The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-27
HIDING AN BX-PRESIDENT.
HARRIsoN,s FRIENDS TRIED TO GIVE
HIM Res AND. DUCKS.

- ss
inE-A Correspondent Instructed TO Wind
Eiim-Dtscovered ut Sunrise with Friends
on y Hunting Boat In the Illinois River.
The man who had been waiting for his turn to
tell a story had the sort OF expression on his face
that settled on tho preachers whom he looked
into tho empty hat which ho had lent for collcc.
ton purposes. He was glad to have q chance.
ID any OF you ever go hunting for n live
President of the United States !" was his begin
ming, and while there wcro those who might
have asked questions on the intorrogatory
statement which would have disconnected the
man who made 1t, they pitied him, and he was
not interrupted.
"Hc was not President. oithor. but he was 80
recently out OF the White House that the mon
who wcrc about him whom 1 found him still
called him Mr.. President. The peculiar thing
about tho situation as 1t was first presented to
me wns that n man who had been President Of
the United States could, within ten days after
he had ceased to be the Chief Executive, sud.
denly disappear so that only those who accom-
panied him and u few Of his most intimate
friends at home should know Of his whereabouts.
But that is the way 1t was. The Indianapolis
correspondent Of a morning paper sent this
telegram to the managing editor:
Ex.President Harrison is missing. He Is some
where in Illinois hunting ducks. Friends refuse to
say where.
1.-THE message was handed to me with the sem
~tentious instruction, Find him.
"Strange as 1t may appear. I soon discovered
that the friends of the former President had
succeeded in hiding him 30 well that it required
forty eight hours to get on his track. ! knew n
man in indianapolis who was very near the
Harrison family. l sent him a message which
cost me about $4.4O. and ended the inquiry with
the statement that on q satisfactory reply from
my friend depended my place.
THE reply was not put on the wire at Indian
apolis, but was sent from an Office forty miles
away. The man told me afterward that he did
not dare send the reply from Indianapolis, for
the friends of tho former President had agreed
to respect Mr.. Harrison's wishes, that he DO left
alone for a few days with those who went away
with him. The reply was. as / read It:
Go to Havana, H.. Wait for my letter.
when you want to reach an Illinois town II
takes more time TO get started than it does to
make the journey. There are jerk.water roads
and spurs. and Us, in nearly every county in
the State, and the trains on those offshoots new
or connect with a trunk line. I changed trains
three times between Chicago and Havana, the
distance being not more than IT'S miles. 1t was
the interesting hour Of 4 in the morning when l
left the train, or when 1t left me would be better,
at the Havana depot. The man in charge OF the
depot was agen telegraph operator. and truck
man. l do not know how he divided his time.
l concluded it was not my business to inquire.
1 asked him where the town was, and the tav-
ern. When he h d despatched his train he said
l had better walk up the track n half mile, turn
to the right, and keep walking until I saw u
lighted lamp on a pole. That light stood in front
OF the tavern.
Il had some difficulty In arousing the night
clerk. who had stretched himself on a bench. 1
asked him II he didn't think it would be q good
idea to have q runner at the depot at such an
hour. He yawneda and stretched his arms about
his head and replied that nobody ever came in
on that train. 1 resented the inference to my
l was the first one who had come in on that
train since the time was changed. I intimated
other house to know Of the situation.
(which other house he asked.
explained that / meant the other tavorn-
the opposition-the loathsome contemporary.
"hnd he answered, T fha amt no other house
Pekin.' [Pekin was in the next county,
breakfast sa Tsst / 70 n ssa to e' tho seon POST as ! o sGe!d and ap sho ssssf
wanted 10 be identified in a Western town show
peas Gaff 1ett pas sSSus Iill doubt Soa1 id sn hti1ds Sut il Or gon "a
hand out a card with a name printed thereon
you can sell them a brick and no questions will
II did not tell the Postmaster my business, but
did tell him that z letter to my address, post.
marked indianaPoiis, was expected and that
He said the maiis; were uncertain. They
Many roads were Snder water. The St. Louis
papers were two days old when they reached
county, as well as other counties. Barns and
fences had been washed away;
mo much chance for duck hunting (! / sug-
gested. anxious to get a clue.
"He said there we're ducks enough II one
be had. Then he SAID he had ducks Of his own
and was not bothering himself about others.
maxi nsEid h He G Gidn't there Rnew th' f , Isu1 Wabash ss .R0t sost
nected with the Dolly he would have a mail
about noon. II she didn't, it might be next day.
and none until the following night, 1t was after
Post ONCE hours when the mail reached tho
open that mail until the next day. However, I
persuaded him TO open 1t, or so much of it as
read q letter as I read that. it informed me-
that Mr.; Harrison and party. were up the Illinois
on a hunters boat. That / would have to get
there ,Sa by ,ss!EnnHri sunrise to find Nj; Harrison, as he left
retired soon after his return, / looked al my
w no sI6ck l i, had fh rorBgo Bot, oo to W aim th It; There Was
these little incidents TO corroboratc the old idea
OF obstacles springins from the ground when a
" went to the tavern, found tho landlord. and
made = cold propositiGn q hin: ! would pay
81 nds. lie said there was only one wayNtaks
the tug. And there was only one tug. And
take her out In such a Stage OF water. after
dark, cause the t eos and fences and houses
WOiO &c hIb Y .uu DluStIedilh b elStWHeTc, ana
tn y had no red lights to warn the steamer of.
But she might be got out Just 'afore' day
light; He would go with me and find out. We
found n boatman's shanty under the bank of
the river. and succeeded in getting him from
his bunk. The S tuation was explained, and he
calculated the cost OF the coal for such atrip and
the inconvenience and the danger, and summing
up all, he 'reckoned' he couldn't think OF doing
1t for less than $l5. / accepted the proposition.
and and t Ihab hin n ] would be on hard at 4 A. NJ; He
what difference 1t made to him. but I accop ed
that. started on my return to the tavern,
when the tugman called to the landlord and
they talked. and then the landlord said apollo:
be on hand, that he would not like to fire her
and then BIO disappointed. I advanced 81 as a
guarantee, and l was there on time. The 'Cap'n's
crew consisted Of himself at the wheel and his
son, who was engineer and stoker. We met and
passed trees. sections OF fences. and sometimesa
chicken coop afioat on. the tide, which was des-
Perately swift. Sometimes there was no shore
line in sight.
1T was sun up as we cut across a farm, lit
orally. and turned into a bayou. whore we saw
a fisherman's boat, house Included, tied to a
couple OF trees, which broke the force OF the