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Show H J As I Remember Them yames W. Nye H By C. C. Goodwin HE was not an Argonau not even a Nevada pioneer, but came by appointment as Gover- H !! nor of Nevada when the territory was H i carved out of Western Utah. But ho would have H been a marked addition, had he joined the first H f company of 49'ers. IHe was Now York born and bred; grew up in poverty; studied law, practiced ' w in all tlu H n courts; was always a success, and at homo among H every class of people, from tho fire Jackie of New H York City to the President of the United States, H from Captain Jim of the Washoe Tribe to Abra- H ham Lincoln; and on the rostrum, from a bunch H of cowboys to the Senate of the United States. H ' He was nearly sixty years of age when he H v reached Nevada. He was given a public recep- H lion and when it was over the verdict was that he H would do. About five feet ten inches in height H and massive, weighing about 200 pounds; small H and high-born feet and hands, and with about the H I handsomest, most expressive face that was ever F given a man. B His eyes wore coal black, but they were danc- D ing eyes, like those of Sisyphus, and snow-white H hair down upon his shoulders like Henry Ward B Beecher's. In repose his face was most striking, H but tho play of his features was wonderful; every H emotion found expression in his face. Had he H chosen an actor's career, I am sure that he B' would have stood first among actors in his gen- M oration in all roles from Falstaff to Macbeth; m though he would have failed, probably, in Shy- H I lock, for when Bassennio and Antonio failed to B pay, he would have hunted up the latter and H said, "Brace, up, Tony; and if you need a little H ready money, while I have none myself, I will H send you to a man who has plenty and whom I V think you can work for a loan." HH Ho was one of the most intense of Ameri- B cans, and had tho full courage of his convictions. F Had trouble come in Novada as was predicted H and threatened in the early sixties, Governor H Nye would have been what Governor Morton was H in Indiana. He was as a stump speaker a very M glory of the earth, for lie was familiar with every B phase of human nature; it was impossible to m take him by surprise; it was a delight to hear M someone interrupt him and hear him flash back H a reply that settled tho question. Ho was mak- B ing a speech in Eureka, Nevada, one night after H the war closed, and reconstruction had not quite H run its unfortunate course. H He was saying that the men of the South H were our brothers; that they had got off wrong; H' that many of them were still angry, but he was H looking forward to the day which he believed H was coming soon, when their old devotion would come back, and through their generous natures .once more fully awakened would be once more as they were at Buena Vista, when the struggle was to see which state could honor most the land which tho fathers had bequeathed to us. Just then Major McCoy, who was a Mexican war veteran, but who in tho great war had been so fierce a secessionist that when the confederacy collapsed he had expatiated himself and gone to Mexico to live for somo years, interrupted with the question: "Senator, if those are your sentiments, sen-timents, why are you so loath to giving Southern men full official recognition now?" The old, jolly look came over Nye's face, and he said: "When I was a boy I was walking one very cold winter day from Bridgeport, on Oneida lake to Syracuse, when hearing sleigh-bells coming com-ing rapidly, I stepped out into the snow to let the sleigh pass. It proved to be a fancy New York cutter drawn by a span of perfectly-matched Black Hawk horses. The trappings on the horses were silver-plated; the cutter was filled with fine robes and was driven by a middle-aged man. As the rig flashed by me it was, to my eyes, a vision of beauty. The man saw me and as soon as he could pull up the team tho morning was cold and tho steppers were pushing the bits hard called to me to come quick and get in. I ran and climbed in, the man holding the team steady with one hand and with the other tucked me all up with one robe and then drew a second robe over my lap and I knew I had struck a bonanza. "By this time the Hawks were fairly flying you know they can only strike about a three-minute three-minute clip, but can keep it up all day. The man was talking low to them and I know now that they were making his arms ache. This went on for about fifteen minutes. I was snug and warm under the robes, when I looked up at the man and proposed that he give me the reins, telling him that I knew lots about horses. He glanced down at mo and said: 'My boy, when