Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1895-02-27


 Telegram That Was Inspired by the Ann
 bitIon oG a Candidate For Congress.
 have travelled over the Alps when wa started on wheels in Italy. were put on runners at the monasteries Of St. Der nard and the next day came tumbling down into the wheataelds Of Switzer land and the Rhone Then I have jin- rikishad through Japan and wheelbar- rewed in China. But the most exciting trip of my life was taken in our own country, out in Iowa. It was one of the ooIdast night of cold winter. lectured for the college at Osage City. northeast from Cedar Rapids. one night and the next night was to be at Grinnel col lege. near Des Moines. had to ride down through the central part of Iowa, on the old Iowa Central road. To do this I was compelled to drive 30 miles across the prairie, from Osage City to Mason City, in order to strike o'clock morning train for GrinnelL Thirty miles over the prairie in a northwest storm, with the thermometer Is degrees below zero, was test of strength, nerve and bodily ealoric. But we made the trip Once our sleigh tip- ped over, and our blankets and robes blew away It was hurricane, and even our hot soapstone took to the wind. Once we got to ciroling around on that 30 mile prairie, and the driver threw up his frozen hands and screamed:
 s'We's lostP'
 But the stars came out, and ws whirled around toward ths north star and struggled on.
 In the gray of the morning with what joy VIC saw the struggling lights of the little station of Mason City, now place of 3, GOO peoplel I remember well how rolled out of the sleigh and tottered up to the station door. It was all dark within. knew the morning train hadn't gone. We had won, but, oh, with what oosEl
 Knocking on the door, then pounding louder. the agent finally opened is.
 Has the o'clock train gone south to Grinnell?" I asked, with tremulous voice.
 "What2,'
 Has the train gone southY
 He looked at me in amazement and said:
 "Gone, mani GoneF Why, she went last September. She is a summer train. But, " and he looked kindly at me, "she will go again in June. If you must go on her, you can sit around here in the depot and wait. ''
 What did do?
 Why, went right over to log hotel and went to bed, and sleep smothered my sorrows.
 Sleepl Sleepl
 At 10 o'clock I orawled over to the depot and opened the wires on Presi- dent J. B. Grinnell of the Iowa Central. This. by the way, was the original man whom Greeley told to Ego west. ;" Grin nell went west, and 1t was he who founded the city of Grinnell, where was to lecture. He built the college there The railroad, the town, the col. lege and the lecture course were all his. And I threw myself into his arms with this telegram:
 
 to Grinnell tonight''
 Any engines needing repairs at Ma son Cityg If so. send Perkins down, came over the wire from GrinnelL
 No. wants new hrebox, went the answer.
 70. K. Send with Perkins. Get him here or kill him, !" replied Grinnell.
 Tn 30 minutes we were of. We wens bounding over the old iron rails between Ackley and Marshalltown, and how we fewl Villages became splotohes of ma room paint Telegraph poles blurred like wagon spokes in the sun-
 We blew the whistle, but the train beat the sound into Marshallsown, and the agent came out and looked the wrong way. We had passed the town. and the whistle was still behind
 Well, we got to Grinnell and struck the audience on the stroke of B. Presi. dent Grinnell hadn't told them about the ride The audience thought came on regular train or drove over from the next station. When l tried to tell them about my trip, they only laughed. 4nSy 1AQ0 bG4ACfC AnS~ &AAAol SAS1Ab " kAS the day. that was the night, that l lost my reputation for veraeity, and all these years have struggled to get it back. am yestryman now and member of tho Young Men Christian association, but nothing will ges back my lost ge- racity. except perhaps this open con- fession, now for the first time made.
 When asked the venerable President Grinnen years afterward how he came to telegraph, "Get Perkins to Grinneli or kill him." he said:
 Well. my son, you see I was run ming for congress then, and didn't have any record to run on. All had done was to condemn land for right of way and kill immigrants on our trains was dying for record to run on-one that would bring me the sympathy of the people. and it occured-mind me, :" he said it slowly, it simply occurred to me as business mani peg pardon for saying fl, - and the tears came to his eyes-s'but it occurred to me If you could be killed on our train then, and Aha paopla ehouId And Sk aut xphv [