The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-02-14
"A FUNNY INCIDENT.
A FRAGMENT OF HISTORY THAT Is
FULL OF HuMOR.

non, His Associate, Was an Ambitious
Fried Chicken Eater.
Mrs. John A. Logan once gave to a
newspaper reporter in this city letter
from a southern editor that created
lot of talk 1t 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 letter, the
contents of which her husband knew
about. She wanted to give 1t 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 a rare and racy
| document.
| Colonel Alexander c. 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 few weeks
before in The Mercury. Colonel Horn
and ]. J. Shannon were associates in
the publication 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 General Grant ever printed by a
press. 1t dared any true southerner to
grieve 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 peo-
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 1t.
He was obdurate and instead of doing
as his neighbors wished dictated anoth-
er 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
street duel was only averted by the
interference of mutual friends. Colonel
Horns letter to General Logan was tc
the effect that Colonel Shannon was in
l % tote hod tr,n
nothing about it until he saw it in thu
paper. / cannot quote the letter will
literal exactness, but part OF 1t was a
I follows:
"No; Shannon had nothing to d,
,, with it. In the first place he hash
. sense enough to conceive such senti
ment as was expressed in the editoria
? and if he had he would be too cowardl
, to write it, He is my partner, am sor
T ry to say, but by making him postmaste
: you will afford me the opportunity c
getting rid of him.
= "And why not take him, John? Their
is a mighty narrow strip between tn
i radical rspublicanism that you repre-
!. sent and the Cleveland Mugwumper
J. that Shannon tries to represent. He
Q not Democrat, never was and neve
/ will be. ! predict that you will 500
Z have him over on your side, and Go
u speed the day! We Democrats dow
~ here don't want him.
81 am growing old, but / am still
u possession of my mental faculties, an
d hope to live many years longer to te
IA the truth from day to day about tn
despised Yankees and their politics.
am seriously afflicted with hemiplegis
n. else l would have mauled h--l out
Or Shannon long ago.
g Logan, you ought to remember N
x as one of the fellows that figured some
y what conspicuously in the Kempt
le county trials. I guess l can take tt
~ credit to myself of having had the Den
20 ocrats who killed the Radicals tEel
ne acquitted before the courts woul
a like another job of the same kind.
err "You and ought to be friends. o.
er posites beget liking. You have been
If broth of boy in your party, and ha,
s. been sheol of fellow in mine.
30 General Logan replied good naturec
20 ly to this epistle, after which frient
TX ly correspondence sprang up betwee
" the cratic genius at Meridian and IL
ID senator. Logan read the Shannon lettt
re in the committee room of the senat,
IL and then laughingly said that inasmuc
+ as his friend Colonel Horn wante
Shannon confirmed he didn't see no.
he could oppose him. Colonel Horn
unreconstructed, has long since passe
IN into silence, and few years later Col,
mel Shannon was buried at his oil
home in Paulding, Miss, town ono
=" made famous by the publication of I'll
Weekly Clarion, many years ago, {
which paper he was one of the founder
During the Sullivan Kilrain trial q
!. Purvis some years ago sat at the brcal
fast table with Sullivan and Colon,
Shannon. Sullivan ate three fried chicl
ems, Shannon four. Charlie Rich, th
ID great sportsman, got the two to enter
fried chicken eating match. Some on
y asked Sullivan how many he though