Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-31
BY Joseph A. ALTSHELEF


Clarke. An echo of Elias own words
and honor you for doing it. You have
spiked at least a part of the guns OF
your enemies. 1t was an extraordinary
story that you told. but / believe every
word of it. and so do others. Where you
have made new enemies you have also
made new friends"
/ had a long talk with him and he con-
f1rmed me in my resolution to call a Spe-
cial session of the legislature. lay before
it my resignation and await the action
that is saw fit. Like Jimmy Warfield
he was a plain-spoken and wise friend
not seeking TO conceal from me the fact
that ! must suffer often from insult and
modification. and that people willing to
blacken my reputation would always be
found. My story might be proven true
thousand times. but many, wholly
ignoring the circumstances, would dis
miss me with the single assertion: "He
was in the penitentiary once
The judge not only preached his faith,
but lived it. He asked me to dinner at
his house the evening of the same day
and took care that the fact should be-
come known to our Kentucky world thus
putting upon me in the public eye the
seal of his Endorsement, which was no
little thing and l owe him for it d debt
of gratitude that / can never hope to
pay.
The next morning came the letter
from Uncle Paul and Aunt Jane. l say
the letter instead of "a letter be-
cause | had been expecting it, and
cannot describe the nervous dread with
from the depths into the high opinion
of these two good people the nearest
of my blood kin. and now was ] about
10 sink back into the deepest of deep
sloughs2
II was Joint letter, and they wrote:
"Our Dear Nephew-We have read in
the papers the full accounts of your
speech and confession. and We have
thought it over a day or two before
writing 1t is bitter TO us to know that
IL nephew of ours mas ever been in the
penitentiary and to know that at criti-
cal period of your life YOU told great
falsehood. We do not find anywhere in
the Bible a CONNIE ndation of falsehoods.
but we are convinced that you told il 10
protect a woman. and we do not greatly
blame you. 1t has always been taught
in Kentucky that men should protect
women, and you were true to your train
ing.
I'VE wish TO say. after mature thought
that we approve of what YOU have done
and that we are proud of you. We wish
to say also that you are the Governor
of kentucky, and that you should hold
with all your might TO the office which
is yours.
Now the tears came to my eyes. tears
of relief and joy. ] cared vastly for the
opinion of these two old people yet I
might have known that they would never
the stiff formal handwriting. that of my
Aunt Jane, and l passed my fingers
caresSingly over it, as if the sense of
touch could carry TO them in far away
Sumter county.
After while I put the letter away in
my breast pocket and entered upon my
new life. resolved to make as much of
il as could. / addressed myself TO the
pile Of state papers, accumulated in my
absence. and sought the mental relief
that comes from absorption in work
| shall not describe the immediate days
that followed. IL is needless to say that
the storm ragged around me, and my poor
character was shattered over and over
again Even when commended. the COM
mendation often took forms that were
not plea sing. I was favorite food for Sun
day supplements. In which l appeared in
all forms and colors. and my story. i'm
every possible exaggeration. became COM
mon property. and alas! Alicia's with it,
1t was the thought of her that made my
life almost unbea rable at this period
could do so little for her. nothing in fact
vet we wrote once to each other.
She told me that she was we'll IN body
mind and spirit. and happier than she had
been for long time before. She did not
know what the world was saying a bout
her because il was kept from her. nor did
she seek to know. but she was confident