SPICY TOM AND JERRY

Walter Wellman.

Cortland Evening Standard, Monday, May 17, 1897.

SPICY TOM AND JERRY.

They Will Please Pardon the Familiarity.

THE RISE OF TWO STATESMEN.

How Speaker Reed Won His Spurs—Congressman Jerry Simpson Before the

Mast—His First Public Address—Merit of Brevity.

   WASHINGTON, May 17.—(Special.)—In the little room in the Shoreham hotel which Speaker Reed uses as a library hangs a framed woodcut picture taken from the pages of an illustrated paper of many years ago. This picture marks the beginning of a good deal of the recent political history of this country. It depicts the scene when Tom Reed won his spurs as a member of congress. It was just [20] years ago that Mr. Reed came down here as a green congressman, and the Hayes-Tilden imbroglio was the sensation of the hour. Nothing else was talked of. A special committee to investigate the 1876 election was ordered, and Reed was lucky enough to get a place upon it. Garfield Hale and others who had more reputation declined to serve because they were afraid they might get into trouble. Reed accepted what they had refused, and it turned out to be a good thing for him that he did. The committee, it will be remembered, was known as the Potter committee, from the name of its chairman. Its first serious work was an examination of the witness Anderson, conducted by Colonel William R. Morrison, the famous Democrat from Illinois. He induced the witness to make revelations which scandalized the country and made the Republicans feel very sick. That was on Friday. The next morning Governor Claflin, one of the Republican managers of that day, came to Washington. He met Reed and said to him:

   "What is the matter with all our fellows? They appear to have run away since that man Anderson made his confessions. I can't find one of our men. Guess they must be in hiding somewhere."

   "Well, we'll change all that," drawled Reed.

   "What are you going to do?" inquired the governor.

   "I am going to cross examine that fellow Anderson, and I'll tear him all to pieces."

Thomas Brackett Reed.

Reed as a Cross Examiner.

   When the Republican managers heard of this, they tried to coax Reed off. They said it would be a mistake. Even if Anderson was a liar, he was a smart one, and it would be impossible to catch him. A failure to shake his testimony would hurt the Republican cause. But Reed stuck to his purpose. "I'll make that chap trot on jump the harness," he said.

   The next Monday the committee met again and Reed went at Anderson. In half an hour he had his witness on the run. It is safe to say that a witness never before had such an uncomfortable two hours of it before a congressional committee. The confessions which Reed wrung from him became the sensation of the day. All the newspapers took it up. The illustrated papers made pictures of the scene. It was a great day for the new congressman from Maine. He was an unknown man no longer. That one feat made him famous.

Jerry Simpson of Kansas.

   Jerry Simpson says he enjoys speaking to the house of representatives when things are lively. He likes a fight above all other things. When there is a storm on the legislative waters, and the spray is flying, it reminds him of his first speech.

   Many years ago Jerry Simpson was a sailor before the mast. Later he rose to be the captain of a vessel on the great lakes, and in 1878 he was in command of the barge Rutter, which left Chicago late in October and ran into a dreadful storm. The bark was in tow of a steamer, but the hawser parted in the storm and the barge was set adrift. She finally pulled up in shoal water off Ludington, Mich., where a lifeboat tried to rescue the imperiled sailors, but found the sea running too high. Then the government tug came out and tried to take the men off. The tug brought out a lot of longshoremen who were to try to save the cargo of the bark, and they would have succeeded no doubt if the storm had not just then broken out with redoubled fury. The cargo was of rye, and every sailor knows that that is slippery stuff to have in the hold of a vessel at the mercy of the winds and waves.

A Narrow Escape.

   "The rye kept running to one side" says Mr. Simpson, "till our ship was frightfully listed, and in fact the water was standing ankle deep upon the lee side of our deck. The seas were now running pretty high, and it looked as if we were in a tight fix. I ordered the longshoremen to take to the rigging and to hold on with a death grip in order to avoid being washed away. In a few minutes the crew and I had to do the same thing. We climbed into the upper rigging, with the seas boiling through and over our poor craft below us. I felt particularly sad when I saw my trunk and all my best clothes go floating by. By this time the ship was pounding very hard on the bottom, and as every big sea struck her I thought it would be the last, and that she would break in two and go to pieces.

   " Fully 5,000 people were gathered on  the shore watching our struggle against the elements and wondering if we should be able to reach the shore alive. Twenty-four hours we stuck to the rigging, and pretty dreary work it was, you may imagine. But we knew the gallant crews on the life saving service were coming, and we had encouragement to hold out. Finally the lifeboat reached us, and the longshoremen were sent ashore on the first trip. Then the crew and I followed. When we stepped upon the shore, the people gave us a royal welcome. They gathered about us with dry clothing, with hot coffee and food. Nothing was too good for us. As soon as we had been warmed and fed, they insisted I should tell them all about the shipwreck. They led the way to a public hall, set me upon the platform and told me to go ahead. In this way I was induced to make my first speech in public, and I think it was the best speech I ever made."

Felicity and Brevity.

   President McKinley is gaining quite a reputation for the felicity and brevity of his public addresses. On his way to the Grant memorial exercises in New York recently the president told one of his friends that he should speak only five minutes at the tomb.

   "I remember," said Mr. McKinley, "that General Grant once told an audience in England that since arriving in their country he had made the longest and poorest speeches of his life; the poorest, he added, because they were the longest."

   WALTER WELLMAN.

COULD NOT SCORE.

CORTLANDS PLAYED TOO FAST BALL FOR THE SHAMROCKS

And They Sent Five Men Across the Plate While the Visitors Had to Content Themselves with a Goose Egg—Each Man on the Cortland Team a Good One.

