The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1898-02-19
A FUNNY INCIDENT.
A FRAGMENT OF HISTORY THAT IS
FULL OF HUMOR.

Colonel Horns Letter to General Logan
Explaining an Attack on Grant Shan
Fried Chicken Eater.
Mrs. John A. Logan once gave to a
newspaper reporter in this city a letter
from u southern editor that created a
lot OF talk. It was Immediately after
the death Of General Grant. The re-
porter had gone to the Logan residence
to interview the general about some
matter then before congress. The gen
eral was in bed, and the reporter was
shown to his room In the course Of the
evening Mrs. Logan entered the bed
chamber and took part in the converse
ton. In her hand she held a letter, the
contents of which her husband knew
about. She wanted to give it to the re-
porter, but the general objected. But
as the newspaper man started to leave
Mrs. Logan slipped the envelope into
his hand. The next morning nearly
every newspaper in the country printed
a copy of it. 1t was q rare and racy
document.
Colonel Alexander G. Horn Of Meridi-
an, Miss, then the editor of The Daily
Mercury, was its author. The letter
was intended as an explanation of an
editorial that had appeared a few weeks
before in The Mercury. Colonel Horn
and J. J. Shannon were associates in
the publication of the aforesaid journal.
On the morning follow ing the death Of
the hero of Appomattox The Mercury
contained one of the most cruel articles
about General Grant ever printed by a
press. 1t dared any true southerner to
grieye or show signs Of sorrow over his
demise. 1t called upon the people of
Dixie land to exult and rejoice at the
death of the man who had slain their
sons and burned their homes. The reo-
pie of Meridian were astounded. They
went to the editor, Colonel Horn. and
asked him, in the name of peace, to
write another article Withdrawing it.
He was obdurate and instead of doing
as his neighbors wished dictated anoth-
9. one equally as fierce as the first.
At that moment the name Of Colonel
Shannon was before the senate awaiting
confirmation as postmaster at Meridian.
An enemy of his, knowing the love that
General Logan had for General Grant,
inclosed copies of the paper to him, ex-
pecting that Logan would oppose Shan
mons nomination. Shannon and Horn
had a dispute over the editorial, and
their relations became so strained that
rS..nnk l,,o1 x,o orI- o,0r@ol ~ <Lo
interference of mutual friends. Colonel
Horns letter to Gencrat Logan was to
the effect that Colonel ea1unon was in
nocent of the article aud had known
nothing about it until he saw it in the
paper. / cannot quote the letter with
literal exactness, but a part of it was as
follows:
"No; Shannon had nothing to dc
with 1t. In the first place he hasn',
enough to conceive such a senti.
ment as was expressed in the editorial
and If he had he would be too cowardly
to write it. He is my partner, / am sor,
~ to say, but by maxim him postmaster
You will afford me the opportunity o.
getting rid of him.
HAo WY INV al III cOhA IL
IL a mighty narrow strip between The
radical republicanism that you repre-
sent and the Cleveland Mugwumpery
that Shannon tries to represent. He il
not a Democrat, never was and never
will be. l predict that you will sool
have him over On ycur side, and Goo
speed tho day! We Democrats dowl
here don want him.
II am growing old. but / am still il
possession Of my mental faculties, ant
I hope to live many years longer to tel
the truth from day to day about ths
despised Yankees and their politics.
am seriously afflicted with hemiplegia
else ] would baye mauied HI ont g
Shannon long ago.
Logan, you ought to remember IN,
as q of the fellows that figured some
what conspicuously in the KempeI
county trials. / guess I can take th'
credit to myself of having had the Dem
oc.ats who killed the Radicals thtr'
acquitted before the courts. / wouls
like another job of the same kind.
"You and / ought to be friends. Op
posites beget liking. You have been
broth Of q boy in your party, and l hav'
besu . sheol of q fellow in mine"
General Logan replied good natured
y 70 this epistle, after which q friend
y correspondence sprang up betwee,
- sgrstic genius ut Meridian and th
0astos. Logan read the Shannon lette
= the committee room of the senate
~ then ~iaughingly said that inasmucI