Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-06-20

The Courier lsl privileged to
o,ve Its readers another OF the
intensely Interesting Caldwell
letters today In which old Names
MANY now forgotten, are recalled,
and many others mentioned that
annear frequently In the Courier
TO-DAY. although more than thirty
w..r. have elapsed since Mr.. cald-
we'll has seen the bearers OF tnese
names, Mr.. caldwelPs letter TO-
day Is 40 follows:
BY w. H. CALDWELL.
x FIFTY wears ago today CAPRI lztn) !!
M vo, recall what happened? Q, tate
All dav. sumter was fired upon! F11ty
years! Can 1t be possible! beau .n =
gard fred the shot that reverpe, a.s ~
round the world-that usnereu -.
the black cloud of war between men
Of the same nation. And was tne,l
but q boy, and q very green ltnousn
red.headed) one at that. now reca "a,
the trip that several OF us young ier
lows made to Chicago to attend the
national convention in the wlsWani
that PRODUCED Abe Lincoln. ! can Wv
Idly see William H. Seward maKlns on
lmpassioned speech. STANDING on :. q
dray on the street. ! thought, Wen II
was true. that never saw such nose
m anv mans face as that that SAT on
saward's until l saw Eugene raw
cett,s (who was at one time county at.
torney of Wapello county, IN ina.
convention I saw and heard them
snaak-Owen Lovejoy, Wendell Phil
Tins Henry Ward Beecher, Horace
greeley and others who became "a
mons. but. being boy, did not take
.tha notice of them that l should. Inc
ridiculous episode Of that trip is up.
nermost in my mind. never think OF
4 that do not laugh. Andy karnes
who was then foreman of the Cour-
ier1 and I, stopped at private poaru.
ing house owned by Mr.. Clark, mat
WAS recommended to US by James w.
Norris. then owner Of the courier.
Ant before going further, l happen 70
think Of the fact that this same NOT.
ria was the founder and publisher OF
the Chicago Daily Journal. Pernaps
Won did not know this. To resume:
The Clarks had set up bountl1ui
feast of a dinner on a large rouno
table on spotless linen, and the dishes
were pure white and the cutlery Sill
yer, The first had ever seen. NOW
(von who remember Andy will recall
him as q, dandy-and he was. he
rnent all his wages for board ana
rinth es-the latter Of the best and
manifest. He carried in patent
leather satchel change of clothing.
NV. nv! see him now as ne SAT
down 1t that table in lavender colored
trousers. lowered vest and spiKetall
coat, with two rows OF Drass buttons ls
shining like gold. HIS halr was ~
black and punctiliously arranged. ne
was really handsome Fellow. Dnne.
was served, the plates being neapeu
nm with turkey, dressing and lots OF
gravy. Andy took up knife and 1ork
and daintily tried to sever q piece OF
meat from q bone, when MS piate
klewed of and upset right IN MS p.
He leaped up and made for the door,
the gravy and turkey dripping from
him and upon the gaudy brussels car
nat on the floor. CONSERVATION seized
ali at that table, and l didn't eat
morsel Of that delicious dinner. Re
allv I believe that was the most
hashed one at the table, but es-
capped from it and scurried after Andy,
who grabbed his silk hat from the nall
tree and almost screamed, bill, you
settle for this hash!" I did. 1t cost,
as now remember, $3.50, and took
nearly every cent had on earth.
found Andy at nearby barber shop
undergoing scraping-but those trou-
serg were everlastingly ruined. Queer,
isn't it. that that catastrophe 1s the
clearest thing that remember OF that
trim on the most eventful occasion
that this country ever saw, for 1t was
that convention that plunged the
United States into the most terrible
war since the star of Bethlehem rose
as a harbinger of peace. l presume
that all that Illinois prairie over
which the cars ran and converged IN
Chicago is built up and improved so
that the sights we saw of train after
train on different parts of that prairie,
loaded inside and outside with human
ity. could be plainly seen from either
track and train, can never again be
Witnessed. There were no such things
as sleeping cars in those days, 80 IL
one got a nap at all it must be taken
IN the old stiff-back seats. The train
we rode in was made up of freight
cars In which plank seats were erect
cd similar to an outdoor meeting, and
40 there were no conveniences for re-
tirement, our car was as filthy as cir
made it, with perhaps
thirty-maybe more-men crowded
together for two days and one night.
suppose that you folks can now take
I..,.,,r;o,,e sIaonor at 0ttumWa and