Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-12
lombard GOVERNOR POINTER
BOsr Sympathy Meeting Furnishes the
Occasion and Excuse,
EXECUTIVE HOLDS OWN AGAINST SToRNER;
Fierce Engagement is Pulled on ms
Originally Planned, hut No
CnpituIntIon Visible to
the Naked Eye.

The woes Of the Beers were the cooling
| draught in which some otherwise unpalata-
/ BILE political doses were administered last
night to a good many unsuspecting repub-
( licans. A good many foxy politicians had
spotted this Boer sympathy meeting to
mean something sinister in politics, and as
preparations developed 1t began to be APP
parent that 1t had two pre- eminent purposes.
One was to inveigie republicans into a
seemingly nonpartisan meeting intended ul-
| timately to embarrass the national admin
istration. Another was to get them into a
meeting for the purpose of booming Hitch
cocks candidacy for senator.
The meeting was designed to lure Gov
ernor Poynter and ex-senator Allen TO
Omaha and intimidate them by demon
straton in Hitchcock's favor. In inducing
the governor to come it successful, but
it is quite certain he understood the hidden
design. Judge Allen seems to have faith
omed the scheme from a distance, as he
sent his regrets in letter, in which he eX-
pressed his sympathy for the Beers with
out humping up against the Douglas county
hungry fusion contingent.
Gathering of the Clans.
Great preparations had been made for a
concerted assault upon Governor Poynter
and Judge Allen in Hitchcock's behalf They
were expected to arrive about noon and the
strikers were organized in gangs to make
their kicks effective. Every now and then
an outpost of the ambushed forces would
invade the office of the hotel at which the
governor was expected to STOP glance over
| the register and sally forth to report that
he had not yet come in.
Mt m a q
| in Omaha. He came from his home in Boone
county where he has been since Friday
attending the bedside of his father, who at
! the age of 70 is suffering from a complica-
/ tion of serious ailments He was accom-
panied to Omaha by w. f. Reed, formerly
a partner of w. V. Allen, and M. F. Har-
rington of ONeill, both ardent supporters
| of Allen.
Early in the day Judge Edgar Howard of
| Papillion had come to Omaha to convince
| the governor that reason, wisdom, religion.
! the sage of Sarpy and horse sense dictated
| the appointment OF w. H. Thompson of
Grand Island, Matt Gering of Plattsmouth,
! fenked by Peter Edward Ruffner, was also
here to declare that next years crops in
Cass county depended upon the appointment
of Hitchcock.
/ AS the afternoon wore away democrats
and populists wandered in pairs and squads
to take their places in the assaulting COL
umn when the general charge should be
ordered. The hotel rotunda looked as If a
fusion convention was in prospect for the
day, but so carefully had the movement
been planned that no one had been assigned
the duty of meeting the governor at the
train. When the much sought governor
made his way up town alone and afoot, stop
| ping for some time in barber shop, an in
cipient panic seized the assembled strikers
| with the suggested fear that the appointing
| power had avoided the ambuscade by tun-
| nelling to some other hotel. Only by dint
OF good fortune Captain Allen G. Fisher of
! Chadron arrived at the hotel shortly after 5
and reported that Governor Poynter had
come on the same train with him and in
| another half hour the governor put in an
appearance
| Governor the Storm Center.
From the haste with which Governor
Poynter shot through the office it was plain
| he suspected what was in store for him.
| He had not reached the desk before the
strain upon his buttonholes became tremen-
! dous and he escaped only by informing the
| importunate ones that he was going to his
room, where he would be glad to hear what
! they had to say as fast as they could pre-
sent themselves. His son, Charles, who is
| attending an Omaha school, had to be
| pressed into service.
! The first to reach the gubernatorial ear
was Matt Gering, who emerged in few
minutes as wise as when he went in and
without any assurances to offer the eager
| listeners. The governor had not blanched
| in the face of his charge.
Then a committee of Hitchcock populists,
who did not propose to abide by t<e declara-
tion of the county central committee in favor
! of Allen, gained admission. 1t comprised
| Messrs Mcguire, Cohen and Cline.
Following them was a delegation of a
| dozen big men from South Omaha, headed
by Thomas Nolan and F. A. Broadwell.
The court house squad comprised John
Power, Peter Hofeldt and James Connolly.
| Then Charley flaming, armed with an oil
| gauge and Walter Noise, resplendent in
colonel's uniform, got in their work as rep
resentatives of the state government.
! To all Governor Poynter was noncommit-
! tai and none came out with high hope gleam-
ing in their physlognomies. Finally the
governor went down to supper, which was
! the cue for r. l.. Metcalfe and, judging from
! the knife and fork gesticulations and the
I activity of Metcalfe's head and arms, 1t was
| apparent that the submarine mines had been
exploded
Meantime Harry Miller and several 9TH
ers present, who had not been reassured by
the utterances of the governor made a
| sortie upon w. T.. Reed, who was stopping
at the same hotel, in vain appealing to him
as a friend of Allen TO get the judge to
fly the track.
Meantime, also the committee from the
populst county central committee had in
tercepted the governor with a white flag
long enough to present the resolution
adopted Saturday favorng Aliens appoint
ment This ended the preliminary engage
! ment.
All on for osthoh's Hall.
In the midst of the melee the governor
fanked about for Osthoffs hall and the
fountain OF Boer sympathy. He deployed the
entire distance on foot, accompanied by
Edgar Howard, Land Commissioner Wolfe
and one or two others. The other restless
makers of senators of their own erratiC
choice followed him.
All the 500 seats in the hall were taken
when the governor appeared, and many were
standing. Before the meeting closed every
available foot of standing room was Occu-
pied, clear out to the head OF the stairs.
The appearance of the governor was
greeted enthusiastically. Upon the platform
were seated with him Edgar Howard Frank
Ransom, Miss Fairbrother r. j. Cornish
mt