The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-08-19

climax came. 1t was a scene of ex-
element.
Joseph G. Waters in his Fifty Days
of History published in the old Kansas
Magazine soon after this sensational
episode thus describes 1t:
Cheeks which still wore the smile of
but a moment before blahched with a
deathly pallor, and too full, for utterance
the singing and excited multitude in that
crowded hall sat dumb in, the presence
Of the appalling catastrophe. News Of
sudden calamity. involving loss of for
tune, or a life; a city on fire; the re-
morseless waves sweeping over another
buried Atlantis; routed army beaten,
bleeding and destroyed, the gloom of
earthquake shock or the cyclones des-
elation might have produced the same
effect, but nothing more.
"Great Godi did ever mpney look so
cheap and insignificant before In the
midst Of this awful silence, York con-
tinued his remarks, and although not
above the rank of the average speaker,
for the one and only time of his life
he rose equal to the occasion, and with
words which had been STUDIED pro-
and his plea for a commonwealth which
he alleged had long been outraged, and
concluded by limiting in no indirect way
that he had learned that other members
had been approached and were listening
to him with Pomeroy's money in their
pockets"
Then came the finish. The roll was
called. A moments thought might have
saved Pomeroy, at least it might have
beaten Ingalls,. But the Ingalls, sun was
in the dawning. His turn of fortune had
come.
The roll call proceeded. "John ]. In
gals" ~. ]. Ingalls," 81. ]. ingalls,"
81. J. ingalls," they answered all over
the floor. They even anticipated the
reading clerks call t"Ingalls.' ingalls,
ingalls," their responses seemed to say
and so it continued to the end-Ingalls
rs. D. P Lowe 6, Sidney Clarke 2. York
2, Charles Robinson /, S. A. Kingman /.
The nthe joint convention dissolved
and the multitude now recovered and
Then the joint convention dissolved
story in a thousand different versions.
No two could recollect il alike. Even
the newspaper reporters had forgotten
their duty and sat in dazed silence
throughout the scene without taking a
note. Only one had paid attention and
was able to write report of the scene
in a coherent form. He was w H
Rossington, now famous lawyer. then
a reporter for the Topeka Co1nmonw wealth
He remembered every detail Of the scene. !
But the speech Had anybody taken
that?" Not one word of it had been pre-
served. and York had no copy. Then
Rosy we must depend on YOU" said
Henry King. editor OF the Commonwealth |
10 the reporter, Rossington. TRY what !
your memory can do for us"
Thus hidden, Rossington retired 10 !
room and within an hour had produced !
the speech from his remarkable mem /
ory. 1t was not an accurate reproduc- |
ton, OF course. but II was. 50 nearly (
correct that York said he would make .
no changes. This speech. strange 10 4
say. Is preserved only in Appleton's An I
nual Of 1873. It originally was preserved 4
in the files OF the Commonwealth. but 4
vandals have cut out every vestige OF /
the reports OF the legislature OF that /
day.
It IS here Reproduced as Colonel Ros-
singfOn remembered II;
Before place in nomination the name
% any man have short explanation
to make and as IT concerns all here
present. and is OF great Importance % the
state % Kansas present and future.
desire the close attention % the members
OF the convention 70 what I have 70 say
Two weeks ago yesterday came - To-
Qeka- an avozed and earnest znti-Pone-
roy man. thought that II hs defeat
party. and eheertulIy and enthusiastically
I allied myself with the aati-Pomerur
element in the Legislature Grave charges
had been made against Senator Poue-oy
IN connection With Z certain EsH known (
letter % Y. " RoSs These charges
had assumed a serious form II meet
ing % the an+i-Pofreroy caucus a sew
evenings ago. when man by TIE name
% Clark exhibited 3. ala. n twenty sfps
bills. declaring tina; re had received the
same from Mr. Pome-oS Tor signing
confession 20 the effect that h. had
forged tlse letter ard he signature there
-. 7 had 10 evidence zs . the truzh
a. these cha-zsS but sf-. FeDeroy-s
name having been associated With 50
many rumors OF similar nztzre made
me give thoSe reports rTsSsnee. though
had 10 desire 20 condemn zr. Pcn-
aroy without a hearing
when I came hsre I hsd b=en ~ait~5
znon az various tszses % friends q SIR !
poueroy. who SIi@d re with arguments