The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-08-29
SOME COMIC HISTORY.
Harris Letter to General Logan About an At
tack on Grant.

James S. Evans, in Chicago Times-Hsr-
aid.
Mrs. John A. Logan once gave to a
newspaper reporter in this city letter
from Southern editor that created a lot
of talk 1t was Immediately after the
death of Gen. Grant, some twelve years
ago. The reporter had gone to- the Lo-
gan residence to interview the general.
about some matter then before congress.
The general was in bed and the reporters
was shown to his room. In the courses
of the evening Mrs Logan entered the,
bedchamber and took part in the con-
versation In her hand she held a let
ter the contents of which her husband
knew about She wanted to giv+ it to.
the reporter, but the general objected.
But as the newspaper man started to.
leave Mrs. Logan slipped th= envelope
into his hand. The next morning near
ly every newspaper in the country print
ed copy of it. 1t was a rare and racy
document.
Col Alexander G. Horn of Meridian
Miss, then this editor of the Daily Mer-
curry, was it's author. The letter was in
tended as an explanation of an editorial
that had appeared a few weeks before
in the Mercury. Col Horn and J. J.
Shannon were associates in the publica-
ton of the aforesaid journal. On the
morning following the death of the hero
of Appomattox the Mercury contained
one of the most cruel articles about Gen.
Grant ever printed by a press. 1t dared
any true Southerner to grieve or show
signs of sorrow over his demise. 1t call
ed upon the people of Dixie to exult and
rejoice at thsr death of the man who had
slain their sons and burned their homes.
The people of Meridian were astounded.
They went to the editor, Col. Horn, and
asked him, in this name of peace, to write
another article withdrawing it. He was
obdurate, and, instead of doing as his
neighbors wished, dictated another one
equally as fierce as the first.
At that moment the name of Col. Shan
non was b=fore the senate awaiting con-
firmation as postmaster at>Meridian. An
enemy of his, knowing the love that Gen.
Logan had for Gen. Grant, inclosed cop
les of the paper to him, expecting that
Logan would oppose Shannon's nomina-
ton. Shannon and Horn had a dispute
over the editorial and their relations be-
came so strained that a street duel was
only averted by the interference of mu-
tual friends. Col. Horns letter to Gen.
Logan was to tbs effect that Col. Shan
non was innocent of the article and had
known nothing about it until he saw 1t
in the paper. can not quote the letter
with literal exactness, but a part of it.
was as follows:
mo; Shannon had nothing to do with
Ut. In the first place, he hasn't sense
enough to conceive of such sentiment
as was expressed in the editorial, and If
ne had he would be too cowardly to write
1t. HE Is my partner, I am sorry 10 say,
but by making him postmaster you will
afford me the opportunity of getting rid
of him.
"And why not take him. John? There
Is a mighty narrow strip between the
radical republicanism that you represent
and the Cleveland mugwumpery that
Shannon tries to represent. He is not
democrat, never was and never will be-
I predict that you will soon have him
over on your side and God speed the day
wv Z utfIfOCIdtr< QOWil 1fcT6 NOii w art ulfiu
~ am growing old, but I am sill in
possession of my mental faculties, and
hope to live many years longer to tell the
truth from day to day about the despised
Yankees and their politics. I am Sc
riously afflicted with hemiplegia, else I
would have mauled III out of Shannon
long ago.
logan. you ought 70 remember me as
one of the fellows who figured somewhat
conspicuousfy in The Kemper county
trials. guess can take the credit to
myself of having had the democrats who
killed the radicals There acquitted before
the courts q would like another job of
the same kind.
"You and ought to be friends. Oppo-
sites beget liking. You have been "a broth
of a boy in your party, and have been
a sheol of a FELLOW In mime"
Gen Logan replied good-naturedly to