and bears cared nothing for surveyor’s stakes, and held possession of most of the cities, howling defiance at the march of civilization.  The troops were still in Kansas establishing slavery, and we lived in a constant state of alarm.  The men were organized for defense against Indians, and must do picket duty.  All the money was in the hands of the enemy.  Citizens had everything to buy and nothing to buy it with.  Provisions were brought up from St. Paul by wagon, except when a boat could come from St. Anthony.  Those men of the company who were especially marked, were men of families, and it is hard to starve children for the freedom of the press.  The nearest court was St. Anthony.  Any defense of that suit must be ruinous to those men, and I advised them to compromise.

A committee was appointed to meet six lawyers, and were in despair when they learned the ultimatum of the great Dictator.  With the terms demanded, they had no inclination to comply, but sent J. Fowler to me with the contract they were required to sign.

This bound the company in a bond of $10,000 actual payment, that the St. Cloud Visiter should publish in its columns a card from Mr. Shepley, of which a copy was appended, and which stated that the destruction of the office was not for any political cause, but was solely on account of an attack made by its editor on the reputation of a lady.  Also, that said Visiter should never again discuss or refer to the destruction of its office.

Fowler burned with indignation, and was much surprised when I returned the paper, saying that I would comply with these demands.  He protested that I should not—­that they had set out to defend the freedom of the press.

“Which you cannot do,” I remarked.  “You sign that paper just as you would hand your money to a robber who held a pistol to your head and demanded it.  There is a point at which the bravest must yield, where resistance is madness, and you have reached this point.  The press is mine, leave its freedom to me.  Defend me from brute force and do your duty to your families.”

He returned to the consultation room, where every one was surprised at my compliance.  They had all given me credit for more pluck, but since I surrendered, the case was lost.  The contract was signed, the bond executed, and everything made tight and fast as law could make it.  The friends of free press were indignant, but bided their time.  Stephen Miller, a nephew of my mother-in-law, and afterwards governor of Minnesota, was on a visit to Harrisburg during all this trouble, and when he returned, he flew into a towering rage over what he termed the cowardly backdown of the printing company, and published a card in the St. Paul papers, washing his hands of it.

But to the victors belong the spoils and glory, and now they made much of them.  Ladies got out their silks, their jewels and their laces.  There were sounds of revelry by night, where fair women and gallant men drew around the social board, on which sparkled the wine-cup and glimmered the yellow gold, to be taken up by the winner.  Champagne was drunk in honor of the famous victory, hands were shaken over it, stray sheep were brought back into the true Democratic fold, and late opinions about presses and types were forgotten.