Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1893-02-03
A Chat with Gaiusha Grow.
Harr7 Hall In Pitf.hnrs lima

last year Of the ScripturAl limit uf three
score years and ten. His eye is as keen.
and his voice as sound and resonant as
when. on the Fourth Of July. 1861, h. took
up the gavel as Speaker Of the Thirty
seventh Congress, called il special session
By Abraham Lincoln, to deal with tie
mighty problems that faced th- Nation in
its 81 preme struggle for existence
Mr. Grow j. another uf that generation
of Penusy !yaaia statesmen fast psssi1 :
away, and. Ike most at them. De entered
the arena of public life in the frs hl-h "f
early manhood. he was oul. 26 when III
1850, he was elected to Congress "a a Dem
ocrat from the "old W Ilnot district" Bu',
though a Democrat, he was also Free
Soiler,' as were his peJ, le. for Martin Van
Buren had carried the district in 1s4s, and
the repeal Of the Missouri Compromise in
1884 started a political revolution up there
that eliminated III 1856 in 10 900 majority
for John &. Fremont. GroE was elected
six times, thrice rs Democrat--the iAsi
time unanimously. tor the h - made 10
nomination against him-sEd thrice a. a
Republican, and was the second Pcnns. /
vanIan elected To the Spcakersh ?. the fist
having been F. A. Muhleuberg, Speaker u
the First and Third Congresses
Speaking of the political revolution up
in the WIlmoJ district. Mr.. Grow told q
story of ex-senator Charles Il. Buck-iew,
of Bloomsbury The exodus from Dru.o-
eracy to Republicanism, begun il 1896,
eliminated in 1850 Whole commuuiJi,s
went over to Lincoln. almost 10 man.
In one town IL Bradford county but Nv,
Democrats were left out Of a former Jotal
of about 400. The Democratic State Cvu
mIttee, knowing there was a easnge. bot
not realizing lis immensely, sent Ss.
Buckalew up 10 Bradford county to stump.
He had gone Ia scGOUl there anu IL Demo
cratic days had been Very popular with tut
people, and 1t was thought he could stay
the tide. He started on a three weeks
tour, but Landed back at Democratic head
quarters in Philadelphia in exactly three
days, looking discunsolate indeed.
Hello" said the Chairman, what
brought you back So sopni"
" well, " said Mr.. Buckalew, very delib-
erately, 81 went up to Canton'-the town
where this wholesale change had taken
plaee-''and at night went to my meeting.
1t was i'll a church, and the BUILDING was
packed full. | made what | considered q
tirst-class speech, and sat down thinking
had fixed them, sure. An old, gray haired
man got up and said, Gentleman, let us
give three cheers for the speaker of the
evening" and they gave them with a will.
Thinks /, Il have 'em.' And then h.
says, Now, boys, let's give three cheer'
and tiger for old Abe Lincoln and ID,
whole Republican ticket, and every
solitary man got up and eheered until the!
nearly lifted the rovf off And | left
Agib Ricketts,, ieLiiag attorney -
Wilbesbarre, and brother of Captain k.
Bruce Ricketts,, commander during the
war Of the famous Ricketts, battery, joineu
in the conversation, which turned upon III,
proneness of people generally To pictu"
prominent men III their heads as tail, struu =
and distinguished in appearance. Captain
Ricketts, is u rather short. slight man, ano
in boy hood was known as 'Runt" Ricketts,
his elder brothers being all men # more
than ordinary stature
But mis- battery blazed a fiery pathway
on many a battlefield. At Gettysburg Il
stood on East Cemetery Hill, aud whun
the Louisiana Tigers charged up 10 til
summit and turned one of their own guu'
upon the men. there was a hand-tu-hane
fight unequaled for ti-rceuess IN modrir
warfare. Revoivers Dayonets, hand spikes
shuvels. piekaxes ana stuues were nv
weapons used in the struggle, and for 81
time pandemonium seemed on thar Partl,
ular spot of earth.
Just as as the Tigers reached the cres'
of the hill an artillery man, pale aud trrmn-
ling with fear, said to kicketts: Captain
I'm awful sick. May l 20 to the rearf'
Ricketts, knew tn at If enc started To run
a panic might follow. Drawing his revo.-
ver, be pointed ut the fellows mead aar
said: IF you don't take your place, IL
make you sicker !"
He went back 70 his post, and few mo
ments later Ricketts, SAW him in the yofy
thick of the fight, knock Tiger" dow
III a II 81 sttfrr
in the struggle thai Lieutenant Brockwas
while fighting To recaptnre the battery :
guidon, killed rebel by crushing in hI.
skull with stone.
But all this sis another story"
Not long ago an ex-Confederate officer
visited Wilkesbarre and was introduced IT,
Captain Ricketts,. "Ricketts7' he saIu.
THAT name sounds familiar. / was in the
charge on Ricketts, battery at Getty sburg."
Well, 4" said the ger tl-man who had in
troduced them, this is the commander of
that battery"
The Southerner stepped back and sur
veyed "Runt" Rickets from head to foot.
Then he said, apparently half To himself:
"And did this little cuss command Battery
Hell!r
Battery He'll was the forcible, but not
altogether Inappropriate name bestowed
upon this famous battery by tie rebels who
faced it often, and always to their sor-
row.
THAT reminds NE. y said Mr.. Grow, ''Of
an illinois lawyer whom Lincoln appoint
ed Territorial Judge in Nebraska. He was
d short, thin. dried up little man, far from
in appearance, but an able
lawyer aud a popular Judge. On beIng