you grow wise you will know more than you do now and will learn that an invitation to ride does not carry with it any obligation to let you drive.' " The Major asked no more questions. Just after tho war he was making a speech. The passions of all men were strung to their utmost tension in those days, and he was explaining explain-ing all that was being done to reconstruct tho south, when some one in the audience said, "But Senator, the war is over." He made two strides forward on the stage and with eyes blazing, thundered, "Yes; but for an original unrepentent rebel there Is no cure save through death; no Justification save through ages of hell fire." But he did not mean it. Hearing that a confederate con-federate officer Tho was a close friend of one of his own friends, was in prison in Fort Fafa-yette, Fafa-yette, under a charge that, when capturod, he was within the federal lines as a spy, Nye first went to President Lincoln and obtained a pardon for the man, then went up to Fort Lafayette, got the man released; advised him to quietly take the first steamed for California, then to go to Nevada; gave him a list of names of good fellows out there, and put a roll of $1,200 greenbacks in his hand and bade him good-bye. He explained later that the greenbacks were only worth 47 cents on the dollar, so he was not out much. He and the late Senator Stewart were the first senators sent from Nevada to Washington. Nye's seat was next to that of Senator Sumner of Massachusetts. They became warm personal friends, for aB Nye said: "Sumner meant well, even if he did not know much." He said when he first took his seat, Sumner looked down upon him from an infinite height and said, with all dignity: "Good morning, Senator Nye." "Good morning, Senator Sumner," was the reply. In the course of a few days Sumner began to relax and said, "Good morning, Mr. Nye." And Nye responding, said, "Good morning, Mr. Sumner." "After about a month," said Nye, "I went in one morning and Sumner said, 'Good morning, James,' and I said, 'Charlie, my boy, how are you?' " The second year Nye was in the Senate a furious debate was sprung on some question of the management of the war and one senator grossly criticised President Lincoln. When the speech was finished, Nye sprang to his feet, and for twenty minutes held the Senate spell-bound. The burden of the speech was to picture the mighty burdens under which the patient president presi-dent was staggering and the cowardice of senators sen-ators who, in such a crisis, instead of holding up his hands would add to these burdens. Nye had a private key to a side-door in the White House and went there nights to "swap stories" with Lincoln. Nye received a letter one day informing him that a brigade of New York soldiers, stationed at some point in Arkansas or Missouri, had been overlooked and were suffering for food and cloth ing. Next morning he called at the war offica and sent in his card to Secretary Stanton. Ho told me that ho wrote under his name the only time he ever did it in his life "U. S. Senator." He was shown in. Stanton was standing behind a little counter and as Nye approached, Stanton said curtly: "What can I do for you, sir." Nye presented the letter and asked the secretary to read it. Stanton glanced over it hastily and pushing push-ing it back, said sharply, "I have no time for those little things." "Will you please take time, sir?" said Nye. Then Stanton said hotly, "Do you know who you are talking to, sir?" Nye stepped up close to the counter and, holding out one finger, said: "You will change that tone of yours right quick or you will know d d soon who you are talking to." "Then," said Nye, "wo glared at each other for a uecond or two, and then Stanton opened a little door in the counter and said politely, 'Walk in, Senator Nye,' and we had everything fixed in five minutes." He added: "Something about the incident seemed to please the clerks within hearing a good deal." One dny in the Senate Sumner made one of his mean speeches, asserting that no great race had ever sprung from below latitude 37.40. As Sumner sat down Nye arose and, being instantly recognized, explained that he vould take but a moment of tne time of the Senate, that he desired only to call attention to the misfortune that the (Continued on Pago 14.) AS I REMEMBER THEM JAMES W. NYE. (Continued from Pago C.) learned Senator from Massachusetts had not lived prior to the coming of our Savior, because, had he done so, when he come to giving instructions instruc-tions to his disciples he would have said: "Go ye forth and preach the gospel to all peoples, nations na-tions and tongues, north of 37.40," and sat down. Sumner turned to him and said: "There Is no