Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-08-23
TALES OF THE TINES.
a Yew Stories Of Men Whose Names AvS
In xvorybody's Mouths.


In xvorybody's Mouths.
Ono Of tho best stories heard at Wash
lngton dinner tables last winter was the
one told by Vice President Stevenson
about Senator Joe Blackburn. The tale
was intended 10 illustrate tho predominant
ing characteristic Of the Kentucky senator,
which IL talkat!yeness. Adlai Stevenson
and Joe Blackburn were fellow students 4
at Center college, Danville KY, 35 or 40
years ago.
"In those days, said tho vice president,
1--WE youngsters were more or less imbued
with the dueling spirit The code was
then In vogue In the south, and even as
far north M Kentucky young men were
prone TO Issue challenges for the slightest
offense. We had n number of, duels be
tween students at the college, aHi on one
occasion Joe Blackburn and were chosen
as seconds for "a pair Of principals. Joes
man was Kentuckian named Stone,
while mine was from Alabama and his
name was Campbell. We made all our ar
rangemcnts very carefully, Joe and I, and
1t was the proudcst day Of our lives. Wo
felt so big while I'm possession OF the great
secret that we refused To speak TO most OF
our fellow students.
According 10 appointment, we met III
a secluded spot on the bank OF the river
just as the dawn was whitening the east
ern horizon. There were present the prin-
cipals, Joe and i, two doctors with their
little cases OF Instruments and three or
four Of our chums AS soon as 1t was
light enough TO see, Joe and l advanced
sOlemnly To tho center Of the open space
between the trees and tossed coin for
hni Of II no
chose for my man q place where the rays
of the sun, now just about to show him
self, would strike my principal back and
shine straight in the other mans eyes.
The men were placed in position; thNpis-
tolls were brought out, inspected and de-
Mvered into the hands Of the combatants.
Joe then came up.to me and claimed that
inasmuch as had won the toss for posi-
tion 1t was his right to give the word to
fire. I could see no objection to this and
agreed. Thereupon Joe stood little to
one side of the line of fire and started In
to explain the rules Of the code duello, SO
that there might be no misunderstanding,
while the principals, who were both brave
young men, compressed their lips and
glanced occasionally at their weapons. The
rest Of US stood about with bated breaths,
while the surgeons unattached the lids Of
their instrument cases and moved little
nearer to the combatants."
Here the vice president ceased speaking.
He drew his left hand over his eyes and
with his right reached nervously for his
glass and took sip Of wine. Then he
turned and asked waiter for light for
his cigar, While the vice president puffed
at his weed the guests at the table sat In
eager silence. Every eye was fixed upon
the face OF the vice president. 1t was ap-
parent he was struggling to control the
emotions which this tragic tale of the past
had reused, and no one spoke At length
Mr.. Stevenson broke the silence.
admiral" said he to guest across tho
table, "they tell me the new Columbia is
the fastest warship aaoat. Is that so?'
"But the duel You haven't told us
how it came out, responded the admiral.
"Oh, yes, that duel" said the vice pres
ident. "Well, you see, before Joe had fin
ished his explanation of the rules Of the
code the sun had gone down, and 1t was
too dark to shoot; SO we had to call the af-
fair off, ,"
Secretary Herbert, like true southerner
Is a fond admirer of the mint julep. "The
greatest triumph of the julep ever heard
of" he said one night at q dinner table,
twas some years ago when wo had con-
gressional excursion to the battlehelds
around Fredericksburg. Thirty or forty
senators and members Of the house went
down there by special train, and among us
was Jim Belford, the redheaded repre-
sentative from Colorado. You all remem-
Der Jim-as good fellow as ever lived and
with but one fault. On the way down
Jim drank nothing but straight whisky.
1t is the only drink for gentleman, he
declared None of your juleps or smashes
or Rickeys for me- At Fredericksburg
the citizens showed us what southern hos
pitality is. They had everything for our
entertainment including IA gilt edged con-
coction Of mint julep. Some one induced
Jim to try one. and when we went out to
the battlefield he was missed. Some one ex
planned that he was back in Fredericks-
burg drinking juleps. Sure enough that
is what we found him at when we returned
to town. Then we spent three or four days
looking over the ground on which had been
fought the battles of the Wilderness. But
Jim was not with us. He was back In
Fredericksburg drinking julep.
"When the train started for Washing
ton, we missed Belford again., ;" continued
the secretary, "and the explanation was
the same. A week later man came up
from fredericksburg with report that
Jim was still there, and there were few
juleps left. Another week passed, and one
day we saw redheaded man come in the
main door Of the hall of the house Ho
was travel stained and dusty. In his hand
he had small grip, which he passed over
to u pape Without looking to the right
or the left, or pausing to note what was
going on, he marched straight down the
center aisle to the open space In front OF
the speakers desk 1t was jim Belford.
His hair, grown long, was flaming about