Page images
PDF
EPUB

another patient across the street, and while he was gone he left the bag of ice on Hoover's spine: when he returned he found that Hoover had frozen to death. My ice prescription was not tried again.

After the death and burial of Hoover, his widow came to me with a receipt for five dollars signed by Theodore Wiseman, a life insurance agent residing in Louisiana. It appeared that Hoover had applied for a life policy in the sum of two thousand dollars in a company represented by Wiseman and the five dollars had been given to him on account of the premium. The company accepted the risk, issued a policy and forwarded the same to Wiseman to be delivered to Hoover upon the payment of the rest of the premium. This policy was not issued on the plan desired by Hoover and it was returned to the company for a different one, but before the other policy came Hoover died, and the question was as to whether the company was liable. I considered it very doubtful, but accepted employment on the basis of a contingent fee of fifty per cent of the amount recovered.

I brought the suit and won it before Honorable John F. Dillon, of the United States Circuit Court at St. Louis. I received two thousand dollars, paying Mrs. Hoover one thousand and retaining for myself the other.

Meeting Dr. Stewart, who had heard the result, he at once demanded one-half of my fee on the ground that he had applied, on my recommendation, the ice remedy that killed Hoover and but for which there would have been no case.

Among the deaths occurring at Louisiana from cholera that year was that of the greatest wag I ever

knew, Sid Shaw. His witticisms are still remembered and greatly appreciated by the few men of that distant day who remain.

I heard Major James S. Rollins tell a story in the State Senate once that had a good effect in illustrating the position of what was at that time known as the Green Back party. A bill was under consideration for the renewal of the State debt then maturing. That debt was in gold bearing bonds. Rollins wanted this paid in gold according to the terms of the bond. The opposition (democrats) wanted to pay the debt in depreciated currency, green backs, but to make the new bonds payable in gold with twenty years to

run.

Rollins said, "You promised that the old bonds should be paid in gold and now you want to pay them in green backs, and issue a new promise to pay in gold. This reminds me of old man Van Bibber, of Boone County, who kept a hotel or 'stopping place' on the Boonslick road for travellers. Van Bibber entertained the belief that the happenings of the day would be repeated every one thousand years, and that this had been so from the beginning of the world. He let no occasion pass without trying to impress his visitors with the truth of his belief.

"One evening three young men rode up and asked to stay overnight. The horses they were riding were of different colors, one a bay, another black and the other a claybank. The men alighted, had their horses stabled and fed and then went into the house where they ate supper before a good, roaring fire. Soon Van Bibber began to discourse on his belief and seemed

to be well satisfied with the impression he made upon the three strangers.

"The next morning one of the men, who acted as spokesman for the other two, said, 'Mr. Van Bibber, we have thought over what you said last night about the world repeating itself every one thousand years, and we are all converts to that teaching.' Mr. Van Bibber was delighted, and said, 'Yes, gentlemen, you will come here a thousand years hence as you did last night. You, sir, will be riding a bay horse, you, sir, a black, and you, sir, a claybank, and you will take shelter under my roof then as you have now.' The spokesman for the visitors then said, 'Yes, we believe all that you say, but Mr. Van Bibber, we are a long ways from home and have a long way yet to travel. We are a little short of money and if it will suit you as well, we would like to pay our bills when we come again.' This put another side to the question. Van Bibber scrutinized his visitors in an inquiring sort of way and then said, 'Since looking at you more particularly I am satisfied you are the same three d-n rascals that were here a thousand years ago and did not then pay your bills.""

I found it quite helpful in political speeches to apply this story to the various promises of democratic leaders. It was particularly so at Macon, Mo. An old democrat and a dear old friend of mine, Major Dysart, always attended the meetings that I addressed in Macon. He is a lawyer of ability and I always invited him to correct me if I made any mistakes. In the canvass when Robert E. Lewis, now United States Circuit Judge, was the republican candidate for Governor of Missouri, Judge Henry Lamm and

myself spoke in Springfield, Missouri, in support of his candidacy. It was near the close of the canvass. The meeting was largely advertised and a supreme effort was made upon the part of the republicans to outdo the democrats, who had a great demonstration at that place two days previously. Men, women and children came to Springfield the day before the meeting was to take place. Many came in wagons and other conveyances and went into camp in and about the city.

On the day of the meeting, it began to rain in the morning and came down in torrents the whole blessed day, the people seeking shelter in the court house, the Opera House and other places. Lamm was designated to speak at the court house at 11 A. M. and I was to speak at the Opera House at the same hour. The Grand Marshal of the day was Judge Hubbard, who had been a judge of the Circuit Court and held other important positions. He was a small man and exceedingly nervous and excitable. He wore a long sash of red, white and blue cambric that reached from his shoulder to his heels.

The court room in which Lamm was discoursing was situated on the second floor. He had been speaking for an hour to the large crowd who were stirred to great enthusiasm by his eloquence and manifested their approval by vociferous shouting. In the middle of a long and eloquent sentence, and with his mouth wide open and his arms extended, up turned Hubbard, who said to Lamm, "Just a moment, please I simply want to announce that the good people of Springfield have prepared and set a dinner for everyone here on the lower floor of this building—that is

all."

There was a mad rush for the door and Lamm was left standing with his mouth wide open, his arms extended and his sentence uncompleted, while he saw the last one of his auditors depart. It was claimed that this interruption by Hubbard defeated the election of Lewis for Governor.

Later on and during another canvass I again spoke at Macon, Missouri, with my old democratic friend, Major Dysart, an interested auditor on the platform. It was the year that the National Democratic convention met in St. Louis, adopted a free silver platform and nominated Parker of New York for President. It will be remembered that Parker in his acceptance wrote it on a Western Union telegraph blank and practically declared for the "gold standard," thereby repudiating the free silver platform that had been adopted.

At Macon I utilized a story I heard Bob Taylor of Tennessee tell. Speaking of the deep disappointment that the great following of William J. Bryan felt when the telegram of Parker appeared, I said, "It reminds me of an incident that occurred at a Baptist baptizing. There had been a great revival in the church and one Sunday morning a large number of converts stood on the bank of a creek waiting to be immersed by the preacher.

"A young fellow in the neighborhood with his sweetheart went to the 'baptizing' in an old buggy drawn by a claybank mule. He got as close as he conveniently could, hitched his mule to a tree, and he and his best girl pushed their way to the very edge of the water. The preacher, a large strong man, took one of the candidates at a time and went into the

« PreviousContinue »