The news & observer., 1905-12-31
FIGHT
Race is Between Firetop
Ed and Catgut Bob.
The Story of Convict, Fiddle and
a Pardon. Some of Bob TaylOr's
Stories, as Taken From His
Lecture
(New York SUM-

The term of the Hon. Edward Ward
Carmack as a Senator in Congress
from Tennessee expires March 3, 1907.
Mr.. Carmack is already hard at work
to succeed himself. The Hon. Bob
Taylor, our old song and fiddle friend,
three times Governor and always pop
ular, thinks that once is enough for
Senator He wants to be sent 10
Washington. He is one of the most
persuasive camDaigners in the world.
He knows Tennessee. He is one OF
her most famous institutions, her
music hail. her orchestra. He IS as
fun of stories as of song. tie is a
born gusher and soouter, and he has
plenty OF hard sense and shreWdness.
A dangerous chap to tackle. Mr..
lCarmack is red of head. temperament
land rhetoric In spite of the incan-
descent t1apdoOdle of his speeches
about the Philippines and some other
subjects he has ability, and might
cool into a useful Senator. As q cam
paigner, though. what can he do
against Catgut Bob?
AS luck viii have it, a writer in the
INDIANAPOLIS News publishes from
shorthand notes ono Of Bob's lectures.
Add keen vivid personalities, sarcasm,
land talk Cf State or National policies,
land you get a fair notion of BoD'S plat@
form performances musical comedleS
stump s1eeches with interjected tid-
ldlingS and singing. After lauding the
violin, 1.-The aristocrat OF the palace
land the democrat of the unpretentious
home" he tells of q convict in the
Tennessee penitentiary who made
fiddle with a penknife and gave it to
a prison official to give to the Gov
ernor:
.'AH he asks is that the Governor
lshall sit down at his fireside on Christ
lmas eve with his own happy children.
land play one tune on this rough fiddle
and think of cabin far away on the
mountain. and q desolate hearthstone
with a wife there. surrounded by her
family of little Wretched children cry.
ling for bread and waiting and listening
for the footsteps of their father The
record was examined. Christmas eve
lcame. The Governor sat that night by
his own happy freside. with his own
lhappy children around him. and he
| PLAYED one tune for them on that
rough tiddle. The fireside on the
mountain that night was also bright
land warm. The Dardoned prisoner sat
with his babe on his knee. surrounded
by his happy children. and although
thdre was nothing but rags and pow
erty all around him. he sang:
BE it ever so humble.
There's no place like home"
| Governor Taylor was soft hearted,
chronic Dardoner. and was much critl-
ciZed for his tenderness to criminals.
His defence was ike this
| Il have seen mothers with Whitened
llocks swoon at the Governors feet and
have heard them plead by the hour
| fo, 1Iza r6 hOVS / have seen
wife and seven children. tattered and
in rags. fall on their knees around him
who held the pardoning power. l
lhave seen a little girl climb upon the
Governors knee. put her arms around
his neck and sob on his breast as
though her heart would break. and
plead for mercy for her miserable con-
vict father. l have seen want and woe
land poverty and agony and anguish
before the Governors chair, and
lhave said Let the h9artless world
condemn and critics rail, but he who
hath power in this world and does not
temper justice with mercy. will cry
himself in vain for mercy on that
Igreat day when God shall judge the
merciful and the unmerciful.
From sentimentality and pathos he
goes to an anecdote about an old
nanny" whose "ole man" was in
Jail for stealing "a couple of mid
idlins'' Dialogue between her and the
Governor:
Boss, de ole fiddle is powerful
lonesome hangin' on de cabin wall
lwid all de strings broke, and / amt
done heard any tune since de day dey
done took de ole man from me. He's
a gettin' Old He's no count in dar,
Ian' he's no count outside. / doan
know what dey want to put de ole man
in dar for.
"The Governor said. Nanny. if he
is no account inside, or no account
outside, what do you want with him p
She looked the Governor squarely in
1.-The eye and said: Boss. we's about out
OBJ meat ag'in -
Follows a eulogy of the old black
Imammy. Bob. no mean mimic and
factor, gives her talk to the chile:
Lord bress my soul. look at de
chile! Look at dem hans an close.
You's gwine to kotch it. 'Zactly like
Iyouah father, always gettin in some
scrape an some day you'll break into
Congress I'll get dat washDan an
Ilucidate some oh dat dirt from youah
face"
The "chile" swipes the jam, spills
the ink howls to the impact of the
slipper is lugged TO bed, and Bob sits
by the bedside and sings the lullaby:
90. don't you cry, little baby
Q. don't you cry any moah"
| There should be q monument to the
old black nanny for her lullabies.
I"Bc kind to the children" Fat men
land bald headed men should be heads
of families" because they're good ma
Itured and easy to manage. From
Ichildren in general to children of the
Isol:
II believe in the gospel of sunshine
Iand the religion OF life. l believe in
the country and in country folks.
was raised among the green hills of
eastern Tennessee. where the noun
tains are SO tall you can stand on their
tops and almost tickle the feet of the
Iangels There / was aised among the
simple hearted rural people. There
wasn't a doctor within five miles. An
; old man down in our neighborhood
got choked on a slice of ham. He was
choking to death. Something had to
be done, and done quickly. My grand
father got plank three feet long and
two inches thick. and said to the man
who was choking: William, get down