Omaha daily bee., 1895-11-11
J, STERLING As A. SPRINTER
Morton's Funny Experience When He
Hadn't Gun. g.
A PEEP INTO jim LANES HoWITzER
Recollcctions of Pioneer Editorial
Life i'm Nebraska City-A Lively
Race for shelter and
Gun.

to the Washington Post man, II received a
letter from a historical society in Kansas
asking for information as to a challenge to
fight duel which was supposed to have been
issued by Jim Lane to General Doniphan,
who in the days Of the old border war be-
tween Kansas and Missouri, lived at the town
Of Weston. in Platte county, Mo.
while l had no recollection of any such
challenge, the name of Jim Lane brought
vividly to my mind another occasion when
challenges were issued but which had it's be-
ginning by very sincere desire on the part
of Jim Lane and several Of his people to hang
me.
Like a celebrated New Yorker, / am a
democrat. Not only that, have been a DEM
ocrat in active operation for the last forty-two
years which will easily carry one back to
1853. My Jim Lane experience occurred in
1856. | was the editor and owner, in fact |
was about all there was to little paper pub
lished in my town in Nebraska. My only ad-
herent, so far work in the office and COM
posing room went, was boy about 13 years
old. This boy was my printer, my local force,
and frequently my business manager. He
was likely to do everything about the paper
except write the editorials That honor j re-
served for myself, as | meant that the ut
found
1T CHANGED that when the free soil people
were coming into Kansas they found it easier
ana FASTER travelling to come through Iowa
ana cross the Missouri river into Nebra ka
and then go south into Kansas 1t was
impossible for them 10 cross Missouri. which
was filled with their foe. Old John Brown |
believe, was the only one of the free soiers
who ever attempted it. Old Brown came
straight through Missouri.
Ordinarily the free SOilprs wore
table-looking set of people. But one day in
1896 Jim Lane came into our town with
about as hard an outfit of 'emigrants at his
back as 1t was ever my lot to see. They
were tough, criminal set, If one might
judge from their appearance.
'They camped several days in our town
renting for their progress into Kansas. They
were all men, and all had horses or wagons
Iheir hard looks and rather violent behavior
led me to write an editorial about them. |
got up what intended should be a sarcastic
article, and from the effect it had upon them
/ should say 1t was. II remember rightly I
said something to the effect that, to Judge
from the markings and appearances of this
consignment of free soilers, It had its emana-
tion in some penal institution Of the east
argued that there should be no falling off of
such supply, as almost all of the eastern
penitentiaries, to say nothing of the eastern
cities, would be very glad to keep 1t up The
criminal classes everywhere might be sue
cessfully sent to Kansas, and the free soil
effort might be utilized to make of Kansas
another Botany Bay. All this, Of course,
based entirely on the way the Jim Lane
crowd then in town looked and acted
didn't pretend 1t was in any sort descrip-
ton Of free soilers generally, but just simply
matched this particular crowd then in town
IT was the day after ths paper came out
and | was sitting in my Office feeling proud
OF my work. The faithful. youth | have men
toned was perched on a stool setting type
We were in the same room for the reason
that there was only one room to the entire
institution, which occupied the second story
over store AS sat at my desk thinking
up an editorial for the next issue a shadow
fell across the room and | looked up. The
shadow came from one of Jim Lanes i'm
portations. He was a tall, Gothic raw
boned-looking proposition, shaggy as buf-
falo and with what deemed very evil and
ferocous look He carried a copy Of my paper
in one hand an large six-shooter in the
other. Sticking the paper under my nose
he pointed at the editorial. using the barrel
of his pistol to that end, and asked hoarsely: ::
Did you write that?'
:" I will have to read it,, 1 said diplomat
lcally, before can answer that question:
Il took the paper and told my visitor to
sit down. He said it wasn't necessary, that
he would stand up while | read the article
and settle the veXed question of its author
ship. Thereupon I proceeded to read the
editorial in question aloud, and very slowly
as one has to do, or at l5ast should do when
the question of who wrote the article is be-
coming important.
"Of course, l was thinking hard all the
time | was reading. l was figuring on the
distance to the door and my chance Of get
ting down the pair of stairs it led to be-
fore my visitor should shoot. 1t seemed a
desperate chance, but | hated awfully to be
obliged to take anything back had written
and was willing to assume some slight risk
to avoid it. AS affairs stood the man with
the gun had me treed. | had no pistol my
self, and wasn't likely to fall heir to one
during his visit. The situation was very
dlsagreeable l have had some visits which
worried me since I have been secretary of
agriculture, but none that compared with
this
when I got to the end of my scathing
editorial turned mildly and interrogatvely
to my visitor.
" You are one of Mr.. Lanes people,? I
asked pleasantly.
Yes
You want to know who wrote this
article?
Yes, sir ne retorted, rather savagely, 4
want to know if you wrote that article" and
again he pointed to the offensive effort with
his pistol.
Well l said at last, as calmly as /
might, 4 wrote the article myself Why,
what's the matter with it?'
We won't stop to discuss what's the
matter with it., said my caller; it's simply
come to this: You've got to take ii back in the
next ISSUE or Wen fix you so you won't write
any more
Take 1t back?' l asked
You've got to write an article and take
the square back track repeated my caller
with an ominous wave of his pistol We're
not going to stand any stuff of this sort
1T was at this point | made dash for the
door. believe / remarked at the time that
would be back in moment pending which
he might talk to my boy The fellow didn't
seem inclined to shoot; he hadn't been west
long enough So he simply ran after me to
the door, which opened to a pair Of stairs
which led down the outside of the building
to the ground and hailed his companions in
the street. There were four or five of them
sitting on their horses and holding the horse
OF my caller. There was another horse stand
ing saddled In another addition to his and
l noticed a considerable coil iof rope on the
saddle. | didn't stop to ask, nor did | give
the situation much study atp the time but
I've Always had strong impression that the
second horse with the coil OF rope on the sad
die was for me. Just as L fled down the
stars the iellow who had come in with the
pistol yelled to his companions!
stop that man; he's the editor
me information was correct as far as It
went and the men in the street did their
pest 10 act on 1t. But the editor was too
much in hurry for them. Before they could
get TO the loot OF the stairs or head me of
had entered the store below by a side door
and passing through the store with earnest
sWittness l left 1t and crossed over to the
house of a man named orton This man
Orton was Jackson democrat, a Tennes-
nf hig fhat