The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-17
THE LOGAN-M'COOK ROW
EVIDENCE THAT SEVERAL AMER
A ACTED RIDICULoUsLY.
Gen. A.. Med. McCOOk's Reply to Young
LOgan's Letter and Mrs. LOgan's
Singing Criticism.

the majority of them succeeded only in
making themselves supremely ridiculous.
There are accounts of dress rehearsals for
receptions, awkward masquerading in bor-
rowed or purchased toggery Of royalty and
nobility, and, altogether, a potpourri OF
gossip concerning the exploits of rich, as
piring Americans which is scarcely calcu-
lated to raise them in the estimation of
their countrymen. One of the amusing
stories is of an accident that is alleged to
have befallen Mrs. Potter Palmer at the
presentations" which is a preliminary
a sort of dress rehearsal before
one enters the room where the Czarina is.
The chief lady in waiting to the Empress
presides over this function, and it is in
tended as a sort of preparation for the real
presentation. Mrs. Potter Palmer, it is re-
ported, understood that she was bowling to
the Caarina herself, and she bowed so low
that her $25, 900 secondhand crown, which
is said to have been purchased from the ex-
Empress Eugenia, fell to the ground, strik-
ing one of her feet and causing her to start
Nth pain. The crown of diamonds, pearls
and rubies rolled quite a distance, but was
restored to Mrs. Palmer's head in time for
her to join in the procession TO the Gar
mas audience room.
Logan wore the uniform of a colonel of the
| OllleQ States CAVIAR lHSlGdQ u llldl u lIC
Ohio National Guard, and that regular
army officers protested against such action,
and that these protests led UP to the pres
ent difficulty. Still another insists that the
whole trouble came UP through the jealousy
of some rich New York society people who
aspired to outshine all others at the Rus
sian capital, and who were left in the shade
by the resplendent appearance presented
by the handsome Mr.. Logan. who was
taken by many to be the very biggest mill
tGry functionary in all America.
GEN. A. MD, M'COO TALKS,
After reading Mr.. Logan's letter and
Mrs. Logan's interview, Gen. A. Med. Nc
Cook said to a reporter that there was no
danger of a duel between himself and Mr..
Logan. II shall not deal with this matter
in that way he said. Il shall take other
means of settling Mr.. Logan. This whole
affair is a complete surprise to me. l never
ever heard of it until l read it IN the news
pepers. Mr.. Logan declares that this al
legged rumpus about uniforms at the Cars
coronation has been the talk of Washing
ton. He must refer to newspaper talk, then,
for I never heard anything of it. L have
never talked about Mr.. Logan to any of my
friends. and nobody has ever talked to me
about him. l did not even know him until
| met him at MOSCOW. | never mentioned
his name to President Neutrality-suspicious.
/ have had several interviews with the
chief eXecu~tiVe-either in connection with
the Austrian mission or in any other con-
n6CIlOu. 4 QIQ not even KNOW Lldl lie was
after the Austrian mission.
THE plain fact is l don't know what he's
talking about in this letter of his. AS L
said before, I'm a man of peace, but this
young mans language is very insulting. |
never have seen his uniform and don't
know what it is like except from hearsay.
This whole discussion of uniforms is ride
ulous on his part. There never was any
discussion of the matter between him and
me. AS said before, L scarcely knew him
when he was introduced to me in Russia
and asked me whether it would be proper
for him to wear a uniform at the corona
ton ceremonies. L told him that 1T made
no difference to me what he wore; to
wear what he pleased. He proposed, if L
r~ecollect rightly, to don the uniform of an
officer of the National Guard of the State
of Ohio. ] paid little attention to the mat
ter further than to remark that a state
uniform would be a little out of place at
such a function. State officers were not
invited guests, and for them to wear their
uniforms would be little short of presump-
ton.
Now, as I said before, I didn't see his
uniform when he appeared in 1t. l was in
the cathedral and he and his party, includ-
ing his mother, were outside on the tri-
Dunes. But l learned from other sources
that he had worn the uniform of a captain
of United States cavalry. This ormat
was conveyed to me by my aid-de-camp,
| Captain Scriven. Now, this was even more
ridiculous and improper than If he had
worn the garb of a member of the staff of
the Governor of Ohio. He certainly had no
color of right to the uniform, either of the
regular army or OF volunteers; he never
fought in the war, and certainly never had
any connection with the regular army. Cap
tain Scriven told me there was a great deal
of talk about it among the officers who at
tended the coronation, and later Mr.. Logan
and myself had a pleasant little interview
about the matter, and from that time to
this I had never given IT. a thought.
What was the gist of that interTiCW?
Well. ] believe, I told him what rave
just told %you-that his assumption II either
uniform was an improperly. He promised
me that he would not offend agl:n, and
thereafter he wore the court dress, which
he so strongly contemns in his letter, at
My brothers case was entirely different,
and the structures that both the l.ogans
have seen fit to make in regard 10 him
are quite be side the mark. lie received
special permission from the war Depart
ment to wear a c~olonel's uniform, to which
he was entitled because of his services On
Gsu.ya al CritLtnden'S staff at Chanoeliors-
vll.o. The insinuation that my hrorler did
not serve after Chancellorsville is false.
He was wouEded at the battle OF SEady
Grove. which followed Chancellorsville so
that to say he returned after Chancellors-
Vile is absurd. My brother wore at the
| coronation ceremonies the uniform of a
colonel of volunteers, to which he was just
ly entitled.
REPLY TO MRS. LOGAN.
81 have read with the greatest surprise
the interview with Mrs. Logan. I admit
the truth of what she states, with reference
10 the close relations that existed between
General John A.. Logan and my family. 1
entertain IlG O6CPCGG ~ 49,
memory of General Logan. / never was
with him in .the field, but I knew him very
well. and admired him greatly. Mrs. Lo-
cams criticisms of me were doubtless in
| spired by the feeling that her son had suf-
fered an injury at my hands. In this she
is utterly mistaken. l have never men
toned the part played by John A. Logan,
jr. in the coronation ceremonies to any
one. 1t was too insignificant a matter 10
4 Ill A~.r -1@AA II, ~ lnnnltnnfinn If fhnrn
has been any gossip at all about the AFFAIR
it certainly never originated with me.
Now, as TO Mrs. LOganS assertion mat
I sought to take precedence of Minister
breckenridge, | want to say that such an
idea never entered my head. My creden-
tails did not constitute me the military en-
voy, or, in fact, do anything more than en-
power me to assist in every way in my
power the United States minister and Adj
miral Selfridge. These duties l discharged
conscientiously and TO the best of my
ability.
Mrs. Logan criticises me with a failure
of courtesy in not wearing my uniform at
the dinner given by Prince Radlin. the
German ambassador, to Duke Vladimir.
That / did not wear my uniform on that
occasion was not due, as Mrs. Logan inSin-
yates. to a deliberately discourteous i'm
bulse. but because of a misrepresentation of
the facts. In short, / was not aware until
it was too late to repair the wrong that
the dinner was given in honor of Duke
Vladimir.
This is all I care to say, and 1 would
much prefer that you published nothing
whatever from me. When the proper time
arrives l shall have, in ali probability, some
however. has addressed no letter to me,
and until he does so ! must refuse to reply