The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-08-03
Anecdotes OF SHELBY.
an Cid Ccmrade Tells of the Famous
Confederate Fighter.

NO man could ride with 10 Shelby
for four years and be worth his salt at
anything else, 4" said Major j. +. Stone.
street. II did it and ought to know. /
have not been worth killing since"
Major Stonestreet was an associate of
General Shelby in his bOyhood and was
with him through the war. Perhaps no
man lii Kansas City had more init
mate acquaintance with the dead gen
eral
shelby was essentially milit.'' 20
Major S,onesreet went on. "He lo5.d
the life. Its dangers, labors, rough liv-
ing and brilliant successes suited him
down to the ground. If he had been so
placed that all of his years could have
been spent in war; he would have been
the happiest man ON earth To him the
soldiers life was the happiest of lives,
the soldiers death the death of deaths.
lie was fond Of his men, but he did not
spare them. In his four years of cam
paignlng many, very many, of them
were killed. He was not sentimental
about it. They took their chances he
used TO say He exposed them to no
dangers that he did not share himself
He, too, took his chances.
He was morbidly sensitive about the
conduct of his men, the more so that
they bore the reputation of raiders,
which, it must be confessed, they earned.
Hard riding and fighting make hard
appetite, and they We're no respecters of
other peoples pigs and poultry. Once
we were half starving in Arkansas.
Shelby and / rode down to the White
river to water our horses. A detachment
of the troops was doing the same thing
just below us. Among them was Dick
Gentry, now Of Kansas City. He was
gallant private and q good fellow.
Slung across his saddle was a sack, care
fully tied and bleeding at one end.
"'What you got thereY demanded
Shelby.
"'Been havin my clothes washed
said Gentry.
"'You'd better get back to camp,
said the general, or your clothes will
bleed to death.
Gentry was put in the guardhouse
That night quarter of fresh pork
found its way TO Shelby's tent. Il
haven't an idea where this came from,
he said as he looked s it i, hunsrily; but
and tell 'em to turn Gentry loose
There no use in keeping man shut up
all of his life for little laundry.
"We were down in Texas, " continued
Mr.. Stonestreet, "when we got the news
of Lincoln's assassination. The men
were ON review, and the intelligence
went down the line like flash. Some
of them foolishly cheered.
"'Boys, said General Shelby, sitting
erect on his horse with one hand raised
in air and his head barred, this is the
heaviest blow yet dealt us. Lincoln's
slaughter was the act of a mailman. If
he had lived he would have been just
and generous to the south.
major General Holmes was in COM
mand of our part of the transmississippi
department. He was a West Pointer.
President Davis was a West Pointer also,
and thought that no man could be SOL
der unless he bore the hallmark of that
academy. Therefore he appointed
Holmes, who was a gentleman and well
meaning, but stiff necked and dull.
Holmes sent for Shelby.
"General, he said when the cavalry
leader appeared, your men have been
stealing, and it must be stopped. They
are thieves.
"'Sir,' said Shelby, 'whoeSer told
you so lies
"I believe it is true, said Holmes.
"Why?' asked Shelby.
"'Because everybody says So.
"Do you believe thing when every
body says sop
"'I do
"'Do you know what everybody says
about your
"'I do not. What do they say?'
"'They say that you are Id old
fool And Shelby walked out.
"What is more" continued Mr..
Stonestreet, "Shelby was right. Men
can't fight and starve too.
General Shelby was soldier only.
As man of business he was failure.
Into business life he brought the same
bold policies that distinguished him i'll
war times the same dash and the same
recklessness, and they wouldn't do. He
would lend money to anybody who asked
for it, taking no security, and to have
served in his command was an open
road to his purse. To the day of his
death he was beset by hangers on who
had known him in wartime. He seemed
never to weary of them or to learn that
they were leeches. kansas City Star.