The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-04
A KANSAS STORY.
The Point of 1t Turns Upon a Miss
ing Crank Pin.

ing Crank Pin.
From the Chicago Times Herald.
"a Chapter in Kansas History" told by
George S. Douglass, who was speaker of
the Kansas House of Representatives In
the stirring days when bloodshed seemed
imminent once more in bleeding Kan
sas," has sequel.
MIR. Douglass is now in Chicago. He has
taken UP his permanent residence here
and during the recent campaign was
heard from very often. He made speeches
that were like the man-full of grit,
sound argument and good advice. As he
put it once to a friend:
You folks here seem to be in a box at
times in this populist movement. We in
Kansas went through that mill once, and
the things that seem to you to be hard
to solve have been knocked sky-high out
there"
But about the sequel. When the p9pu-
list executive. Leweling, called on the
state troops to do his bidding at Topeka,
and when, as Mr.. Douglass says, the gov
ernor 'besieged the house with troops,
including the regular militia and some
fresh leVies, and for some DAYS the state
was upon the verge of civil war" Il bat
terry of light artillery was called to ToJeka
from Wichita, This battery was in charge
of Lieut., Willis Metcalf as loyal a repub-
lican as ever bearded a populist on his
native prairie. The men under Metcalf
were also of the same stamp. But tney
were under the command Of a populist
governor and had been called on to Dear
arms against republicans who were try
ing to organize a legislative house las
they had perfect right to do.
Nobody ever knew a militiamen to rebel
against call to go out on duty, and so
these Wichita men were well pleased at
the prospect of trip to Topeka, and per-
haps row when they got there.
Lieut.. Metcalf, however, did some tall
figuring on the way to the state capitol
In his battery was Calling gun. This
piece, when the capitol was reached, was
placed in a commanding position. 1t was
set to face the entrance to the capitol
grounds. Soon after it had been placed
in limber-I think the term is proper
some officer high in command made an in
spection of it to see that it was in condi-
ton to pour its red-hot bullets into the
republican traitors, in case they should
insist on standing by Douglass and de-
flying the pops.
This man who did the inspecting knew
all about Calling guns, and no sooner had
he cast his sight over Metcalfs weapon
than he saw that something was wrong.
Here" he yelled to Lieut.. Metcalf,
there's very vital part of this gun miss
ing Where is it?"
Metcalf was excited in an instant He
critically examined the Calling
That's so,' he declared. "A crank pin
that belongs discriminating the spot
lis gone"
why" screamed the other, 1.-THE gun
is absolutely useless unless that pin is
in its place. Why, you couldn't fire a
shot from it,
Metcalf allowed that was so.
THAT pin must be found" emphatically
declared the big officer. "And you must
find it, he added, turning to the Wichita
lieutenant.
Metcalf had all his men drawn up in
line. He carefully explained about the
missing pin and then he asked each man
in turn if he knew anything about 1t. Not
a soldier had any knowledge of the where
abouts of the Gatling's vital part
Every possible place was searched, but
no pin was found. The gun remained in
position, however, but the men Of the
battery and the superior officer were about
the only ones who knew how real useless
it was. Finally. the cruel war was ended
and the gun carried back to Wichita.
Metcalf is no longer a Kansan He is
in Chicago, too. Lots of sunflower state
men are. Not long ago a man who remem-
bered the incident Of the Calling gun met
him and said:
"Metcalf, how about that crank pinq
What became of it and where, when and
how was it lost?"
With a smile the ex-lieutenant an
swered:
did you suppose for an instant that 7
was going to let any populist admlnistra-
ton use my republican Calling gun to
shoot down republicans? Not much. WHY
when / lined up those men and roasted
them for losing that pin had the blamed
thing in my pocket all the time"
And there are other Kansas stories. too
--e--e---
The average man thinks that his ron.
utation as kino father has been arn,i,, |