St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-07-23
CHATS WITH TRAVELLERS.

Senator Pethgrew, of South Dakota,
was seen by a GLOBE reporter yester-
day during a brief visit to st. Paul.
which. by the way, is the favorite visit
ing place of the Pickerel statesman
when away from home.
Senator, your prediction in the
GLOBE Of Thursday, July IS, that the
fight to repeal the Sherman law may
last year is apparently being verified"
why, certainly it is. Any one who
has given the matter thought must re-
alIZe that the silver men are not going
to lie down without putting up the best
fight they know how. No man can tell
just what The effort at repeal will ulti-
mately resultIn."
what do you think of Robert G. In
gersoll's theory that this is bankers
panic?'
Our financial system is such that
we must have panic about every so
often. Our land is rich, our people
prosperous and careful. industrious
and frugal; yet these so-called panics
come to plague US at short intervals. 1t
is nonsense to talk of the Sherman law
as the sole cause of the present fius-
tered state of affairs. There is some
defect in our system beneath it all,
something more deeply rooted and
fundamental than the Sherman law.
Until we rectify this hidden defect we
shall probably never be rid of panics
As for the present tightness in financial
matters being the result of bankers
panic, l am inclined to think about
everybody is tangled M in it, -
~
''Do you know George Cochran, who
runs the only hotel at La Prairie ?'
asked Carl Judson at the Merchants
last evening. "WelI, l saw him the
other day, and he told me story that is
too good to keep" AS everybody knows
who is acquainted with Judson, ne is an
interesting racOnteur, and he has an in
nate relish for the humorous and the
groteSque.
Il saw Cochran the other day, and he
entertained me with some "reminiscences
of former days that must interest all of
the old-timers. One story in particular
was about Gen" James Farrell, the
popular caller at the union depot.
Cochran was at the time cook on the
steamer Gold Eagle, and Farrell was
the genial clerk of the Robbins house
in La Crosse. Farrell had been telling
his friends of his accuracy with the shot
gun. He was doubted, and the sceptIcS
were defied. Finally it was arranged to
have little hunt over opposite La
Crosse, near La Crescent. Farrell and
Cochran made up the party. Farrell
got a muZZle-loader, powder horn that
would last throughout a months siege,
and pOnderous shot bag, and each was
filled to plethora with ammunition.
~
The hunt was undertaken one bright
November morning, and the two crossed
the river. Farrell was so loaded down
with his accoutrement that in crossing
the slOughs he came near being mired
he was i'll quest of ducks, but not a
duck was magnanimouS enough to show
up. The hunt was continued until the
noon hour without an adventure. Ii
was tramp, tramp through sloughS and
quagmireS and nothing else. The thing
was growing decidedly mOnotOnouS.
No gunpoWder had been burned, nor
was there any immediate indication
that there would be for week. Finally
one Of those nOndeScript birds known in
parlance vulgar as thunder pumps
was suddenly eSpied standing on limb
of a tree hard by.
See that" cried Farrell. See
me fix him. and he at once began
moving up on the unsuspecting bird of
prey. He went within a yard and
opened fire. The bird hoped up Just
one limb higher Oh the three, and there
he sat as cOmplacently as If nothing
had occurred. 'Confound his i'm
pudence.' muttered Farrell, and lie
took aim again. Another charge of shot
was sent in the direction OF the tree,
and once more the bird took position
little higher. Farrell reloaded his
weapon, and two more charges were
discharged with precisely the same re-
suits. The bird was now on the top
most limb of the tree, and could be
chased no further. He handed his gun
over to Cochran, and with a sad heart
the two returned to La Crosse"
IT
II have had some very funny hotel
experiences" said travelling man 10
GLOBE reporter yesterday. "Hhree l
especially remember. One night l ar
rived at little Out-of-the-way place
with one hoStelry. 1t was late at night,
and L tried in vain to get bite to eat.
but the Boniface. a garrulouS old Ger
man, innOcently inquired why L had not
arranged to come In on an earlier train
so as to arrive in time for supper. He
declined to look around for even
lulCu' apoiOSellCdIiy reIndIhlllS GtldL Ills
wife had put away all the Viands for
the night. and he disIlked to disturb
her; so l went off to bed hungry. He
took tallow candle, inserted in beer
bottle, and showed me TO my bed.
Il had heard of beds before, but this
was "a corKer.' There was a feather
bed below and one above, causing the
bed above the springs to raise its dizzy
height about four or five feet into the
air. | innOcently asked for a steplad-
der to get into the bed with, and the
landlord retired in disgust. After UNI
dressing | mounted chair and vauIted
into the bed. l found myself between
two feather ticks. and l began to sink
so far into the downy mass that was
really alarmed lest should go to some
unknown depth. 1t was cold night,
but managed to get warmth fact, |
fairly reeked with perspiratiOn. At
breakfast next morning l found the bill
of fare so dubious that nearly starved. !
The only thing L could eat was some
watermelon pickles, which | washed
down with the Eilest coffee you ever
heard OFF,
Another time l went to little town