The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-30
HIDING AN EX-PRESIDENT
HARRIsoN's FRIENDS TRIED TO GIVE
HIM REST AND DUCKS.
Message from Indianapolis that He
Was 1Iissing-A Correspondent In
structed to Find Him.
New York Sun.

which he had lent for collection purposes.
He was glad to have a chance.
Did any of you ever so hunting for
live President of the United States?" was
his beginning, and while there We're those
who might have asked questions on
the interrogatory statement which would
have disconnected the man who mace il,
they pitied him, and he was not inter-
rupted.
He was not President either but he
was SO recently out of the White House
that the men who were about him when ]
found him still called him Mr.. President.
The peculiar thing about the situation as
it was first presented to me was that
man who had been President of the United
States. could within ten days after
he had ceased to be the chief
executive, suddenly disappear so
that only those who accompanied
him and few of his most intimate friends
at home should know his whereabouts. But
this is the way it was. The Indianapolis
correspondent of a morning paper sent this
telegram to the managing editor:
'EX-President Harrison is missing. He
is somewhere in Illinois hunting ducks.
Friends refuse to say where
1.-The message was handed TO me with the
sententious instructions, Find him.
Strange as it may appear 1 soon dis
covered that the friends of the former
President had succeeded in hiding him so
well that it required forty-eight hours to
get on his track. l knew a man in Indian
apolis who was very near the Harrison
family. l sent him message which cost
me about $40, and ended the inquiry with
the statement that on a satisfactory reply
from my friend depended my place.
THE reply was not put on the wire at In
dianapolis, but was sent from an office
forty miles away. The man told me after
ward that he did not dare send the reply
from Indianapolis. for the friends of the
former President had agreed to respect Mr..
Harrsons wishes, that he be left alone for
a few days with those who went away
with him. The reply was. 1 read it:
" Go to Havana, Ill. Wait for my letter.
DIFFICULTIES OF TRAVEL.
when you want to reach an Illinois town
it takes more time to get started than it
does to make the Journeys There are jerk
water roads and spurs, and US. in nearly
every county in the State and the trains
on those offshoots never connect with
trunk line. 1 changed trains three times
between Chicago and Havana, the distance
being not more than 175 miles. 1t was the
interesting hour of in the morning V hen
left the train, or when it left me would
be better, at the Havana depot. The man
in charge of the depot was agent, telegraph
operator, and truckman. L 40 not know
how he divided his time. / concluded 1t
was not my business to inquire. l asked
him where the town vas. md the tavern.
When he had dispatched ais train he said
l had better walk up the track matt mile,
turn to the right, and keep walking until l
saw a lighted lamp IN d pole. That light
stood in front Of the tavern.
IoI in a
night clerk, who had stretched himself on
a bench. / asked him if he didn't think it
would be a good idea TO have runner at
the depot at such an hour. He yawned and
stretched his arms about his head and re-
piled that nobody ever came in on that
train. / resented the inference to my nom
entity and he made an exception. He said
1 the first one who had come in on
that train since the time was changed.
intimated that it might be some encourage
ment to the other house to know of the
situation.
Il explained that meant the other tav-
ern-the opposition-the loathsome con-
temporary.
And he answered Tha amt no other
house in town. Thish only hotel tween
here and Pekin.' Pekin was in the next
county,
after breakfast I went to the postofice
and showed the postmaster my card. Say
if you ever wanted to be identified in a
Western town show your card. They will
doubt affidavit or a personal letter
touching your identity, but if you 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 bust
ness, but / did tell him that a letter to
my address, postmarked Indianapolis, was
expected and that it was important to me-
HE said the mails were uncertain. They
were having their spring freshets at that
time. Many roads were under water. the
st. Louis papers were two days old when
they reached Havana. The Illinois river
was all over Nassau county. well as
other counties Barns and fences had been
washed away.
Not much chance for duck hunting!" I
suggested, anxious to get clew.
He said there were ducks enough if one
boats to be had. Then he said he had ducks
of his own and was not bothering himself
about others. l asked him when there
would be another mail. He did not know
If the Wabash connected with, the Dolly
he would have mail about noon. If she
didn't, it might be next day.
There was no mail that day, none that
night and none until the following night.
It was after postoffice hours when the mail
reached the shop, and the postmaster said
he didn't have to open that mail until the
next day. However, I persuaded him to
open it. or much of it as was necessary.
He fourd my letter and | never read
letter as I read that. 1t informed me that
Mr.. Harrison and party We're VI. the Iii
nois river about twenty miles from Ha-
vana living on a hunters boat. That /
would have to get there by sunrise to find
Mr.. Harrison, as he left for the blinds early
remained out all day, ana rCttred soon
after his return l looked al my watch.
| had forgotten to wind it. There was no
clock in the postoffice, and the postmaster
had left his watch at home. | mention
these little incidents to corrobo1 ate the old
idea of obstacles springing from the ground
when man is in a hurry
BRIBING A LANDLORD.
81 went to the tavern found the land
lord, and made a cold proposition to him.
1 would pay him so to get me to the blinds,
indicating which blinds. He said there
was only one way-take a tug And there
was only one tug. And she was tied up
for the night. They never did take her
out in such a stage of water, after dark.
cause the trees and fences and houses
were as apt to be midstrcam as elsewhere,
and they had no red lights to warn the
steamer off. But she might be got out
just 'afore' daylight. He would go with
me and find out. We found a boatmans
shanty under the bank of the river, and
succeeded in getting him from his bunk.
The situation was explained, and he cal
cuiated the cost of the coal for such trip
summing all up. he 'reckoned' he couldn't
cepted the proposition. and told him
would he on hand ar Z a m ne said T
had better make it 4:30 / do not know
what difference ii made TO him. but / ac-
cepted that. / started on my return to
the tavern when the tugman called TO the
landlord and they talked. and then the
landlord said aDOlOgRIicallV that tho