The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-12-13

tween Him and Edmunds-How an In
terview was Secured from the Man Who
is Said to be Proof Against Reporters
brilliant lecture Delivered by Him at
the Garfield Last Night.
you can't interview me-" said Col.
Henry Watterson to an Eagle reporter
at the Carey yesterday afternoon.
They tried to interview me IN Chicago
and when Chicago reporters fail in get
ting. an interview" he continued, there
is no use in you boys down here trying
to"
That was corker, Colonel Watterson
thought. after having made the mis-
take Of supposing that Kansas man
did not have more nerve, inquisitive-
ness, persistence and staying qualities
than the Chicago man.
When Colonel Wa1terson made this
comparison between Chicago and Wich-
.ta, unfavorable TO the latter, the pride
Of the Peerless Princess of the Plains
was at stake. Cardinal Richlieu said
that when the lions skin becomes too
short 1t must be eked out with the foxes.
The lions skin was too short In dealing
with such a great man as Watterson.
At o'clock a reporter for the Eagle
followed the porter, with footsteps as
noLselessly as the falling snow, TO room
lO2 at the Carey. The porter rolled in
a big leather trunk something like the
Dutch might have brought over from
Holland at the settlement Of New York
and the reporter followed it.
Mr.. Watterson was lying in bed like
u
spread out all over the pillow He
might have been dreaming Of the great
affairs Of state, international complica-
tons, Kentucky politics and the ups
and donws or the stuffed and pompous
prophet Of Wall street. The great events
of his middle life including the fierce
and terrible civil struggle that began
at Sumpter and ended at AppomatOx
may have been revealing through the
corridors Of his resting massive brain,
but the colored man cared not for that
He dropped the leather trunk on the
floor with a thud that might have awak
ened julius Caeser and Kentucky's bril-
liant son awakened with a start and
stare.
The porter disappeared but when the
colonel wiped away the drowsy cloud
of morpeas from his one good eye he
saw the Eagle man standing at the foot
of his bed
He instinctively grasped his fine gold
watch and then seeing that the figure
IN his presence was a newspaper man
and not a burglar he covered his hasty
suspicious very cleverly by putting his
good eye very close TO his watch and
saying: "Ah; it is my hour 10 rise
Colonel Wauterson what can you
say about the death of Mr.. Thurman? %
The death Of Thurman! What is Mr..
Thurman dead?"
The dispatch was read to him. He
looked at the ceiling a few moments,
then kicked the Counterpart away, rub
bed his grizzly gray hair with his fin
gers and tragioally exclaimed:
We'll, the old Roman is dead at last"
kindly order supper" said he, and
In twenty minutes we will talk about
him at the table"
The corridors of the hotel were filed
with lSll StaIwart dark haired men
not Of the mould of those who Travelled
over the waves in the AIayflower. They
We're the descendants of the Caveliers-
they were Kentuckians and all of them
1locl1ed there to see Watterson.
At $50 Mr.. Watterson slipped down
and darted into the dining room with
an evident desire to avoid the crowd.
Pretty soon the cards began TO pour into
him and he solicited the Eagle man TO
act as his secretary.
One card was from James Smith with
an explanatory note saying Il am the
brother-in-law Of George Jones'"
Other cards were addressed in like
manner.
Waiter give me a cup of coffee" Yes.
III have two blocks of sugar in il please,
and give me two cups of cream"
He swallowed the cup OF coffee and
said:
wait till get another cup of coffee
and We viii then begin" The other cup
of coffee came and promptly disappear
ed. He drank two more cups during
the interview and was playing tattoo
on his cup with silver spoon for anoth,
er when the interview ended.
Thurman" he said, was a pictur-
esque man. something like Silas
Wright. l have known him all my
life. but 1 became closely acquainted
with him during the Hays-Tiden con-
test when he and 1 both were on the
commission, 1 from the house and he
from the senate. He was not a man
easy Of access in the ordinary sense
but he was singularly genial and at
Tractive among his intimate friends.
Although a great lawyer he was an
omnivenOuS reader. His character as the
Old Roman publically accorded TO him
as q recognition Of an unioubted cou-
rage and integrity both moral and intel
lectual. He was handicapped a greater
part Of his career in his political ambi-
lions by his uncle the late Governor
William Allen. who had a bee in his
bonnet and for long time an impossi-
bility himself he stood directly across
the pathway Of his possible and bril-
liant nephew. Judge Thurman felt
This, at times. very keenly. but he ac-
cepted il as a kind OF destiny He
had, however, the great lawyers tradi-
tional infirmity, as a politician. His
presence in the senate during the twelve
years he sat there was an UnmiXed beni
fit TO the whole country. He had great
experience, great moderation and great
learning and received the homage Of
the universal respect Of both sides OF
the senate chamber.
NO one VIII lament his death more
than Judge George +. Edmunds EN-
cept in politics they were the Siamese
TWINS Of the senate. l could tell many
amusing stories become pathetic now by
the death OF the one and the advancing
leCtual giants. but il is growing late
and l have no time for any deliberate
estimate or prolonged narrative.
can only say that the death of Judge
Thurman, although not unexpected %
me- diStTeSSes me greatly, for l not
only had The most genuine admiration