The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-07-17
FITCH AND
MARKHAM
How One Talk Made
a California
Governor.

SAN FRANCISCO. July S.--Many are
the delightful stories told OF the mar
| velous effects of Tom Fitch's soratory.
Since Fitch went to Hawaii. ae has
drifted from the ken of the statesmen
here but now and again when men
gather in clubs and at the fes-al board
they tell the strange tales of how Fitch
| laid low all opposition by his hypnotic
elocution. An editorial writer on the
Fresno Republican reviveg popular
| incident OF Fiteh's career, which 1 am
told 10 gospel truth
| Tom Fitch. the silver-tongued orator
| of Nevada, IN nominating H II. Mark
ham for governor some years ago, In
| troduced him to the Republican con-
yention as the Drummer Boy OF MIS-
sion Ridge" and delivered vivid por-
| travail, revamped for the occasion, or
the Markham lad marching in front OF
| the line, in the face OF those death
dealing and desperate Confederate
sharpshooters-scalin perpendicular
bluffs and yet keeping the drumsticks
going at the same time"and leading
those tattered veterans uphill and right
into the heart of the enemy. In fact
the roll of that drum became so fierce
and terrible that the Rebs incontinent-
ly fed, leaving the field to young
Hank, the Drummer" covered all over
with glory and profuse perspiration-
for its the hottest kind OF work to win
a desperate battle Of that dimension
with a snare drum. You may not think
so at first along, but bye and bye, after
you've tried 1t time or two, you'n ind
that 1 am right about the matter. It's
a great deal harder than downing the
walls of a fortified city by hot air
assault, like Joshua did those or Jerl-
cho. Then, toe. it must be remembered
n
but a general we'll, when that incl
dent occurred, and moreover, before he
tackled the job he took several stiff
"horns''-so the Good Book says-and
the stuff from which they composed
such packages In those days was cal
walls" even. That's one on Josh.
However, that drummer boy" story
was. cheered to the echo, notWithstand-
ing half the delegates actually knew
had they but thought minute-that
such an incident not only did not occur,
but was an absolute imposSibiiity.
However, 1t served its purpose to SIAM
pede the convention and gave the State
a governor whose name has well-nigh
faded from public memory, to be heard
no more save when some irate citizen, |
in contemplation of the results or ms
misguided public career, blossoms forth !
in striped and variegated profanity.
gates resumed their senses and recog- |
nized that Fitch had played upon their
sympa thies-that Markham did not
figure in the fight as drummer boy, |
nor in any telling capacity-in fact he
would have been under necessity to
take Fitch along with him on his visit
to the field to point out the scene of
his fictitious daring.
PERSONAL NOTES.
Mr.. Heine and Mrs. Blom of Honolulu
are mentioned as recent visitors to
Haywards.
The Examiner society editress, COM
menting on the recent death of Miss
Ruby Sessions, the society girl who
lived here, says: Ruby Sessions is
dead. Dear little thing! 1t is the sad
dest blow that has fallen on society for
many a day. She was to have made
her debut this winter and she was en-
Enthusiastically planning what she would
do when she came out. Suddenly she
was called away from those who loved
her There is sorrow amongst the
younger set in which she moved, for
they loved her dearly. They are all
simply distracted over her loss Two
weeks ago Miss Sessions and her moth
er returned from Honolulu; she was
then in the best of health, happy,
bright and jolly. In six days she was
dead The poor mother, how / sympa-
thize with her and her fdoliZed father,
too! FREDERICK OBRlEN.