Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-12-18
FAMOUS MISSISSIPPI LETTERS
Provoked an Attack From Editor Braun
of the IconocIast Which Placed Tank
KEGS Life in Jeopardy and Became
Almost a National Episode-Editor
Payne's "Reminiscences.
pecfal to Times-R Republican.

lures on Chinese subjects. There is
perhaps, hardly a state in the union il
which Tank Eee has not delivered hi
lectures. AT one time Bailey was a citi
zen of this place. 1t was while Bale.
was a resident of Nevada, but tempo
rarily sojourning in the south, that h
wrote the famous mississippi Letters
| which attracted national attention be-
cause of the fierce attack they drew
from Editor Braun, CT the Iconoclast
who was then at the height Of his ca,
reer, which ended SO tragically. Bal
| ley's letters were very vivid portrayal
OF life in the south and he made some
very uncomplimentary statements
about its people. The reply which the
Iconoclast made caused a terrific sensa-
ton. The article was copied from one
| end of the continent to the other and
| for time placed Bailey's life in jeop-
ardy. Not content with attacking Bal
ley for writing the letters, Braun made
d fierce attack on Editor Payne. of the
Nevada Representative, for printing
them and shamefully abused him. In
this weeks issue of the Representative
Editor Payne writes Interestingly OF
Tank Kee, commenting on his cratic
character and detailing some of the cpl
sodes in which he figured. Payne was
at one time close friend of Tank kee
and knew him intimately. Mr.. Payne's
article follows:
Geo. w Bailey, otherwise known
as Tank Kee," died Thursday Of last
week at an Omaha hotel, aged about
63 years. He came into Omaha sick
from lecturing tour, and may have
died from his illness or from an over
dose of Choral to the use of which he
was addicted Bailey was an unique
character and was for time a citizen
ter of very general interest. He was
first known of here as being in a row
with the officers of the Masonic grand
lodge. AS some of our prominent citi-
zens were just then in dispute with
those same officers they took an in
terest in Bailey. He had made con-
veyanee to the grand lodge for very
inadequate consideration of his very
extensive collection OF Chinese curios
and his Nevada sympathizers after
considerable difficulty. secured an an
nulment of this contract, themselves
furnishing the money to enable Bailey
to pay back some advances that had
been made by the grand lodge to Bailey.
Bailey then came to Nevada and es-
tablished here his headquarters. This
was in the summer of 1894; and that
fall he built on the lots near Col.
SCOTS residence the library building,
which was denominated the "Ameri-
can Asiatic and Archaeological Asso-
citation" Here he stored and displayed
such of his Chinese curios and books
as he did not use in his lecturing tours.
The place was very interesting one
to visit: but in time Bailey gradually
fell out with his Nevada friends, part
OF the curios and books We're sold and
the others packed UP and stored; and
Bailey, we think. only visited Neva
da once after he started on his south
ern tour in the early winter of 1861.
Perhaps a couple of pears ago he was
married to Miss Rose Wilcox of Water
loo, and her home when he died was in
Minnesota. She was his second wife,
he having been a widower when he
first came to Nevada. He has ended
about as was expected, dropping off
while on one of his tours, and prob
ably leaving little to his widow.
Bailey's career was a strange one.
His mother belonged to one of the rich
and old Philadelphia families; and his
father took his own little family on
a business trip to China. There they
were all swept away by cholera ex-
cept the boy. who was taken and
reared by prosperous Chinaman and
called Tank Kee." AS youngster
he fought with the loyal party against
the Tai Ping rebellion and gained in
that war some military title which ex-
panded into general" In 1875 he came
with the Chinese delegation to the
Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia,
and after this return remained in this
country for the most part, tho he made
one or two trips back to China. How
much his mothers relatives may have
tried to do for him, we know not; but
it was probably considerable; but he
was strictly alone in the world when
he came to Iowa, and was making his
way by 1ecturing.
Bailey was a man of notable talent,
and very entertaining lecturer; but
he had had absolutely no bringing
up as Americans understand the
term, was given either habitually or
occasionally to the use of liquor and
choral, and was really an impossible
person to be too intimate with. When
he was right he was delightful; and
when he was wrong he appeared to
have no knowledge of the usages of
good society; and there was no way of
telling in advance how he would be.
The consequence was that those who
admired one side Of the man, sympa-
thized with his troubles, and really.
wished to help him, We're driven off.
1t was pitiful, and we do not think
there is one OF them but would wish to
shed tear over the spot where after
life's fitful fever he sleeps WELL
A notable episode In Bailey's career
was his series of letters from the
south, particularly his Mississippi
Letters to the Representative. These
letters were begun late in 1885,, but
were written chiefly in 1897, and they
were dated at different points thru the
gulf states reaching from Texas to
Georgia. One was written at San An
tonic on Christmas day, 1896, and was
a touching ut-pouring of lonely soul
amid a joyous crowd on a great holt
day. His tour of Texas was seemingly
fairly successful; but over in MISSISSIPPI