New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-02-13
"HOPfTIESr JENKINS.

Il
There were times last summer during the
period of suspense while Jenkins was engaged
IN shifting the Normanna'S passengers from
steamship to steamboat and other craft ana
waiting them back and forth between the
Jersey coast and Fire Island, occasionally TAX
ing them out TO sea a. if to dump them with
the garbage and then threatening to ling them
bodily against the armed conStabulary of up
risen Babylon. when all the Normanna pas
scngcrs and all their friends on shore and
pretty much everybody else came penlousy
near losing confidence in jenkins. Ii was
known of course. that the great political or
canizaton to which we are indebted for clean
streets. freedom from peStllcncc and crime
honest elections an upright judiciary and IN
corruptiblc police, pure politics and high
standard OF public morals. had placed jenkins
at the harbor gate t. see that only proper per
sons got into the county II was also known
that the organization had confidence in him,
for he was It's brothcr-in-law. still. there
were persons on board the Normannia. and
some on land, who. not knowing precisely
what Jenkins was driving AT. or jumping Ia the
conclusion that Jenkins himself dld not know
what he was driving at criticised his 1imInlN-
tration All the time jenkins. with the d"vo-
ton 10 duty characteristic OF the men trained
by the organization TO stand mp to payroll
without ninching and with a certain fearless
ness of spirit born of the proud CONSCIOUSNESS
Of being brothcr-in-law. continued 10 load
and unload the Normannla'S passengers and
send them from one point 10 another within his
jurisdiction. not permitting them 10 land until
they had some knowledge Of the geography
of the coast and the workings of our nSttu-
tons With the exception of period or two
Of pardonablc profanity he disrgaIdcd ciitl-
cism and remained serene.
Unlike the passengers he was willing to
hide his time. Perhaps this was because. I'M
like theirs. hi, time was paid for. On Saturday
nj ght last he was rewarded for his fidelity by
q public dinner at which several hundred of his
fellow citizens sat down in front of and around
him and ate and drank with such energy and
fcrvor as are only seen when men who have
paid a high price for a dinner in honor of 4 dis
tinguiShed person apply themselves for two
or three hours II getting the worth OF their
money. But it was not 50 much the eating and
drinking "a the intellectual exercises following
them i'm which he found his reward. And the
crown of this was when Mr.. EraStns Wiman.
who acted as symposiarch, having searched all
literature for parable for Jenkins. fixed finally
upon the story Of lIoratuS at the bridge Is the
most appropriate
The banqueiers being thoroughly familiar
with the Lays Of Ancient Eomc' were struck
AT once by the aptneSS OF the alluSOn. and
when the speaker said "To-nlght it is our
privilege t. do honor 10 another lloratlrS 10
another defender Of a city greater than Rome
from an enemy more insidiouS than SeXtls.
from disaster more destructive than the siege
bclcaguering army" they broke into applause.
Jenkins himself must have been profoundly
aft ccted while as for IICiatius-woll IIoiatiis
is dead. Nor was there any doubt in the
minds Of the classical scholars around the board
as to the significance Of the alluSion to 1.-THE
enemy more in>dous than ccxtuS." No one
had 10 ask whom does he mean by Sextus?"
To the minds eye of every one of these scholars
and statesmen there rose mp N once the whole
scene at the bridge so graphically described by
Macauay. and then the counterpart OF it all
AT the entrance ID our beautiful bay where
IIoIatius' jenkins, not from any bridge but
from plain and unOStcntatOus tug at a dis
lance beyond breath of infection or touch Of
cOntagion waving the wand Of authority. held
Sextus" Godkin off shore. Mr.. Wiman well
said he was "battling against fearful odds"
For behind "Sextus'' was LCttie Collins and
she also was n kicker. likewise inSdiOuS. 1t
may be said that Mr.. Wiman's speech eloquent
classical and soul stirring as it was, lacked the
element Of fIankness. since he avoided mention
ing names, but grouped the enemies whom
lIoratils' so biaveIy held off shore under the
generic terms "diSease,' "pcstience"
cholera etc But long rs every one I'M
derstOod perfectly the illusions the effect was
the same and the discretion with which person
alitieS were avoided the occasion being pub
lie one, should be applauded rather than criti-
csed. DIR. lIoratilS" Jenkins himself showed
the same excellent judgment in his response
when, after casually referring to the fact that
as Coroners physician he had passed upon
$4,000 cases and made upward of 5000 autop-
sizes. he said, without mentioning Names that
as between "a liar and coward a craven and
cur" honest citizens "would prefer to trust
a liar"
This it will be observed. was rather vigor-