The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-08-20
O'FERRALL AND HILL.
THE STORY or THE ROCh"ELL-
MOVES CONTEOFERSI.
Told bv m Senator who Got 1t FROM
O'FerraII and an. Iye-
witness.

"Who was the Southern seh'ie""'
| Hill collded with? Why. as | told YOU
Governor O'Ferran. OF virginia. 1t Was
during the Rockwell-Noyes contest In the
| Fifty-second Congress.
Rockwell was Hills man from the
Elmira district: Hills home camp then.
Rockwell was in and Noyes. the Repub-
lean. was ccntesting his seat. O'Ferrall
YOU Will remember, was chief of the
Elections Committee Of the House OFFER
ran was a Cleveland man. although /
can't even guess how far that fact en-
| tered into O'Ferralls troubles with
HiH. / might better tell you the story
| just as O'Ferrall told it to me himself at
| the time.
% The committee. by a majority vote.
| said O'Ferral had decided 20 unseat
| Rockwell. the Democrat. | was directed
to draw the report. Afterward Cobb and
| others withdrew from their position
| against Rockwell. and decided 20 sustain
him in his seat. But al first. with tho
one exception they were all with me,
and IN favor OF turning Rockwell out.
" During the hearing we have never seen
or heard agght of Hill in the matter. He
| had just come 10 the Senate. | had never
| met him, and beyond what had hccn
said of him as Governor OF New York
| and his candidacy FOR the Presidency,
| knew nothing about him.
- one day after IL was the general
| whisper that my committee was going 70
decide against Rockwell, although moth
| ing formal had been done. | got note
| from Hill asking me TO meet him at MS
rooms at the Arlington on certain
| evening. | thought, 10 tell the truth,
that II might have some reference 10 ms
| hopes OF being nominated for the Whlte
House The Rockwell case never entered
my head.
But the next morning when l dis
| covered that every Democrat on my COM
mittee. and nobody besides, had received
similar invitation from Hi. began
| TO think 10 over / saw IL could have but
one purpose and that was 70 discuss the
| Rockwell NOyes case. As result dldn
go and didn't even take the trouble 10
answer Hilrs note.
" one afternoon. two days later, | had
| Just come down 10 my committee room.
| Representative Bob Wilson's Cof Missouri
| Pension Committee room was next 10
mine Wilson came In just as | got seat
| cd and said. I've a friend In my
| room who wants 10 be introduced TO
ITO tell the truth. I thought it was
| some old Confederate soldier whom ia
| known during the war. Many Of them
| had drifted' 10 Missouri. and ! supposed
| Wilson's friend" might be one OF these.
Bring him in,' / said. "'Ill be
| glad 20 see him"
In a moment Wilson returned with a
| dark. bright looking man whom / didn't
! know and whom j was convinced al once
| ia never met IN my life. But IL an
| cleared up IN a moment when Wilson
| said.
90 Colonel OFerrall. let me introduce
| % you Senator Hill. of New York You've
/ heard Of Senator Hill. no doubt"
Wilson was right; III heard OF him
We shook hands and Hin went
| straight 20 the point
You didn't come up, TO my rooms
| the other night he said There was
| something blunt and dictatOrial In his
tone and manner which ! resented.
NO sir" l replied, Il didn't call at
80 May / ask why" said HILL hard
as iron
"'"You may" I replied. although
shouldn't have supposed YOU would have
| found IN necessary 10 ask the question.
| did not call. sir. because ! was convinced
| your purpose was 20 discuss a contest
case now before my committee. Consul
cred from that point. sir, / regarded your
/ request as an insult 20 myself and every
member OF my committee you addressed.
dil not come and did not answer your
note. a course toward you which when
reflect on the insult YOU did me, | regard
as very forbearing. sir"
".'"Oh, YOU do?" said Hill, with
great snoer
"'"Yes sir. l 10. very decidedly"
felt | was losing my temper and / pro-
posed % keep cool.
" Hin stood silent a moment as II In
/ deep thought. Then he left the episode
Of the invitation and started To talk about
the Rockwell case. lie talked rapidly
and in an insulting. overbearlng way. lie
was going over the story or the case
from the Rockwell STANDPOINT. Al last
/ didn't care for any more Of it and
stopped him.
"'."f don't care 10 listen TO you any
further" I said. "YOu say nothing new
l HHr IN hot
by Mr. RockWelis counsel i'm this con-
test. And beyond that. / don't like your
manner, SIR. IT is offensive 10 me, and
will not submit 10 it any longer. ! Will
not listen % another word. sir"
" 'At this point Hill stepped back and
folded his arms and regarded me with
such sncer of hate and wrath ccm-
bined that while my indignation rose 20
considerable height. 1 wondered at the
man as be stood there.
"'"And You call yourself Demo-
craft" he said. waggine his head in great
contempt. You're going TO vote 20 turn
out a Democrat. and put i'm a Repuhli-
cam You are am --.
lat this point I interrupted him l
confess I was profoundly angry.
90 you are very fortunate, sir ! said,
I'm waiting until now 20 say these things
and assume this tone with me. Had yon
attempted IL five years sooner, 1 should
have beaten you 90 rags before now
sir. AZ IN Is. you might better with a.
view 10 your own safety stop right whore
YOU are"
" I'm was white with rage. and in-
deed l wasn't much better, reckon.
What direction the affair might nave
taken at the point had 10 not been Tor
Wilson. ls unple asant as subject OF sur
mise As il was. Wilson interfered hast
ly. but very dccisivCly, and moment
later Hin left the room without saying
another word TO me-
THAT WAS ~ r'erralls story continued
the northwestern senator, land as VIII
s0u told me substantially the same. DO rs
doubtless correct. To serves To- Illustrate
headlOns recAlessness on Hlils part
which showed him very ignorant of mon
beyond the pale of New ork. OterrAll.
OF an men ON earlL, brave, sensitive,
sticklcr for every nice point OF honor
was the last Hn should have tried tile
above experiment upon.
1t was this same lack of knowledge
OF men like O'FcrraH, which TOOK !lli
on that political wild goose chase tnrousn
tho South which he meant should ala
his boom. but which did him no end OF
harm d. kNa<liu-tUu POST