The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-11
ANECDOTES or SENATOR HARRIS.
Stories Which APPLY Illustrate the
Great TcnResseean's Characteristic

SAories men @AptlS AllustEute Ane
Great TenResseean's Characteristic
les.
From the Washington Post, July 9.
Senator Harris faced death with that
infeXibility of courage which was one of
his chief characteristics. He knew he was
dying, but the knowledge did not give
him the least uneasiness. 1.-THE machinery
is all run down and will stop working by
Tomorrow he said yesterday morning
to Representative McMillin, of his state.
Earlier in the day he had asked the doc
tor as to his chances. "Oh," said the ply
sician, I'VE will soon have you we'll"
NO. said Senator Harris in his dog
matte way, you will not. l can diagnose
my case, and l know that 1 cannot live
two days"
Yesterday about noon, when 1t was de-
cided to give him an injection of whisky
in his leg in order to stimulate him in HIS
enfeebled condition, he heard the CONVEX
sation and at once remarked that there
was a certain bottle which had recently
been sent him and which contained whisky
fifty years old. This was used. Later in the
day, however, when the dose was about to
be repeated, he waved his physician away.
| There is no USE" said the dying man.
Don't trouble about me any more" A
few minutes later he had lapsed into I'M
consciousness.
Senator Harris war experience was con-
fined to service as a volunteer aid upon the
staff of the commanding general of the
confederate army of the Tennessee during
the last three years of the war. When,
early in 1862, the confederates evacuated
Southern Kentucky and Northern Tennes-
see, after the surrender of Fort DonelsOn,
Nashville, the capital of Tennessee, was
also given up to the federal troops. Gov
| q ba NJ
state archives to Chattanooga, and later
after the battle of Chickamauga, fled still
further southwark to Atlanta. Senator
Harris took with him what was known as
the schoo. fund of the state, amounting to
several hundred thousand dollars in gold
guarding it carefully by day and night. He
removed it from one place to another, but
never allowing one dollar of 1t to be touch
ed although the pressure upon him for
its transference to the confederate treas
ury was very strong. mo" he said, the
money belongs to the children of the state,
and, he added, with an oath, they shall
have it as long as l can keep it for them -
1t was his possession of this fund which
| led Gov. Brownlow, the reconstruction gov
ernor at the close of the war, to issue a
| reward for 'Isham c. Harris, embezzler."
| The amount of the reward was placed at
| 5000, and the description in the circular
| applied to him as well at the time of his
death as it did thirty years ago. Tall"
| said the description straight as an In
dian, red on the top of his head, red face,
a little profane and inclined to be dicta-
| torial." II should be added, however. that
! the money was returned intact, as Sena-
tor Harris had intended it should be.
"A little profane, said the circular.
There no doubt about that charac-
! teristic. He always swore like a trooper.
| 1t is related Of him that one day he was
| with the army and was INDUCING in his
usual habit when Bishop Quntard, then a
| young chaplain in the army. said to him:
! Colonel, how can you expect the men to
| have any respect for you if you have no
| respect for God?"
Col Harris looked at the young minister
for a moment in silence. cd d--n you,
or God bless you, / don't care which," he
| said. GO back to your regiment; but !
| win heed you. l will not swear again
while | am in the army" Whether he
kept his word or not is a question that
cannot be answered.
After the war Senator Harris went to
Mexico. A Renaissance Of his Mexican
| life occurred some time ago when Gen.
Shelby sent in his card to the senator at
| the capitol. Mr.. Harris came out, but did
not seem to recognize his caller.
"Why, senator" said Gen. Shelby, Il
was your partner in the distilling bust
ness"
replied the senator.
Not with pineapDles?" asked the gem
eraI.
And then Senator Harris remembered
| When he was In Mexico he and his party
could not get anything TO drink and so
they crushed pineapples and put the juice
| in the sun to ferment. But the other
boys" said the senator. were In a hurry
to drink the stun. and they would not let
Il age"
How long did you let your liquor re-
main?" some one inquired of the senator.
-Four days" was the reply.
one OF Senator Harris characteristics
was his antipathy 70 newspaper men. To
| them he used some Of his most remarka-
bic epigrams. In one case, for instance
| when the confirmation Of a Tennessee
| judge had been reconsdered because Of
charges which had been filed, Senator
| Harris was asked for some OF the details
young man." said he, with emphatic
| tone, III by saying one word / could pre-
vent the wreckage OF time and eternity
| and all the worlds I be Cd did n / would
| say f." AZ another time he said that "
! he could have his way he would melt all
the type into bullets and turn all the pa
per into wads and an the presses into guns
and would shoot the head on every editor
I'm the United States.
Altogether Senator Harris was n pic
turesque figure. lie belonged 90 the old
| school which loves whisky and delights Ia
poker but which Is kind hearted 10 the
last degree and scrupulously honest. His
death removes unique figure from the
Senate chamber.
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