The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-11-05
Two Big Political Meetings Sat-
urday Night.
Opie Read Talks to Republicans
at the Grand.
MR.. OVERMYER SPEAKS
The Democratic Orator at the
Auditorium.
Hearers Are Very Enthusiastic
at Both Meetings.

There were two big political meetings
in Topeka Saturday night. Opie Read
was the star attraction at the Grand
opera house while David Overmyer
pleased the fusionists with one of his
best Oratorical efforts
The Grand opera house was not large
enough for the Read meeting and hun
dreds of people were turned away. The
Auditorium was not entirely filed but
the crowd was large.
OPIE READS MEETING.
Opie Reads final speech Of the cam
palgn fell to Topeka and the immense
audience that heard the novelist poll
tclan in the Grand opera house, Satur-
day night, was delighted for the. oppor-
tun1ty and mirth-stricken by the ex-
perlence. Every seat was taken, spec
tators overlooked the stage, usurped
press seats and the stage accessories of
rustic benches, porch steps and log
stools, took up every inch of standing
room in the aisles and filled even the
entry and gallery stairs. Several hun
dred people could not get in at all.
The gifted Kentuckian told all the
campaign stories that other Kansas
towns had heard, and q few distinctively
new. The best of all was the tale re-
lating an experience as happening while
he was a newspaper reporter. The story
runs in this way:
The newspaper man had been sent to
report the hanging of negro for murder
at BuckSnOrt. He had to drive part of
the way and stopped to ask a drink.
The planter invited him up on the
veranda, ordered two juleps, regaled the
newspaper man with converse ton also,
and despite his protests made him stay,
finally dispatching Felix, an intelligent
slave to report the hanging The juleps
made the reporter lose all recollection,
until Felix, swelIed with Importance,
returned.
Felix" said the planter, was you
on that horse?"
a 81
was you down the road on that
horse, Kit2"
''YaSSir.''
over to Bucksnort?"
'YaSSir.
''See tn hangin'?''
''YaSsir."
Now give US thu repoht"
YaSsir. 'Membah 1 got on old Kit
and went down tn road. Down yah by
tn branch ole Squire Cullenis' big steer
stood smack across de road. Wouldn'
bulge. Look yer, steer, I says, ole Kit
an me er guine t Bucksnort. Yo'
move out Steer swished his tail, loozt
roun' an didn' move. Look yere, steer,
I said, 'Didn' L tole you me an Kit
guine to Bucksnort to Sc de hangin'?
Yere you are stoppin' US firm guine.
Out of de way! D'y' know, whom youse
p'ventin? I'm a po' tab fer de papah!
Unnerstan?' Den steer he bawI an run
down in de swamp, head down an tail
up, like de debbil was aftah am Kit an
me toted on t Bucksnort. Everywh ab
kerridgegS and horses tied No place
fu Kit. All united one of Squiah Fa'fax,
hit a clip an doun road he went Must
hab place fer my boss, I'm 'po'tah fer de
papah."
Felix gives a vivid description of the
hanging, one any reporter could be
proud of, telling how the old negro ask
ed for one last look at the sun and his
apostrophe to it. He called it de great
roun' eye of de Lawd" He recounted
how after he'd got 'Hgion,' a man came
into his field and accused him of steal
ing his hog. A quarrel ensued and the
negro struck his accuSer dead with his
hoe Now I've seen de great rOun' eye
whah my immortal souPN be tomorro'
dis time"
DE shelf sprufN de trap doah and de
niger shot down. He neck brOke-daid.
Now 'po'tah, 'Po'tah fer de papah, wy
d all have to do youah 'pOhtin? Marse
tongues, but don't AK me no noah to do
pO'htin fer de papah. An when de
trap-doah is sprung on you, 'pOtah,
whah will yo' soul be on tOmOrro'- Down
yander- roast'n and a-roast'n fob
thousan yeahs, seems like, an de clock
ain strike one yit.'
For a political point Mr.. Read said
impressiVely That's the way with
Democratic fallacies. After election
they will pass into oblivion, never heard
of for q thousand years and the clock
hasn't struck one yet
His campaign labors ended Opie Read
left Sunday afternoon for his home in
Chicago. Before leaving Mr.. Read dis
cussed briefly his literary plans with
State Journal reporter.
What are my literary plans? Be
yond finishing my present book, I have
no plans just now. I've been compaign-
ing, and let me say again, kinder treat