The Washington herald., 1912-05-27

This is a tale Of Champ Clark's worst
boyhood fight, and how he was reminded
OF it after many years.
A number OF Kentucky people were
| greatly wrought up recently by the re-
port that the post-office at Manton was
going to be abandoned and the IT Il route
switched over to another part Of the
county. so that the Mantonites would
have no daily mail service. and not so
much as a wireless station 10 keep them
in touch with the big outside world.
True, Manton is not a large place, num-
berinE probably less than 100 including
dogs. But they didn't cotton to the idea
Of having their mail service taken away
from them. and there are reasons-so II
seemed TO them-why they should be en-
titled 10 special consideration One resi-
dent OF ManJon took pencil in hand and
wrote TO Representative Ben Johnson.
setting forth these reasons:
Champ Clark once taught school
here" the man said. and many OF US
stIl remember him and are for him for
President. II seems 10 US that with a
former fellow tOwnsman Speaker OF the
House and a candidate for the highest
ONCE. We ought to get almost anything
we want from Congress"
Representative johnson doubted II
Clark could have taught school at Man
ten, because he didn't believe that in
Clark's youthful days there were enough
children there even to I'LL schOOlhouse
no larger than a Greek shoe-shining en-
porium Of modern commerce. However,
he went and asked Champ, for the sake
OF getting at the facts.
Yes. I taught a school at Manton
once" said the Speaker; and that re-
minds me Of something. A crowd Of
US went down TO the river for a swim
one afternoon, when I was 8 youngster
at Manton, and I got into an awful
fight"
It seems that after they had done
all the swimming they wanted to, the
boys got TO picking up handtuIs OF mud
on the bottom or the river ana throw
ing il at each other playruIIy- One boy.
with an odd name. got little more mud
in his face than he thought absolutely
essential. and it angered him He then
picked up hstfulls of pebbles, instead OF
mud, and bombardsd Champ ClarK's
countenance. Champ thought II they
were going to raise the ante from mud
to pebbles he might as well go one bet
ter and make Il rocks. SO for some
time he and that other boy fought each
other with rocks on the bottom OF the
river and no one knows TO this day why
one or the oTner wasn't KIued.
We proceed now to the next chapter
OF our tale. Representative Johnson had
occasion to go back to kentucky re-
Gently and told the story OF Champ
CIark's fight with rocks to a cIump or
at Manton.
he noticed the crowd exchanging funny
Glances with one another, ana asked 10
be let IN on the joke.
"Oh, it's Just this way" explained one
Of the crew. "Old Coma Cahoe has been
teIlin' how he and Champ Clark had Just
such a fight as that. and none Of US be-
lieved him. We thought 1t was Just one
Of Gonza's lies and that he thought it
would be smart to say he had a fight with
Champ Clark, now that Champs promI-
nent and apt to be President. We've all
been callin' Coma liar until he dassent
come around here any more, let alone re-
peat his story. Now II looks as II we
amt been fair to Coma. reckon well !
have to apologize to him"
The Congressman assured them that the /
east they could do would be TO hunt up |
Coma and tell him frankly that he prob |
ably wasn't such a liar after all And |
they did so.
What is more. Champ Clar.. has writ
en to Coma wishing him well and tell
ng him he never meant TO hit him in
he face with so much mud, and
And Coma Cahoe, who once tried to L
Itone Champ Clark to death. Is now q