The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-12-06
BEHELD THEIR BACKS;
NEVER THEIR FACES
How "Private" John Allen Tested
With a Reunion Of the G. A. r.

private" John Allen, no died re-
Gently at his home in Tupelo. Miss,
served sixteen years in Congress, and
as man of real power, but he is
remembered for his wit and humor.
Judge John F. Phillips, of Kansas
City, an old friend, recently told these
stories of Allen to the Kansas City
Star:
81 recall a trop with him to the Vel
lowstone Park in 1901, with as rare
party of brilliant, jolly men as ever
journeyed together We were the
guests of Col. George R. Peck at his
summer home at Oconomowoc. Wis.
We were entertained at an evening
dinner at Fred Peck's. A royal feast
was set on a broad veranda at the
lake front The Grand Army of the
Republic was holding convention
there. They gathered around the We
randa
| George Pack constituted himself
POSTMASTER.
! Had Seen Only Their Backs
"He introduced me as representa-
tive of the Union army, to which
responded briefly. He then said that
the occasion was rendered peculiarly
happy in that there was present the
only private in the Confederate army,
with "The Star Spangled Banner"
floating over him, representating the
best government on earth which John
Allen had tried to destroy, and now
he had for an audience the veterans
of the Union army Allen, with Gig.
ar in mouth, arose and among other
things said:
Veterans of the Union army, |
never saw your faces before but I
saw your back often during the war
But for the fact that Southern sol
dier would not shoot man in the
back you would all be in your graves
tonight. You would not think in
looking at the rotund, obese form OF
George Peck that he was ever d
sprinter; yet, but for the fact that he
could outrun mimic bullet l would
have shot him dead in battle. l am
glad | missed overtaking him, other
wise we would not be here this even
ing eating the rich things that came
from the land where grow brave mer
and pumpkins
"At Larry's camp where we spen,
the night. at sunset large bear came
down the mountain to forage in the
refuse of the camp deposited in {
depression. The ground round abou
formed hug amphitheater, on which
perhaps a hundred tourists wer,
standing. watching the bear, which
had tumbled over barrel into which
he had thrust hs head devourng it
contents. Allen took off his coat an,
handed it to me-
Rolling up his shirt sleeves. HI
faced this audience, to whom he wa
stranger and said: Ladies and gen
tlemen, | am going to give you an es
hibition of Southern valor, of whicl
you Northern people know so little.
am going to attack that bear in singl
combat. and do not propose to us
any arms on him; all | ask of YOU
to see that he does not use his arm
on me,'
when he advanced the bear hear
him cracking his fists together. an
Withdrawing his head from the bal
rel began to back away. Wherea
Allen said, Mr.. Bear, perhaps you d
not care to encounter me in this fasl
ion; If so we will change the affair il
TO a talking match; you can repl
when | am through, if the evening b
long enough. | will deliver nv la,
speech in Congress on the tariff
Then raising his voice until i, echoe
from hilltop to hilltop in that high q
titude. he said: Mr.. Speaker. thoue
t-ite subject, the tariff is of a neyt
ceasing interest to the American pc
pie His voice frightened the bea
and it fed up the mountain. Turnir
| to the wondering listeners Allen sait
| Ladies and gentlemen, that spees
| had the same effect on that bear tn;
| it had on Congress- f."