crutch,
laughing and joking with this member or
that, and now and then bringing upon the
floor a fayorite little daughter. Thus you
have before You our first hero. That
erutchi But for it this story would not
have to be told. At least Mr.. Stone would
not appear in IL. A quarter Of a ceAtury
ago Mr.. Stone was strapping lad on his
fathers farm in Kentucky. When the war
between the states broke out he concluded
Notwithstanding his youthfulness, to take
a hand In the scrimmage, as did so many
Of the boys and striplings of the day
Which side young Stone enlisted on it Is
not necessary to state in this story. 1t is
sufficient TO say that one summer evening,
rs the sun was setting behind bank Of
haze and smoke rising from battle field
not far from the border line between Ken
lucky and Tennessee, the farmers lad
found himself lying fat on his back, alone
in bit Of underbrush, and with his life's
blood pouring out OF a gaping wound in
his leg re5ently he began to feel faint
and drowsy, and his previous efforts to
crawl away having resulted in failure, he
resigned himself to the comforting embrace
OF the goddess Of slumber Without dou &
this would have been his last sleep hId not
another goddess happened that way.
A young woman, the daughter of a
farmer living near the battlefield, was
somewhat timidlY going across lots to a
neighbours house when she stumbled upon
the body Of young soldier, battle stained
and bloody At first she thought him deak
ard was about to pass on with shudder
when some irresistible impulse drew her
toward the still and CHASTITY body. 1t is
not necessary 20 tell the remainder Of the
story. II Is a romance which the veriest
tyro can complete without knowing the
facts. The young girls impulse TO turn
back, or whatever il was saved the life Of
young soldier Stone, who lay there fast
bleeding to death. She quickly discovered
that he was a i've, and lost no time in hay-
ing him conveyed TO her fathers house aud
his wound attended 10y surgeons. His lie
was saved but the limb was ultimately
lost And the young woman, who nursed
her patient through long but not weary
msnthsY Why, of course, she is the mother
OF the pretty little girl whom we saw last
week playing with her fathers crutch on
the floor of the house OF representatives.
! just before the adjournment of congress
saw ON the floor of the senate u man
about whom many romances have been
woven, some Of them entitled 10 respect rs
being Of real life. 1t was Senator-elect
Irby, of South Carolina, who has succeed
ed to the title and the seat so long pos
sessed by brave old Wade Hampton. When
Mr.. Irby WAS a much younger man than he
is now he was rather wild and reckless
, Becoming involved in some difficulty In
his native state, his father thought it best
for him to 20 away for time till the
troubled watars could become calm, Ac.
cordingly tn young man was sent out to
Arkansas, where he visited q former frieli
OF his fathe., DR.. Jacques For joke he
assumed a fictitious name, just TO surprise
his fathers friends, and as Mrs. Jacques
had not seen Irby since re WAS small
boy, she said to the stranger on his arrival
ut her door, 80 you are from the old state
OF South Caroluas | wonder il you knew
the Irbys? \ on did, Well, | want to in.
uuire about them Irby boys. Their pa and
ma were just as nice folks as ever lived,
but them boys were suamps II there ever
were any. / shouldn't be "a bit surprised
TO hear they had all been hung" At
this juncture the new senator, who tells
the story on himself. confessed his iden-
tity, and promised the good woman he
would, on returning home, take warning
from her. and try to live such a life there
after that the gallows should not get him.
I This pretty little story calls TO mind a
romance in the career of another south
Carolina statesman, none other than bluit
old George Tillman, one Of the most hon
est, highly respected and able men in the
delegation from that state. Like the nev
senator from South Carolina, Mr., TIllman
when a young mau was inclined 70 be wild
and reckless After the fashion OF most Of
the young men of his DIV and many -
those of this, lac played cars, even gam
bled, and sometimes imbibed of strong
drink. On 1ue occasion he became ia-
vo!ved in a quarrel with man at the card
table. Young 1illman was sitting la a
club house playing with one or two friends
when, dispute arising, a man standlnsi
who was NOT concerned in the game and
with WI. IN Ttllman had not been on 60 4
term -4ale some offensive remarks, TIL
mgt -,Scuted this interference, and, ON
to oT,nse being repeated with s0ch az
.,rayat.Uu as amounted TO insult, o.,
youps man rose from the table and VITA
out a word, but with movements rs q-.O,
as a tigers, plunged his knife into Z
heart OF his tormeutor ami enemy On
course there was nothing for it but flight
'arl the unfortunate youth disappears
from the star. During his absence he Wa
tried under an old Soath Carolina law and
sen enced 70 the peniteutAry. To a year
or 20. acting on the advice OF his relations
and friends, Tillman returned 20 Sout.