The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-24
STORIES OF VOORHEES,.
IBdiana's Famous ''TalI Sycamore of
the Wabash"


No man is better known among the old
timers of the Terre EIaute congressional
district than is Senator VOORHEES,. In
deed, it is doubtful if any other person ever
connected with the politics of this part
of the state had purely personal follow
ing so large as that of the Tall Sycamore
of the Wabash" He knew and stin knows
hundreds of the voters of the district by
their Christian names. He has stopped
over night at their houses and has made
himself familiar not alone with their FAM
lilies but with their antecedents as well.
When young Mr. VOORHEES, was candt-
date for congress in the days before the
war he canvassed the district on horse
back, frequently travelling with his rival
on the opposing ticket. This was true i'll
1860. when he and the late Col. Thomas
Nelson, eX-mnister to Chile and Mexico,
were candidates for congress- on the dem
ocratic and republican tickets, respective
ly. They were speaking in joint debate
in Parke county.
One night they appeared at Rockville
and they were billed to speak on the fol-
lowing night at a country town several
miles distant. In the afternoon of the
next day Col. Nelson left for the little
town alone. On the way he stopped to
talk to an old farmer, who was blowing IN
field near the road. The farmer stop
ped his team at the corner of his land
near the fence and climbed up and sat
beside Nelson on the top rail to hear his
exposition of the republican side. While
they sat their talking Voorhees, rode up
and spoke to them in his usual most cor
dial manner. The situation might easily
have become somewhat awkward but
voorhees, did not permit anything OF the
sort. He dismounted and tied his horse
TO the fence chatting pleasantly mean
while with the farmer and his rival. Then
Voorhees, got over into the field, threw
| the farmers lines about his shoulders and
| started the team.
| He plowed found" with as much ease
| and skill as any rustic in the country could
| have done it, When he came back to the
starting point Nelson and the voter were
| still talking and the politician made an
other circuit of the field. AS he neared the
place of beginning the second time Nelson
| had got down off the fence and voorhees,
overheard the following conversation:
you say your names Nelson|'
yes"
"Well, 1 amt got nothin ag'in you, Mr..
| Nelson, and l must say you know how to
gass bout as smart as any Teller ever 1 see;
! but guess KANT vote fer you. 1 like the
| style of this Teller Voorhees, better-ef you
| don't mind me sayin' so. He's showed
willin' ness to help me out this AFTERNOON
/ ana ne might 90 II dS IN some time Wnen ne
| gifts to congress. Good day"
| Nelson got into his buggy and drove
away, leaving Voorhees, leaning between
| the pillow handles, and the old farmer, with
| his straw hat on the back of his head and
his arms folded, standing in the furrow
and eying the young lawyer with admira
| ton.
Several years ago when the phrase tar
| if reform" was being heard for the first
| time in American politics a great demo-
| cratic speaking was arranged to take
| place in the fair grounds a Bloomfield,
the county seat of Greene county, Indiana.
| The principal speaker of the momentous
| occasion was Senator Daniel w Voor-
hees, whose name decorated the bill
| boards of Greene county for a number of
| weeks prior to the date of his appearance.
Among the newspaper men sent TO
| Bloomfield to report this tariff reform
| demonstration was Pat ONeil, tower
| ing, broad-shouldered, one-eyed Irishman,
| then connected with the local staff of the
| Indianapolis Sentinel. Pat was a legend
! airy "hale fellow well met" He was in
| for almost anything that promised a frac-
| ture of monotony The hercuean cor
| respondent came through Terre Haute on
! his way to Bloomfield, taking a train out
| of this city over the Evansville and In
| dianapolis line. 1t was an early morning
| train and Pat did not feel in his usual
| buoyant spirits. He lounged into the
smoker and was soon deep in game CT
| poker with some travelling men. By the
time the train reached the little station
| at which the passengers bound for Bloom
| field had to get off O'Neil was very much
| "in the hole" Luck had been against
| him on the entire trip.
Waiting at the station was a large pic
| mic wagon TO convey the Bloomfield pas.
sengers across the country. The dis
! lance was two miles and the summer sun
/ Wi int
| ONel threw his hand grip over his Shout
| der, took one last regretful look a the
! shady cushioned seats of the picnic wagon
and then started on his unavoidable
/ tramp to Bloomfield. He reached one of
! the hotels at noon and learned that Sena-
! tor Voorhees, was there. Pat did not have
| enough to buy his dinner at the hotel. Re
would be compelled TO so to some cheap
| restaurant How he was to get back 10
! Indianap polls was a question that he had
not answered IN his own mind.
The Sentinel, being the organ of the In
diana democracy, and, of course, very
| friendly to Senator Voorhees,, O'Ne1 mad
a number of matters in mind about which
! he desired to talk to the senator. Accord
| ingiy he sent up his card and was shortly
| afterward invited to the senator's room.
The great Hoosier received the neWspa-
per writer with every evidence of pleas
ure and they talked pleasantly together for
| almos. an hour, the senator. during the
greater part of the interview, being en-
! gagged in washing his face and hands and
preparing his toilet for dinner. At last
| O'Neil, feeling gaunt and hungry as a
wolf. found himself at the end of his
string of questions and rose to go. As he
stopped outside Of the door and was about
! closing II, Senator Voorhees,, looking
/ around from where he was combing his
| hait at the mirror, remarked
Have you had your dinner, Mr.. O'Neil?"
Pat laughed significantly, and said:
mo. haven't senator, and that's not
| half"
The senator looked ENORMOUSLY at the
big Irlshman, the truth half dawning upon
| him.
"A lark?" he said good-humoredly
poker" answered Pat, and he was
| gone.
The speaking was billed to commences at
! o'clock in the afternoon. The fair grounds
were mile east OF Bloomfield, and on
| that afternoon as Senator Voorhees,. lying
hack in his carriage, rolled along the dus-
! ~ country road in the direction of the
| Mace of speaking he passed a towering
pedestrian, Juggling through the dust and
| haa+ The senator looked back out of tho