The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-03-01
DEPEW CALLED DOWN."
Correction of Misstatements Concern
ing Greeley and Amos Cummings.

ing Greeley and Amos Cummings.
New York Tribune.
I'm lapidary inscriptions" said DR.. John
son, "a man Is not upon OATH" But though
the author of a lapidary inscription or 9TH
er memorial tribute may, perhaps, properly
make some concession to benevolence in de-
plotting the qualities of the departed, he
has no excuse for OVERLAPPING with fanciful
embellishments what purports to be mar
rative Of facts In the interest of truth it is
to be regretted that Senator Depew forgot
this and drew so largely on his imagination
in the Senate chamber last Saturday on the
character and career of the late Amos j.
Cummings, long a representative in Con-
gress from this city
when he Cummings came back to
New York. said Mr. Depew, ''he entered
the composing room of the New York
Tribune. In a short time he had attracted
the personal attention of Horace Greeley.
who advanced him to position on the edi-
torial staff, and he finally became manag
ing editor" The truth is that Mr.. Cum
mings never was and never came near be-
ing managing editor of the Tribune. AT the
time when Mr.. Cummings attained to SUBJ
ordinate place in its news department John
Russell Young was the managing editor.
and it was Mr.. Young's moderate estimate
of the value of his services which led to
Mr. Cummings retirement from this pa
per.
Mr.. Depew spoke of the great productions
of Mr.. Greeley's pen during the period
when Cummings was with him. mas
much as the implication seems to be that
the circumstance of Cummings being with
him was an inspiration to Mr.. Greeley, 1t
may be worth while to say that Mr.. Gree
ley, absorbed in his own labors, was prob
ably scarcely conscious of the young mans
existence and may not have exchanged
word with him as often as once week:
That Mr.. Greeley, nevertheless, exercised
great influence over the mind of Mr..
Cummings is altogether likely.
Mr. Depew went on to draw this pathetic
picture of Mr.. Greeley at the close of the
presidential campaign of 1872, on his own
authority an eye witness:
81 have seen many deathbed in my life;
/ have witnessed life go out under condi-
lions that were sad or sweet, hopeful or
despairing 1 never but once saw a man die
of broken heart, and never do wish to
see such tragedy again.
81 made speech with Mr.. Greeley in his
presidential campaign just before its close.
We spoke from the same platform, and
both of us knew that he was to be beaten.
We returned to his home, and he was jeered
on the train and at the depot when we ar
rived We went TO his study, which was lit
tered with those famous carfcatures OF
Mast, representing him the embodiment
of all that was evil or vile in expression or
practice in life. Mr.. Greeley glanced them
over for a moment and then he said:
My life is failure; never have sought
to accumulate fortune; 1 never have cared
for fame; but did want to leave monu-
ment of what / had done for my fellow
men. in lifting them up, IN doing away
w
rum; but here / am, at the close of this
campaign, so misrepresented TO my coun-
trymen that the slave will always look upon
me having been one of his owners. and
reform will believe me fraud.
Then, his head falling upon his desk. he
burst into uncomfortable sobs. / sent for
his family. The brain that had done such
splendid work snapped. The next morning
he taken to an asylum where he died.
His heart literally broke at the moment
when he bowed his head upon his desk
So much for Mr.. Depew's vivid recollec-
ton. Now for the reality: On Saturday.
Oct II, 1872, there was political meeting
was attended by many of Mr.. Greeleys old
friends and neighbors, and owing to that
circumstance, as he explained, Mr.. Gree
ley took pains to be present and made
speech Mr. Depew was also there and
spoke At that time Mrs. Greeley, who had
long been ill, had become much worse, and
thereafter she failed rapidly until her
death, on Oct. so, at the house of Mr.. and
Mrs. Alvin j. Johnson, in this city. Dur
ing the last fortnight Mr.. Greeley was with
her constantly, refusing to take any further
part in the campaign, that, as 1t hap
pened, the Pleasantville speech was the
last speech he made. Immediately after the
meeting Mr. Greeley and Mr.. Depew took
the train for New York, but Mr. Greeley
got off at Williamsbridge to spend the night
with Waldo Hutchins, while Mr.. Depew
came on to New York. So vanishes the
touching fable about Mr.. Greeley's confess
sion of failure to Mr.. Depew. the uncon-
trollable sobs, the broken heart, the send
ing for the family, the swapping Of the
brain that had done such splendid work
and the removal to an asylum the next
morning.
The facts are that in signed communica-
ton written on the day after the election
Mr.. Greeley resumed the editorship of the
Tribune in full possession of his mental
faculties, wrote and published several ar
ticles in the course of the next few days,
but after Nov II abandoned the effort TO
visit the Office regularly, gradually sue
cumbed to exhaustion, due chiefly to his
sleepless vigil at his wife's bedside at the
end of a hard campaign. and died at the
residence of Dr. Choate, near Chappaqua.
Inflammation OF the brain covering having
ensued ON Nov. 70. more than six weeks
after the Pleasantville meeting at which he
made his last speech and Mr. Depew also
spoke.
OF course Mr. Depew will understand
that our sole motive in setting him straight
Is TO prevent his speech. preserved In the
Congressional Record, from being careless
ly accepted as accurate and possibly to
some extent supplanting, or confusing, the
truth.