argument in that." To which Nye responded: "Of course, not. There was not a d d bit of sense in what you said." Nye had the scriptures at his finger ends. In the hot campaign of 18G8 the national committee commit-tee sent Nye up to a town in Connecticut to make a Republican speech. The local committee met and wei omed him, but explained that it would be useles. to try to have a political meeting, that the whole region thereabouts had gone wild over J u religious revival, that they were holding ser- vices day and night and that the work of grace fj was doing wonders. Nye told them that he was glad of it, that he did not want to make a political speech, but would like to attend their afternoon meeting, adding that while not a member of any church, he had a Christian mother, and if he might be allowed to speak for a few minutes he believed he might interest the children. This was hailed with delight and when the great congregation had assembled in a grove in the open air, the head deacon explained to the audience that a great treat was in store for them, that the great "gray eagle Senator Nye" ' of Nevada was present; that while not a professed pro-fessed Christian, he was brought up under Christian Chris-tian auspices and had kindly consented to address ad-dress the congregation. Nye was then presented and turned that sovereign face of his upon the audience. His own account was like this:' "I looked them over a minute and they became be-came very still. Then, as impressively as I could, I repeated the Psalm, beginning: 'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.' Then I gave them a lew ilirts from Job and a couple of h 1 roasters from Isaiah, and In fifteen minutes I was giving them the d est Republican speech they ever heard. I held them for two hours and when I closed I noticed an old girl who was sitting sit-ting in the front row was wiping her eyes and could not help hearing her say: 'The gentleman gentle-man may not be a professor, but nothing can convince con-vince me that he is not full of saving grace.' " I He was speaking in Austin, Nevada, one of those matchless Nevada summer nights and everybody was out to hear him. He had hardly got under way when a donkey started around the crowd on a fast trot, braying as though his heart was breaking. It seemed as though he would never stop and when he did, the echoes came back almost as distinct and loud from old Mount Toyabe, and, of course, the audience was convulsed. It was ten minutes before the tumult was settled. Then Nye, stretching "but his hand said, "Ladies and gentlemen, that does not disturb dis-turb mo in the least. I have never tried to make a Republican speech in Nevada, that the opposition opposi-tion have not trotted out their best speakers to try and down me." Senator Nye was called upon once to address a gathering of Sunday school children. The burden bur-den of his talk was that the utmost care should be taken to see that children receive upon their plastic hearts only good impressions, so lasting were they. To accentuate his words he drew a fifty-cent piece from his pocket, held it up before the children, and told them that when a small boy that silver piece had been given him by the great Daniel Webster, that foremost of great statesmen. Then ho told them that since then he had J often been hungry, often cold, for in childhood he had not sufficient clothing for a New York i winter; often he had seen dainties which ho coveted, but that nothing could ever induce him to part with that silver, for it had been held in the hand of tho matchless Wjebster and by that hand given to him. By this time ho was overcome over-come with emotion, and was crying, and so were half the women and children before him. When he finished and was retiring from the hall a friend said to him: "Senator, -vhero did you get that half dollar?" "Got it from a bootblack boot-black this morning," was the reply. He was riding on the cars in central New York one morning when he saw an old man in another seat Whose face seemed familiar. He studied the face for several minutes, when a leaf of memory turned in his brain and, going over and sitting down by the old man, he said: "Is not your name Baxter?" Tho man said it was. "Well," said Nye, "do you remember that a little after daylight one November morning some forty-flve years ago you took into your house a r fourteen-year old boy who had been walking on the tow path of the canal all night; took him in, gave him a hot breakfast, sausage and eggs and buckwheat cakes and ho v, pumpkin pie and coffee; cof-fee; how your wife gave him a pair of shoes and stockings, a muffler for his neck and mittens and when ho went away filled his pockets with Rhode Island