Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-08-20
A BOOM FOR SHAKESPEARE.
Logansport's Thirst for Literature Aroused by Boy and Lawyer.

Speaking of smart boys boys who were expected to burn up the woCld,' said man, from Indiana who was the guest of friends in New York, reminds me that there is such thing as boy being too smart.
 A good many years ago boy of that type lived in Logansport- that's where Charley Landis, the congress, man, lives, you know. There had been school exhibition, as we called it then. You folks call it commencement day. guess that's what it was, after all, for it was the commencement of that boys troubles.
 'sHe was the only boy that was down to read a composition. Maybe it was because he was the only boy that could write one. But no matter
 "It was, holiday in Iogansport Everybody turned out to the exhibi- tion and when the other pupils had done their stunts this freckIed faced boy with hair the color of a cooked lobster got up and read his compost ton.
 Ut was a sumner. Nobody had ev. CT supposed he could do anything ex, cept raise the devil. But when he had read his piece everybody patted him on the head and shoulders until he muSL nave gone to DeQ sore.
 ''All sorts of predictions were in- fdulged in that night as to what he would be They included every office in the gift of the people.
 t"There wasn't anything too good for Red Head from that time, for awhile. | Every old woman in town made him l gingerbread or pies, and the men used l to stop him on the street and tell him l he was the coming TT of Logansport. | It's a wonder he ever lived through those days.
 | "A few weeks after that came the l Fourth of July. The citizens clubbed together and put up big barbecue, and a lawyer from Indianapolis was brought on to read the Declaration of Independence and make a spread eagle speech. He was whirler and no mistake. When he struck the high notes he fairly raised the hair of the populace.
 "After he was gone the Dry Goods Box club met in session at the drug store as usual. One of the club with good memory recalled that the eli max part of the oration was exactly what Red Head had in his compost 1 tion.
 "Then the others agreed with him. After discussing the matter for | dWAll0 IL was dSIS0u l1dL GuS apolis lawyer had got hold of Red Heads composition and appropriated it. A good deal of feeling was engen- dered
 Just then an old doctor of the town came in He was the oracle of Logansport. The piracy was related to Doc, who said:
 "I guess it's on Red Head. That quotation is from Caesar.
 "'Well, Doc said the druggist, l where did Caesar get itT"
 ".He got 1t from Shakespeare re- piled the doctor.
 ".Who did you say? asked one of the old Hoosiers.
 " 'Shakespeare'
 '''Well, Doc, where the devil did Shakespeare get it and whp is he any. way? You're always springfn stran- gers on this community
 "'Jim, if you must know, Shakes. peare got it from God Almighty, and you can't go back of that For about six months after that Logansport had a Shakespeare boom, and some of the people in the county sold their Bibles to get copies. As for the genius who was the cause of 1t all, he left. and the last we heard of him he was crrrying horses for hv> cry stable in southern Illinois"