The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-01-19

my &. a. ErwARps.D

Of the National capitol causes anything
ike comment. much less sincere express
sions OF regret from every man who infests
those newspaper precincts, and because
u Is seldom 1t Is quite refreshing. This
seldom exception is the recent retirement
OF Colonel William Green Sterrett OF the
Galveston Dallas News.
There is not another man who ever &C.
/ rupied scat In the press gallery here
4 whose absence and retirement would cause
or has caused as much comment and such
universal regret. On all sides and by
/ everybody therein have been besieged
for news of ..Bill" Stcrrett and the rem
sons for his leaving Washington and the
service Of the News at this capital. Every
one. without a single exception, has then
| given vent to some sincere expression Of
sorrow or regret that the rugged, honest
face Of the genial Sterrett viii no longer
be seen around the press table and his
voice no longer be heard in the wind
| jammers' corner.
| When Rill Sterrctt came to Washington
ten years ago he was positive and" a
constant source Of wonder, a perennial
| '~'trH' w tht pthNii PupuSib VI tut cAOtt
East. lie was refreshing because he was
original There was nothing stereotyped
about him, nc'cr a suggestion of plate
matter
What Bill said and die was all his own
| and in his own way. He was and is sui
| geners. There is not another like him TO
take his place here and IL is no small won
der, then, that here should be ordinations
If regret at his departure. He soon be-
came general favorite, loved and respect
| cd by everyone. He has maintained him
self in the esteem of all to this day and
1 leaves here with the honest, hearty friend
ship OF more good newspaper men than
any man ever knew In my lifc
| 1t is powerful hard to fool men who are
! trained as these men have been. They
can detect pinchbeck man about as soon
as they meet him and he usually has short
shrft here, and 1t is tremendous COM
pliment to acquire and hold the friend
ship of all of them as Bill Sterrett has
done. AS raconteur, story teller. Bill
| had no equal here and his stories and
original expressions, his wit and bon mots
are still passing at par iu the press gal
lery There is never morning that a
crowd does not gather in the ''wind-jam-
mers' room and regret the absence OF
Sterrett. He was always the center of
throng of correspondents and there was
always peals of laughter arising from his
corner. Is 1t any wonder, then, that he
| is missed?
A a
| The story of Bits arrival and introduce
| tion here is good one and can't tell
It as Bill does. He took desk room in the
office of General H. V. Boynton, who
then represented the Cincinnati CONNER
cial- Gazette and who is grand character.
| In that Office was also Bob" Wynne. now
Of the New York Press; Walter B. Stevens
and George Apperson of the Globe- Der-.o
orat and Others, Those gentlemen had all
good natureily twitted Bill about coming
| from the wild and woolly West and init
mated that the lack of gore and scrapping
matches would cause Sterrett to become
lonely and pine for the commotion caused
Iy some fellow from the bad lands Shoot
ing up" the town. One day. however,
| fellow walked into the office TO have
settlement with General Boynton, because
| OF something the general had written for
| his paper. He was an alleged Russian
count. who, 1t seems, had, during the civil
war, gone inside the Confederate lines
been kindly received and had then gons
back and given General Grant important
information-tnd in fact. used his uni
| form ns a foreign nobleman to play the
spy on the Confederate army For this
General Grant had paid him $4,000, but his
sordid soul not being satisfied he was
then in Washington prosecuting claim
against the government for still further
pay for his cowardly action.
~
General Boynton, who was brave Of
ficer in the Federal army and who de-
spised any such action MS this man had
been guilty Of had simply ripped tho lining
out OF him and let the sawdust percolato
out of his claim. When, therefore he
came to demand satisfaction he got it all
in q bunch. The old general biifed him
one. Bob Wynne hit him. Charlie Lock-
wood kicked him and Bill says that even
mild hammered Walter Stevens let him
nave WARM Oue. iuc ieiioW ihhueu out
on Fourteenth street in one, two. three
order and then somebody else hit him. He
was the worst and quickest licked man
on record and everybody had been IL On
tho deal but Bill. After the fellow got
himself pulled together he returned to
apologize to General Boynton, and then
BINS Kentucky blood began to rise. He |
walked over to General Boynton and asked |
him If he couldn't now just take one smash |
at MIR. Count. for the sake of the Confcd-
crate dead whom this sooundrel had be- |
traycd. The general persuaded Bin that !
the fellow had enough. On the same day |
another man walked in and going over 10 |
George Apperson OF the Globe Democrat |
he pulled gun about two feet long AMI
proceeded to talk loud, whcreupcn he, too.
hit the sidewalk and the shadc trees on
Fourteenth street with dull thud. Moth
s,,, .,,,~. xras uafd IN nil about his ho,s |