Greening apples, dough-nuts, gingerbread gin-gerbread and cheese?" The old man said he did recall something of the kind. "Well, I was that boy," said Nye, "and I wanted to ask if your wife was still spared to you, and if all was well with you." The man replied that his wife was still with him, but that he had been unfortunate; that he was forced some years before to mortgage their little farm for $800; that now with interest, costs and lawyers' fees the debt amounted to within a few dollars of $1,400; that the sheriff would sell the place at noon that day at Little Falls; that he was on the way to see who bid it in and to see if he could get a lease from the buyer so that his wife would not be forced to give up her old home. Then the old man burst into tears. Nye told him that he was a lawyer; that he, too, was going to Little Falls and would ac-company ac-company him to the sale; that he might help him in fixing up the papers. They went to the sale together. Nye found out the exact amount of the mortgage and costs, bid in the property, had the sheriff make out the deed in Baxter's name, paid the money, placed the deed in the old man's hands and told him to go homo and tell his wife that the home would always be hers. The old man was overcome and asked Nye where ho could be found. Nye told him in the Senate chamber at Washington. Four weeks later the old man and his wife found him in Washington, Washing-ton, and Nye speaking of it later said: "If the r great bookkeeper up above saw that meeting its ducats to twenty-dollar pieces that, with their gratitude, he balanced a mighty tough column that he held in his ledger against me." But this is growing too long. With the most characteristic story of Nyo ever told we will close. He went to Europe one summer late in the sixties and went as far as Constantinople. He wired the American minister there that he was coming. The minister informed the Grand Vizier that a senator of the United States would arrive in the city that evening. He informed the Sultan and the Sultan ordered a review of all the 110,000 soldiers in the city the next day in his honor those superb soldiers that stood off Sko-belorff Sko-belorff so long at Plevna, a little later. Wo take up the story as Nyo told it: "They gave me a pure Arabian horse to ride. You should have seen him. Bye like an eagle's, nostrils you could put your fist in, coat like velvet, and he felt under you like steel springs, but still was bridable as a great good-natured, friendly Newfoundland dog. I rode him through the review and divided honors with the Sultan. On dismounting I could not repress my admiration for the horse. The interpreter explained -what I had said to the Grand Vizier, whereupon he made a very low salam. 3nying something as he bowed. The interpreter in-terpreter explained that his highness, the Grand Vizier, begged to be accorded the honor of presenting pre-senting the horse to my excellency. I made a rapid calculation. I had not the money to pay the freight on him; I could think of no one to whom I might send for the freight money, and so I took high ground. I made a salam that must have made the Grand Vizier ashamed of himself and bade that interpreter explain to his highness high-ness how honored I would feel to receive so royal J a present, but that it was against the constitu- tion and laws of the great republic, my country, lor a senator of the United States to receive any presents from any foreign prince, potentate 4 or power." A moment later he said: "Why, d n him, had I have had that freight money I would not have taken $2,000 for my chance on that horse." Nye was twelve years senator from Nevada, but was defeated in the election of 1875. He left San Francisco on the steamer, apparently well, but after arriving home he was found wandering daft in the streets of Richmond, Va. He could not explain how he got there. Ho was taken to Bloomingdale asylum, where he died a few months later. W(hile in the asylum, it was rumored that patients there were being mistreated and a reporter re-porter of a great New York daily had himself sent there. Among his traps ho had a deck of cards. One day he proposed a game of casino with Nye and two other inmates. The cards were dealt and in a moment one of the lunatics was playing euchre. A moment later the second lunatic was 1 playing whist. Then Nye, looking over to the reporter, re-porter, said: "They are luny; we will go on with the game." An instant later he said: "I raise you," and reaching over took in an imaginary imagin-ary pot. In doing so he dropped his hand and r the reporter picked It up and looked at it. Ho had three kings and a pair of duces. It was under such a cloud that the great soul went out. |