Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-05-18
TOM AND JERRY.
Stories About Two WelI-Known
Members of the House.
How Speaker Reed Won His Spurs
Cross-Examining a Witness.
Simpson Before the Mast First Public Ad.
dress Merit Of Brevity.

WGSS MCtt W oiCStys
Washington, May 17-(SpeciaD In
the little room in the Shoreham hotel
which Speaker Reed uses as library
hangs framed woodcut picture taken
from the pages of an illustrated paper OF
many years ago. This picture marks the
beginning of good deal of the recent po-
litical history of this country. 1t depicts
the scene when Tom Reed won his spurs as
member of congress. 1t was just ~
years ago when Mr.. Reed came down here
as "a green congressman and the Hayes
Tlden imhroglio was the sensation OF the
hour Nothing else was talked OF.
special committee 70 investigate the 1910
election was ordered, and Reed was lucky
enough to get place upon it, Garneid,
Hale and others who had more reputation
declined to serve, because they were AFRAID
they might get into trouble. Reed accept
ed what they had refused and it turned
out to be Il good thing for him that he dld
The committee, it will be remembered,
WAS known as the Potter committee, from
the name of its chairman. Its first serious
work was an examination of the witness
Anderson, conducted by Colonel William
r. Morrison, the famous Democrat from
Illinois He induced the witness to make
revelations which scandalized the coun-
try and made the Republicans feel very
sick That was on Friday. The next
morning Governor Clailin, one of the Re-
publican managers of that day, came to
Washington. He met Reed and said to
him:
tWhnt IL the matter with all our fell
lows? They appear to have run away since
!. that man Anderson made his confessions
can't find one of cur men. Guess they
must he in hiding somewhere"
"Well, we'll change all that, +" drawled
Reed
"What are you going to dor" inquired
the governor.
~ am going to cross examine that fell
low Anderson, and III tear him all to
pieces.
Reed as u Cross Examiner.
When the Republican managers heard
Of this, they tried to coax Reed off. They
said it would be mistake Even II An
derson was liar, he was smart one, and
it would be impossible to catch him.
failure to shake his testimony would hurt
the Republican cause. But Reed stuck to
his purpose "Ill make that chap trot or
jump the harness" he said.
Inc NlUDuds blc ColbIbietCo ASe
again, and Reed went at Anderson. In
half an hour he had his witness on the run
1t Is safe to say that witness never before
had such an uncomfortable two hours OF
it before congressional committee. The
confessions which Reed wrung from him
became the sensation of the day. All the
newspapers took it up. The illustrated
papers made pictures of the scene. 1t was
a great day for the new congressman from
Maine He was an unknown man no
longer. That one feat made him famous.
Jerry Simpson says he enjoys speaking
to the house of representatives when things
are lively. He likes fight above all other
things When there is q storm on tho leg
islatiye waters and the spray is flying, it
reminds him of his first speech. Many
years ago Jerry Simpson was IA sailor be-
fore the mast Later he rose to be the cap
tain Of q vessel on the great lakes, and in
1878 he was in command of the bark Rut-
ter which left Chicago late IN October and
ran into dreadful storm. The bark was
in tow of a steamer, but the bawser parted
in the storm and the bark was set adrift
She finally pulled up in shoal water off
Ludington, Mich, whore lifeboat tried
to rescue the imperiled sailors, but found
the sea running too high. Then IA govern
men: tug came out and tried to take the
men off The tug brought out a lot Of
longshoremen, who were to try to save the
cargo of the bark, and they would have
succeeded no doubt if the storm had not
Just then broken out with rcdoubled fury.
Tho cargo was Of rye, and every sailor
knows that that is slippery stuff to have
in the hold of a vessel at the mercy of the
winds and waves.
A Narrow Escape.
"The rye kept running to one side,"
says MIR. Simpson, It'll our ship was
frightfully listed, and, in fact the water
was standing ankle deep upon the lee side
OF our deck. The seas We're now running
pretty high, and it looked as if we We're
in q tight fix ordered the longshoremen
to take to the rigging and to hold on with
q death grip in order to avoid being
washed away. In few minutes the crew
and / had to do the same thing. We
climbed into the upper rigging, with the
seas boiling through and over our poor
craft below us. / felt particularly sad
when l saw my trunk and all my best
clothes go floating by. BY this time the
ship was pounding very hard on the bot
tom, and as every big sea struck her
thought it would be the last and that she
would break in two and go to pieces.
''Fully 5000 people were gathered on
the shore watching our struggle against
the elements and wondering if we should
he able to reach the shore alive Twenty
four hours we stuck to the rigging and
pretty dreary work 1t was you may i'm
agine But we knew thc gallant crews of
the life saving service We're coming, and
We had encouragement to hold out. FL
nally the lifeboat reached us and the long