Goodman was the only one of us who had done anything to shed credit upon the paper.

The rival paper was the Virginia "Union." Its editor for a little while was Tom Fitch, called the "silver-tongued orator of Wisconsin"-- that was where he came from.
He tuned up his oratory in the editorial columns of the "Union," and Mr.
Goodman invited him out and modified him with a bullet.

I remember the joy of the staff when Goodman's challenge was accepted by Fitch.

We ran late that night, and made much of Joe Goodman.

He was only twenty-four years old; he lacked the wisdom which a person has at twenty-nine, and he was as glad of being _it_ as I was that I wasn't.