Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-10-20

tai, paper which soon became not
ed for its boldness in exposing the
graft and scheming that prevailed
at the national capital during the
Grant administration. Piatt soon
became sole proprietor of the paper
and he swung vitriolic and satira-
| cal pen. He severely criticised con-
gressmen, and also members of the
cabinet, as we'll as measures. He
was hitting in tender spots, and, on
the solicitation of politicians, Presi-
dent Grant ordered the arrest of
Col. Piatt for "seditious utterances,"
but as Piatt's record for patriotism
had never been questioned during
the Civil War the case was never
| brought to trial.
Castle Cost $4,000
Col. Piatt sold his paper in 1881,
and returned to Ohio. About four
miles from West Liberty, in Logan
county, o., he selected a site which
is called "Mac-o-chee," and there.
almost forty years ago, he built his
palace, patterned after one of
Frances famous castles, at a cost of
$4,000. 1t has many towers and
stone abutments. The floors are in
laid with cherry and walnut. and
the rooms are elaborately finished
with beamed ceilings and solid wal
nut wainscoting, with doors three
| inches in thickness.
| Riley, the Hoosier poet, was q
close friend of Col. Piatt, and was a
! frequent visitor at the castle, where
the two congenial spirits spent many
hours IN the library with it's Frice-
| less volumes and rare editions.
1t was in a small tower room.
! OnlV eight foot
ing view of the fertile fields and
gentle hills of Logan county. that
Riley received the inspiration in the
misty twilight of perfect autumn
day to write his famous poem pic
turing the farm scenes, where I'VE
hear the kyouck and gobble of the
strutting turkey cock, when the
frost is on the pumpkin and the fod-
! der's in the shock"
| Colonel Piatt lived n retired and
secluded life at Mac-o-chee. and
spent the remainder of his life
there, entertaining royalty in his
castle. This retired life was broken
only once, when he went to New
YORK to found "Belford's Magazine
and remained there one year to edit
it. oi'
Created Popular Phrases
Colonel Piatt had genius for cre-
atlng cutting phrases, epigrams and
epithets. The word Crank" as at
present used, was introduced bv
him. And when old Zack Chandler.
the Michigan senator and Repub
lican chieftain. made q famous
speech in the United States Senate
against Great Britain, Col. Piatt
said Chandler had twisted the Brit
ish lions tail" Colonel Piatt nick
named the late Senator ingalls, "the
corn-fed Cato of Kansas" To the
Senate he applied the phrase "foe
bank" and to the speech-making
House he gave name that may be
considered still apropos "cave of the
Winds The Democratic party he
styled the organized ignorance OF
the country; the Republican. "the
organized greed of tile country"
Col Piatt wrote Memoirs of the
Men Who Saved the Union" and
THE Lone Grave of the Shenon.
doah and Other Tales" and his
writings in both prose and verse are
characterized by brilliancy, virility
and mingled sentiment and humor
He was twice married.; first to
Louise and then to Ella, daughters
of Timothy Kirby. of Cincinnati
The former, who died in 1864, was
with him in Paris. and, under the
pseudonym Bell Smith," her con-
tributions to the Home Journal
of New York, proved popular and
later were published in book form.
Colonel Piatt died at Mac-o-chee
o., November IL. 1891. The. castle
has not been occupied since his
death. his widow making her resi-
dence in West Liberty.