   Seeing is believing. Those who saw the baseball game at the fair grounds Saturday, and perhaps were a little skeptical before, are now firm believers in the success of the Cortland team.

   The season was opened that afternoon with the Shamrocks of Syracuse. Yerkes was in the box for the home team, and he pitched an excellent game from start to finish. Captain Berger caught a faultless game, and showed Saturday that he is the right man to captain the team. Townsend at first base also did his full share toward winning the game, and covered himself with glory in the sixth inning when he sent a long center field fly to the race track for a home run. Gorman at second and Nugent at third showed that they know their business well, and the latter distinguished himself especially by catching a couple of difficult foul flies. Kanaley in left field, bagged everything that came his way without an error. Persse at short, McManus at center and Lovelock at right also played a good game.

   Considering the fact that the team had been together but one day, their playing was certainly fine. They outclassed their opponents at every point. The attendance was very large for the first game and was very gratifying to the management. There will be a game with Bainbridge to-morrow afternoon and another Wednesday afternoon. Score:

ODD FELLOWS AT SPAFFORD.

The Cortland Contingent Thoroughly Enjoyed Themselves Saturday Night.

   Saturday afternoon a party of thirty-five Odd Fellows, members of Vesta lodge, left in carriages for Spafford to visit the lodge of that place. The lodge at Spafford is the one that was formerly located at Borodino, and the fraternal feeling existing between the members of that lodge and Vesta has always been exceedingly warm. On arriving at Spafford, the Cortland members were royally received and given their supper at the Spafford hotel, after which they attended the regular session of Spafford lodge, and the Vesta degree team exemplified the unwritten work of the three degrees in faultless style, receiving many compliments for the same. 

Steamer Ossahinta.

   After the session, a banquet was served and toasts were responded to. Other lodges represented were Marietta, Preble, Moravia and Tully. Sunday the visitors were treated to a ramble on Skaneateles lake on the popular steamer, the Ossahinta, with Captain Eades in charge. The trip extended to Skaneateles village, where the company was entertained for half an hour at the Odd Fellows' headquarters there, and return. The Cortland Odd Fellows returned yesterday afternoon, much delighted with the entire trip.

STRAYED FROM HOME.

A Little Girl from Lincoln-ave. Found on Main-st.

   Chief of Police Linderman on Sunday morning found a little girl wandering aimlessly about on Main-st. He knew from her actions that she was away from her home, and so he attempted to find out who she was, but she could or would not tell. The chief coaxed her along up Main-st., and by frequent inquiries found that the little girl's name was Winters, and that her parents reside on the extension of Lincoln-ave. The chief started to take the little girl home, and when the place had been nearly reached, the mother was met hunting for her. The mother had become much worried, as the little girl, who was about four years of age, had been missing an hour or more, and was greatly rejoiced at the child being safely returned to her.

BREVITIES.

   —The regular meeting of the Woman's Relief corps will be held to-morrow afternoon at 2:30 o'clock.

   —Mrs. Charlotte A. Lansing, who formerly conducted a grocery at 114 Port Watson-st., is soon to erect a house on East Main-st.

   —The case of Patrick Driscoll against Henry Goddard and Thomas Carr is on trial before a jury in Justice Kelley's court to-day^

   —The annual meeting of the Cortland Union Beekeepers' association will be held at the residence of W. L. Cogswell, West Groton, N. Y., Tuesday, May 25, 1897.

   —The First Baptist Sunday-school is first in the field with a place for a Sunday-school picnic. It will be held at Long Branch on Onondaga lake on Wednesday, June 30.

   —New display advertisements to-day are—A. S. Burgess, Dress Suits, page 8; Dey Bros., Dress Goods, page 4; Case & Ruggles, For the Graduates, page 6; Palmer & Co., New Store, page 4.

   —Invitations are out for the wedding of Dr. Henry DeWitt Watson of Ludlowville  and Miss Rosabel Maricle which will occur at the home of the bride's parents, Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Maricle at Cincinnatus on Wednesday, May 26, at noon.

   —The STANDARD has just printed a new list of subscribers for the telephone exchange. It is put up in book form with a stiff pasteboard cover and is of convenient form and size. There are on the new list eighty-nine local subscribers.

   —Henry Cook, colored, who resided at 11 Fifth-ave., died last night of a stomach difficulty. He was 65 years of age, and the funeral will be held Wednesday afternoon at 2 o'clock. He was a member of the Twenty-third United States Infantry, Co. K.

HOMER.

Gleanings of News From Our Twin Village.

   HOMER, May 17.—Horace K. Smith of Syracuse is in town on business to-day.

   Mr. F. H. McGuire of Virginia, who has been in town for the purpose of making mail contracts, left for Syracuse this morning.

   The members of the vested choir of Calvary Episcopal church will meet for rehearsal this evening at 7:30. Prof. Bates requests the presence of all the choristers.

   O. B. Andrews, Charles E. Wills and daughter and William H. Foster are in Syracuse to-day to be present at the ball game between Syracuse and Toronto.

   Mr. William Signor of Syracuse is in town to-day.

   Rev. Mr. F. A. S. Storer left this morning to spend the week in New York City.

   Thos. Knoble has on exhibition in his tonsorial parlors a beautiful banner which he has made for the Rescue Hose company No. 1 of Cuba, N. Y.

   Mr. Laurence Dillon of Cortland is in town on business to-day.

   Mr. Edwards, who for a number of years past has driven the mail stage between Homer and Glen Haven, is to discontinue his business here and move to Sidney, where he is to carry the mall between that place and Morrisville.