The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-01-02
ORR KANSAS MILITIA.
An Interesting Story of How the Cat
ling Gun Pir was sLost."

ling Gun Pir was "Lost."
The following appears in the Chicago
Times Herald:
"A Chapter in Kansas History" told
by George douglass, who was speak
er of the Kansas house of representa-
tiveS in the stirring days when blood
shed seemed imminent once more in
bleeding Kansas has a sequel.
Mr. 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-fuu
of grit, sound argument and good ad-
vice. 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 the 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 Pop
ulist executive, Lewelling, called on the
state troops to do his bidding at To-
peka, and when, as Mr. Douglass says.
the governor ''besieged the house with
troops, including the regular militia and
some fresh leVfeS, and for some days
the state was upon the verge of civil
war; a battery of light artillery was
called to Topeka from Wichita. This
battery was in charge of Lieutenant
Wills Metcalf,aS loyal a Republican as
ever bearded a POpulist on his native
prairie. The men under Metcalf were
also of the same stamp. But they were
unQer the command OF a POpUI1St gov
ernor and had been called on to bear
arms against Republicans who were
trying to organize a legislative house
as they had a perfect right to do.
Nobody ever knew a militiaman to
rebel against a call to so out on duty,
and so these Wichita men were well
pleased at the prospect of a. trip to To-
peka, and perhaps a row when they got
there.
LieutenantMetcalf, however, did some
tall figuring on the way to the state
capitol. In his battery was a Calling
gun The piece, when the capitol was
reached, was placed in a commanding
position 1t was set to face the en-
trance to the capitol grounds Soon
after 1T had been placed in Imber-I
think the term is proper-some officer
high in command made an inspection
of it to see that it was in condition to
pour it's red-hot bullets into the Repub-
l1can traitors, in case they should in
sist on standing by Douglass and defy-
ing the Pops.
This man who did the inspecting
knew all about Calling guns, and no
| sooner had he cast his sight over Met
caifs weapon than he saw that some
thing was wrong.
Here" he yelled to Lieutenant Met
calf there's very vital part of this
gun missing. Where is it?''
Metcalf was excited in an instant He
joined his Populist superior officer and
critically examined the Calling.
That's So" he declared "A crank
he
spots gone.'
Why screamed the other. .sthe 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" emphati-
cally declared the big offfcer"And Won
must find it, he added, turning to the
Wichita lieutenant
Metcalf had all his men drawn I'D in
nne He carefully explained about the
missing pin and then ne asked each
man in turn if he knew anything about
It Not soldier had any knowledge of
part.
Every possible place was searched
! but no pin was found. The gun remain
ed IN position, however but the men of
the battery and the superior officer were
about the only ones who knew how
really useless it was Finally, the cruel
! war was ended and the gun carried
| back to Wichita
Metcalf is no longer a Kansan He &c
I IN Chicago, too. Lots of Sunfiower state
men are Not long ago a man who re-
| memDered the incident of the Calling
| gun met him and said:
Metcalf, how about that crank min ?
| What became of it and where. when
and how was it lost?"
With a smile the ex-lieutenant an
| swered oil
Did you suppose for an instant that
! l was gong to let any Populist admin
| lstratlon use my Republican Calling
gun 10 shoot down Republicans? Not
Huch' w ny, when I lined I'D those
men and roasted them for Iosipe +bo+ :
pm mad the blamed thing in NV mock
/ ct all the time" 10y PUN
And there are other Kansas sto,;as
/ too. Ss'S StoL1es'