The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-05-12
How Pritc hard Felt When He
Read the Post.
AT THEIR FIRST MEETING
THE REAL DEEP, DARK STRATE
GY OF SHOOK.
AN APPEAL TO THE NINTH
He Will Try TO Lispossess Pearson OF
His Seat Next ime and Make
Campaign on the Chess
Match Issue.

Washington, May 10.-(Special-1f
there were no other proof of the earth
quake qualities of Mr.. j. Wiley Shook, it
would be, perhaps, sufficient to note the
shaking up he recently gave the North
Carolina colony here in the open letter he
wrote to the President. The other more
timid Republicans after they recovered
from the shock looked around and eX-
claimed in the words of the play of
"Esmeralda" of your State, why he's
a actually standin up agm Marther.'
Apart from the question of discretion
in the writing of the letter, nobody here
could say that Mr.. Shook had not
right to say what he did right to
the Presidents teeth, but when his sur
roundings were recalled there was no
little surprise manifested For example,
it may or may not be known that Mr..
Shook is clerk to the Civil Service com
mitfee of which Senator Pritchard is
chairman. What, then, must have been
the feelings of Senator Pritchard when
picking up the Washington Post that
morning, he saw, Immediately following
editorial matter, the open letter of MIR.
Shook" Ito the public, wiley" or rather
Shook Ito him)-his clerk.
Your correspondent has taken the pains
to cover the psychical and physical move
ments of the Senator during a part of
that day.
When he first picked up the Post at
the breakfast table he happened to be
eating of soft-boiled egg. This state
ment is made ON circumstantial evidence,
as the concern here is only with the public
career Of Senator Pritchard and not as to
his personal egg-eating life. On getting
down to his office, the right half of his
moustache looked natural, but the other
companion or correlative half was smear
ed with egg-yolk as if napkin had been
wisely but not too well swiped across it.
Therefore, when he opened up on
''Shook" Che called him ''Shook" when
he came in that mOrning) not Wiley"
while one side Of his face was full Of ex-
preston, the egg-haf was rough-dry and
would answer only in a stiff, yellow per-
functOry fashion to the white emotion
that he was feeling.
Shook had been up all night waiting for
the Post to come out and was, therefore,
down early; he had been writing up the
journal of the last meeting on Civil Ser
vice, but he was now reading the Post.
Enter Pritchard.
Shook yawned, lifted his hands Ian
guidly over his head and looked over his
paper, and about half way through his
yawn he exclaimed: "Golly! Haven't
slept the whole id night, but 1 don't
feel as babe (bad) as maight.''
Pritchard: We'll, | am glad you feel so
good: l slept all might, but I'm feeling
about as bad as l could-you've played
h-ll!'
At this remark (for Mr. Shook is a
man OF spirit Shocks eyes (the Writes
of them shone up against d1is black hair
like two goose-eggs on charcoal wagon.
He was mad"
Il done my doot as l seen it, and 1
dom give a d-n!'
Pritchards brow took lunge forward
throwing his gray eyes into still deeper
gray, specially as his face became nerv-
ously pale. ''No, hi amt the word for it,
he continued, here the President has
promised me Boyd and Recorder-two Of
fees all for this week-doing all he can
for my people and your people, and here
you come with this thing which, of course,
he will think came with the passive con-
sent OF self don't feel as if could go
into the White House for thirty days.
But the President don know me-"
said Shook.
Know you, of course he don't, and
that's just the devil of it; but he knows
me. Know you? Why, of course he don't.
Do you suppose, Mr.. Wilkins would have
put any stuff from you next to editorial
matter? That's what hurts; he thinks
it's me. Then look at that heading (pick-
ing up the paper.) major Mckinley"
don't you know that Beriah Wilkins Is
said to be personal as we'll as political
enemy of the President. Else why did he
head it up "A Open Letter to Major Nc
Kinley' and mixed up in it! why where
as your gumption, Shook?
''Waal, they tole me at the Post Of
fee, they'd not print it eff there was any
thing wrong about it,"
"Wrong?' Well there was nothing
wrong to Wilkins: it was all right to him,
and he's chuckling over it now, no
doubt"
Shook has nerve like a cotton-tie as
witnessed by his approaching reply. by
Gratis" he grunted, "ef looked at it as
We seem to be DOM, make the sand fly
under my feet before I'd fail to see the
L TcSlUelfL III Uue next 1uluuCcS. IL .
only clerk a. talkin' to you, but, man
alive, can't you see, if you don't get a
move on you, the President may think
you done it sho noughv'
For the first time during the rastlin'
match, Shook had Pritchard on his back,
on the defensive, and he twitched nerv
ously at the yellow egg-crumbs that had
lodged in his left moustache.
EFF you'll set down there" continued
Shook, in his blunt mountain way, II can
tell you something. Haven't l already
served notice on you and Pearson too,
that I'm goin' to beat him for Congress
next time? Can't you see that that letter
was written for the Ninth District and
not for the President?'
Pritchard gasped: he had been led from
the News and Observer to believe that
Shocks letter was a pathetic petition for
pie, but it began to dawn on him that
this theory was an invention Of the enc
nv and that there stood before him a
barbed- wire worker that had his scheme
horse-high and pig-tight. There was a
moments pause as Shook took up the